Using Claude on Any Device

Get back into a session on your iPhone

You started Claude on your computer, drove it from your phone, then closed the app — and now you can't find the session. Here's the reassuring part: quitting the Claude app does not end the session. If you launched it through Remote Control, it is still running on your computer, and you can step right back in.

To return to it

1. Open the Claude app and tap the Code tab.
2. Tap your session in the list. A green online dot means your machine is still running and connected.
3. Backup route: open Safari and go to claude.ai/code — the same session appears there.

If the session is not in the list, it has ended — usually because the computer slept past the timeout, lost the network for too long, or the process was stopped. To pick the work back up, go to your computer and run claude remote-control again, then re-pair your phone.

The session lives on your computer, not in the app. Close the app freely; the work keeps going.

The three native paths

There are three first-party ways to use Claude away from your desk. They solve different problems — one drives a session already running on your machine, one runs entirely in the cloud, and one hands a task from your phone to your Mac at home. Pick by where you want the work to actually execute.

1. Remote Control — drive a local session from any device

Remote Control lets you steer a Claude Code session that is running on your own computer from your phone, tablet, or another browser. The compute, the files, and your local tools all stay on your machine; the device is just the steering wheel.

• Requirements: Claude Code v2.1.51+ and a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan — not API keys.
• Start it one of three ways: run claude remote-control in a terminal (press space to show the QR code), run /remote-control inside an active session, or run /config to enable it for all sessions by default.
• Connect from the Claude app's Code tab — scan the QR code or open the session URL — or go to claude.ai/code in any browser.
• Keep the machine awake. If it sleeps, the session can drop. There is a roughly 10-minute tolerance for network interruptions, and it auto-reconnects after a brief sleep — but a long sleep ends it.

2. Claude Code on the web — cloud sessions, no local machine

At claude.ai/code you can run Claude Code entirely in the cloud, with no computer of your own running. It works against a GitHub repository inside a managed sandbox.

• Connect a GitHub repo, choose a branch, and pick a permission mode — Accept edits or Plan.
• Submit a task; Claude works in a sandbox VM. Sessions persist, so you can leave and come back.
• Review the diffs, leave inline comments, and Create a PR when it's ready.
• It's a research preview, available on Pro, Max, and Team.

3. Claude Dispatch — hand a task from your phone to your Mac

Dispatch lives in Claude Cowork and lets you message a task from the mobile app to a Mac running Claude Desktop, which then executes it locally on that machine. It launched as a research preview in early 2026 and is still maturing — treat it as preview-quality.

• Platform: the executing side is macOS only — there is no Windows or Linux desktop target for Dispatch. (Check code.claude.com/docs for the current plan requirements, which have shifted during the preview.)
• Set up the Mac: open Claude Desktop → Cowork → Dispatch → Get started, and grant the permissions it asks for.
• Pair the phone: in the mobile app go to Cowork → Dispatch → Pair with desktop and scan the QR code shown on the Mac.
• Keep the Mac awake — the task runs there, so if it sleeps the work can't proceed.

What changes on each device

The three paths above are the same everywhere, but each device has its own quirks — screen size, input, and a few things that simply don't work on a phone. Here's what's different where.

iPhone (iOS 17+)

The Claude app is the hub. Use the Code tab to scan a QR code and pair, or to reopen a running session. You can dictate with voice input and use Voice Mode, and trigger Claude through App Intents / Shortcuts for hands-free workflows.

What doesn't work on a phone: interactive pickers. Slash commands that open a selectable menu — /mcp, /plugin, /resume — only work from the local CLI. Plain text commands like /context, /usage, /compact, and /clear work fine. Expect small-screen diffs — readable, but tighter than on a desktop.

iPad (iPadOS 17+)

Everything the iPhone does, plus room to spread out. Use Split View to keep Claude beside Safari or the GitHub app, attach an external keyboard and trackpad for real typing, and turn to landscape for side-by-side diffs that actually breathe. The same interactive-picker limitation applies — it's still a mobile app underneath.

Android phone

Install the Claude app from Google Play. The Code tab works the same as on iOS — broad parity — and Android adds home-screen widgets. One Android-specific gotcha: exempt the Claude app from battery optimization, or the system may delay or drop push notifications when Claude needs your input.

Android tablet

Same as the Android phone, with a larger canvas for reviewing diffs and longer transcripts. Multitasking and a keyboard make it a comfortable place to drive a remote session.

Web — any browser

Open claude.ai/code in any modern browser. From there you can connect to a running local session (Remote Control) or start a fresh cloud session against a GitHub repo. No install needed — useful from a borrowed or work computer.

Desktop app — macOS, Windows (x64 / ARM64); no Linux

The desktop app has three tabs: Chat, Cowork, and Code. In Code, your environment can be Local, Remote, or SSH, and you can run multiple sessions at once. Dispatch lives in the Cowork tab and, as above, executes on macOS. There is no Linux desktop build — on Linux, use the terminal CLI.

Terminal CLI & VS Code extension

The terminal is home base, and the place to expose a session to your other devices. Start sharing with claude remote-control (or /remote-control inside a session). The claude --teleport flag and the VS Code extension round out the desktop experience. Interactive pickers like /mcp and /resume live here — that's why they don't surface on mobile.

Which path for which use case

Honest limitations

None of these is a dealbreaker, but knowing them up front saves a frustrating evening.

• Mobile pickers don't open. /mcp, /plugin, and /resume are CLI-only; on a phone, use the text commands instead.
• Dispatch is macOS-only and the Mac must stay awake — the task executes on that machine.
• Remote Control needs your machine running and awake. Sleep it long enough and the session ends.
• ~10-minute network tolerance. Remote Control rides out brief drops but not extended outages.
• Small-screen diffs. Reviewing large diffs on a phone is cramped; an iPad or tablet in landscape helps.
• No API keys. Remote Control requires a Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise subscription, not pay-as-you-go API billing.
• The web path needs GitHub. Cloud sessions work against a connected GitHub repository.

Pick the path by where the work should run — on your machine, in the cloud, or on the Mac at home — and the device almost stops mattering.

For agents reading this

This page is part of an Agents First site. The typed surfaces for the whole guide: /llms.txt, /AGENTS.md, and /api/model.json.

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