OpenClaw on iOS and Android: Using the Mobile Companion App

The OpenClaw mobile companion app for iOS and Android gives you access to your DenchClaw workspace from your phone — chat with the agent, log notes after calls, check pipeline status, and manage contacts without sitting down at your computer. This guide covers installation, pairing your phone to your workspace, and the mobile workflows that are most useful in practice.

For an overview of what DenchClaw is, see what is DenchClaw. To set up the workspace first, follow the setup guide.

How the Mobile App Works#

The companion app is a thin client. It doesn't store your data locally on your phone — it connects to your OpenClaw gateway (running on your Mac, PC, or VPS) and relays your queries to the agent. The agent runs on your machine; the phone is the interface.

This means:

• Your data never lives on your phone. The same local-first privacy guarantee applies.
• You need your workspace running to use the mobile app. If you're running DenchClaw locally on a laptop, your laptop needs to be on and the gateway needs to be running for the mobile app to connect.
• For always-on access from mobile, deploy to a VPS. See the VPS deployment guide.

Installing the App#

iOS#

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad
2. Search for "OpenClaw" or "DenchClaw"
3. Download and install

The app requires iOS 16.0 or later.

Android#

1. Open the Google Play Store
2. Search for "OpenClaw"
3. Install

The app requires Android 10 (API 29) or later.

Pairing Your Phone to Your Workspace#

The pairing process connects your phone to your specific OpenClaw gateway. You do this once per device.

Step 1: Open the Pairing Screen in DenchClaw#

In DenchClaw's web UI (localhost:3100), navigate to Settings → Mobile or type in the chat:

Show me my mobile pairing code

The agent will display a QR code and a 6-character setup code.

Step 2: Scan or Enter the Code#

In the mobile app:

1. Tap "Pair a Workspace"
2. Either scan the QR code or tap "Enter code manually" and type the 6-character code

The app will connect to your local gateway over your Wi-Fi network.

Step 3: Verify the Connection#

Once paired, you'll see your workspace name and a green connection indicator. Type a test message in the mobile app chat — you should get a response from the agent.

Connecting From Outside Your Home Network#

By default, pairing only works on the same Wi-Fi network. To use the app when you're away from home (e.g., at a coffee shop, traveling), you need one of these:

Option A: Deploy to a VPS#

The cleanest long-term solution. Deploy DenchClaw on a VPS with a public domain, then pair the mobile app to the public URL instead of the local IP. The VPS guide covers this fully.

Option B: Tailscale (Mesh VPN)#

Tailscale creates a private network between your devices. Install Tailscale on both your laptop and phone, then use your laptop's Tailscale IP (like 100.x.x.x) as the gateway address in the mobile app.

# Install Tailscale on macOS
brew install tailscale
 
# Start Tailscale
sudo tailscale up

Then in the mobile app, manually enter the gateway URL:

http://100.x.x.x:3100

(Replace with your actual Tailscale IP from tailscale ip.)

Option C: ngrok (For Testing)#

For temporary remote access without setting up infrastructure:

ngrok http 3100

ngrok gives you a public URL like https://abc123.ngrok.io. Enter this in the mobile app's manual connection screen. Note: free ngrok tunnels expire; this is for testing only.

Mobile Workflows That Actually Matter#

The mobile app shines in a few specific scenarios. Here's where it earns its place:

1. Logging Notes Immediately After Calls#

The most common use case. You finish a sales call, customer support conversation, or partner meeting. Instead of opening your laptop and navigating to a CRM form, you open the app and say:

"Log a note for the Acme account: demo went well, they're interested in the Pro plan, follow up Thursday about pricing. Status: In Conversation."

The agent updates the record in your workspace. Takes 20 seconds. No context switching.

This matters because recall degrades fast. Notes logged 30 minutes after a call have more gaps than notes logged 2 minutes after.

2. Quick Contact Lookups Before a Meeting#

Walking into a meeting and want to refresh your memory?

"What's the history with Sarah Chen at Vercel?"

The agent pulls the contact record, recent notes, last contact date, and any open tasks. No scrolling through a CRM interface.

3. Adding Contacts on the Go#

Met someone at an event?

"Add a new contact: James Liu, Head of Engineering at Stripe, james@stripe.com. Met at SaaStr. Wants to see the API docs."

Done before you get back to your seat.

4. End-of-Day Recap#

Commuting home:

"What happened today? What's outstanding?"

The agent summarizes pipeline activity, notes added, and any overdue follow-ups. Takes 10 seconds to review.

5. Using Voice Input#

On iOS and Android, you can use the native voice keyboard to dictate to the app. This is faster than typing for longer notes. Tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, speak your note, and send.

For more advanced voice workflows, see Talking to OpenClaw: Voice and Audio Interfaces.

Mobile App Interface#

The mobile UI is intentionally minimal:

Chat View: The primary interface. Everything is chat-based — no separate screens for contacts, pipeline, or tasks. Ask the agent anything.

Workspace Switcher: If you've paired multiple workspaces (e.g., personal + work), switch between them from the top menu.

Connection Status: Tap the indicator dot to see gateway status, latency, and connection details.

Settings: API configuration, notification preferences, and pairing management.

Notifications#

The mobile app supports push notifications for:

• Agent-initiated alerts (e.g., "You have 3 follow-ups overdue")
• Reminders you've set via the agent ("Remind me to call Acme on Thursday at 2 PM")
• Workflow completions ("Your data enrichment run finished")

Enable notifications in the app settings after pairing. Notifications require your workspace to be running and connected.

Troubleshooting#

"Cannot connect to workspace"#

1. Verify DenchClaw is running on the host: openclaw gateway status
2. Check you're on the same Wi-Fi network (if using local connection)
3. Try accessing http://your-machine-ip:3100 from your phone's browser — if that works, the gateway is reachable

Pairing QR Code Not Working#

• Make sure your phone camera is steady and the QR code is fully visible
• If the automatic scan fails, use the manual 6-character code instead
• Generate a fresh code if the existing one is more than a few minutes old (codes expire)

Slow Response Times#

Response time depends on your LLM provider's API latency plus the round-trip time to your gateway. On a good Wi-Fi connection to a local gateway, expect 1-3 seconds. Slower responses usually indicate the API provider is under load.

App Crashes on iOS#

Force quit and reopen. If it happens repeatedly, uninstall and reinstall — this clears any corrupted pairing state. Re-pair using a fresh code from DenchClaw.

iOS vs Android: Feature Parity#

Both apps have the same core features. A few platform-specific notes:

The Android app tends to have slightly more permissive background behavior, which can mean faster notification delivery.

FAQ#

Does the mobile app work offline?
No. The app requires a connection to your gateway, which in turn requires an internet connection to your LLM provider. There is no offline mode.

Can multiple people use the mobile app with the same workspace?
Currently, the workspace is single-user. Each user can pair their phone to the shared workspace, but there's no per-user access control. Multi-user team workspaces are on the 2026 roadmap.

Is the connection between the app and the gateway encrypted?
Yes, when accessed over HTTPS (VPS deployment with TLS). On a local network without TLS, the connection is unencrypted — keep this in mind if you're on public Wi-Fi.

Can I use the app with DenchClaw running in Docker?
Yes. The app connects to the gateway URL regardless of how DenchClaw is deployed. Expose the correct port from Docker and pair using the IP or domain.

Is there a tablet-optimized version?
The app scales to tablet screen sizes but isn't currently optimized with a split-pane layout. This is on the roadmap.

Ready to try DenchClaw? Install in one command: npx denchclaw. Full setup guide →