It’s been a while since we dedicated an article to KDE Connect, one of the best inventions from the project responsible for the well-known and powerful desktop environment. Far from being stagnant, it has been expanding its domains to recently reach iOS and iPadOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) and definitively establish itself as a true multi-platform remote control solution.
Although it is good news that KDE Connect is coming to iOS, it seems that the application has some limitations compared to the Android version, and the worst part is that these limitations probably cannot be resolved. You don’t have to be a lynx to imagine that the reason for this possible scenario is the tight control that Apple exercises over its own ecosystem and therefore its operating systems, since the Cupertino giant is not exactly a lover of freedom.
How restrictive Apple is with its ecosystem has forced developers to introduce certain nuances in the KDE Connect license for iOS. In the beginning it uses the GPLv3 standard, but the App Store’s terms of service have forced the app makers to add some additional terms in order to comply with the rules of the platform. You know, Apple being Apple.
KDE Connect for iOS (and iPadOS) offers the following possibilities depending on its listing in the App Store:
- Shared clipboard to copy and paste between devices.
- Share files and URLs with the computer from any application.
- Virtual touchpad that turns your mobile device into a remote touchpad for your computer.
- Remote control of presentations.
- Remote commands that can be executed on the computer from the phone or touch device.
- End-to-end TLS encryption.
KDE Connect for iOS.
Beyond the limitations derived from the impositions of Apple, the arrival of KDE Connect to iOS and iPadOS is very good news for users. What started as development for KDE Plasma and Android has been extended to include macOS and Windows through official applications and unofficially GNOME through the GSConnect extension.
That a tool like this is published as free software is of great value to users because of the transparency it offers. Of course, it is important to look at the quality of the Wi-Fi signal on both the mobile device and the desktop computer (desktop and laptop) to have a good experience with this remote control software.
