SideDeck
한국어

Support

Need a hand? Most questions are answered below. If not, email hakjae.dev@gmail.com and include your phone model, its OS version and your macOS version.

Requirements

  • iPhone with iOS 17 or later
  • Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, running the SideDeck Mac app
  • Wi-Fi turned on for both devices

Getting started

  1. Download the SideDeck Mac app from the download section, drag it to Applications and open it. It lives in the menu bar.
  2. In the Setup tab, click Grant Access… and turn SideDeck on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
  3. Open SideDeck on your phone and allow Local Network access when asked.
  4. Tap your Mac. Check that both screens show the same 6-digit code, click Allow on the Mac, then tap Codes Match on the phone.
  5. On the Mac, open Customize from the menu bar to build decks. Try New Deck › Instant Deck for a ready-made one.

My phone can't find my Mac

  1. Make sure the SideDeck Mac app is running — look for its icon in the menu bar.
  2. Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi network if you can. Guest and some office networks block devices from seeing each other. Without a shared network, keep Wi-Fi turned on for both and keep them close; SideDeck will connect directly.
  3. On iPhone, check Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network › SideDeck is on.
  4. If the macOS Firewall is on, allow incoming connections for SideDeck.
  5. Still nothing? Open the Mac app's Troubleshooting tab for its IP address and port, then on the phone tap Choose Device › Connect Manually.

Buttons don't do anything

  • If the phone asks you to allow Accessibility, grant it in the Mac app's Setup tab. If it's already on, turn SideDeck off and on again in the Accessibility list.
  • A button from an app's deck only works while that app is in front on your Mac. Decks shown for another app are dimmed.
  • Shortcuts are sent as US keyboard key positions. On some layouts, symbol keys such as [ or ] may sit elsewhere — set the button to a different key on the Mac.

The connection drops

On iPhone, iOS closes local connections when SideDeck goes to the background, so keep it open on screen. It reconnects by itself when you return, when Wi-Fi comes back, or when your Mac wakes from sleep.

Pairing a new phone or Mac

  • On your phone: Settings › Choose Another Device. Tap Remove next to your Mac, then pick the new one.
  • On Mac: menu bar › Preferences › Paired Devices › Remove.
  • One phone controls a Mac at a time, and a phone remembers one Mac.

Changing the language

Both apps are in English and Korean and follow your device's language. To change it, choose Settings › Language in each app. On your phone, quit and reopen SideDeck; on Mac, click Relaunch Now.

Uninstalling

Quit the SideDeck Mac app and move it to the Trash. To remove your decks and backups too, delete ~/Library/Application Support/SideDeck. On your phone, delete the app as usual.

Privacy

SideDeck collects no personal data. See the Privacy Policy.