Permissions on Mac and iPhone

PocketCtrl never asks for Contacts, Photos, Location, or notifications. If you see such a prompt, it is not from PocketCtrl.

macOS shows a system prompt the first time PocketCtrl tries to capture the display. If you missed it or clicked the wrong button:

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording.
2. Turn on PocketCtrl. If it is not listed, click + and choose it from Applications.
3. macOS may ask you to quit and reopen PocketCtrl. Do so.
4. Back in PocketCtrl, open the Host panel. The Diagnostics section should show Screen Recording as allowed and Start Hosting becomes available.

If PocketCtrl shows Direct screen access not checked or capture never starts, remove PocketCtrl from the Screen Recording list with −, add it again, and reopen the app. Moving the app to a different folder after granting the permission also invalidates it; keep PocketCtrl in Applications.

Accessibility is the macOS permission that lets an app generate mouse and keyboard events. PocketCtrl asks for it when hosting starts with remote input enabled. It is not needed for view-only sessions.

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
2. Turn on PocketCtrl. Use the + button if it is not listed.
3. Quit and reopen PocketCtrl, then check the Diagnostics section.

If a paired device can see the screen but clicks do nothing, check three things: Accessibility here, whether that device was approved with Allow mouse and keyboard control (see the four permissions), and whether the remote control toggle is on inside the phone's remote view.

When the Nearby Wi-Fi discovery switch is on, the Mac asks macOS for Local Network access so it can advertise itself with Bonjour. If you denied it, the Network section reads Local Network not checked or reports it is off. Fix it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network, then toggle the switch off and on in PocketCtrl.

Without it, phones cannot discover the Mac by name on the same Wi-Fi, but the Computer Code and Tailscale still work.

This one causes more failed connections than anything else because the prompt is easy to dismiss. The first time PocketCtrl searches for a Mac, iOS asks “PocketCtrl would like to find and connect to devices on your local network.” Tapping Don't Allow makes every nearby connection fail silently at the system level; PocketCtrl detects this and shows Local Network access is off with an Open Settings button.

1. Open Settings on the iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll to Apps, then PocketCtrl. (On older iOS versions PocketCtrl is listed directly in Settings.)
3. Turn on Local Network.
4. Return to PocketCtrl and tap Try Again.

Tailscale connections do not need this permission, which is why a phone with Local Network denied can still connect remotely but not at home.

• Camera is used only by the QR scanner. If you denied it, the scanner says This device cannot scan QR codes; type the Computer Code instead or allow Camera in Settings.
• Microphone and Speech Recognition are asked for the first time you use voice typing. Dictation runs on the phone with Apple's speech framework; PocketCtrl sends only the resulting text to the Mac. Deny both and everything else still works.

On the Mac, expand Diagnostics in the Host panel. Each permission shows a status and a button to prompt for it again. It also shows live counters: packets, frames, bytes, and input events. If a phone is connected and the frame counter is rising, video is flowing and any remaining problem is on the phone side.

Changed a setting and nothing happened?

macOS caches permission state per process. After changing anything in Privacy & Security, quit PocketCtrl fully (⌘Q, not just closing the window) and open it again.