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How to Connect to Ubuntu Remote Desktop using Android Phone

Last updated: July 9, 2013

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to easily connect to your Ubuntu Desktop using Android Phone.

Preparation:

  • An Ubuntu PC connected to your home network (I’m on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS).
  • An Android Phone (Mine is LG E960, Google Nexus 4).

To get started:

1.) On Ubuntu, search and open Ubuntu Sharing from Unity Dash.

desktop-sharing-unity-dash

2.) Here’s how I configured the preference to enable remote access to my desktop:

desktop-sharing-preferences

3.) Find your Ubuntu IP address by click on Network Manager icon -> Information

4.) On Android Phone, install android-vnc-viewer from Google Play for free. Then open it, type in a nickname, IP address of Ubuntu, and the password to connect:

android-vnc

That’s it. Enjoy!

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    I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via [email protected] Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1 |

    10 responses to How to Connect to Ubuntu Remote Desktop using Android Phone

    1. Ioannis Papadimitropoulos December 9, 2013 at 6:14 am

      Thanks a lot. Worked perfectly on my ubuntu 13.10 and my Samsung galaxy note phone.

    2. me December 18, 2013 at 12:00 am

      does it work on internet?

      • B December 20, 2013 at 8:26 am

        yes it can work on internet provided you have a static IP for your (ubuntu) server, or use a dynamic DNS service (such as dyndns.org or noip.com) to be able to identify your remote server.

        The upload speed on the internet is usually quite low, so don’t expect instanteneous interactivity in remote sessions (eg watching a movie should be ok, playing an RPG might not be).

    3. Bryan March 4, 2014 at 10:02 pm

      Hi There,

      I don’t seem to be able to get the unity launcher to pop-out (docked on left side of desktop). I should mention I did this on an Android Tablet (Asus Transformer Infinity).

      If I could get the Unity stuff working this should do nicely – for now I have no real control over the host

      Thanks in advance for any advice

    4. David June 18, 2014 at 2:14 am

      Hi, thanks for your post. Interesting.
      I do have a question for you. In ubuntu 14.04 that is not listed, I tried to find it but desktop sharing is not there. Do you know another way to do that?
      Thank you.

      • Nicholas June 19, 2014 at 3:49 am

        David, I imagine the package, for whatever reason, was not installed during your Ubuntu upgrade/installation. This is easy to fix. Go to this link: https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/saucy/vino/
        Click the orange button and it should take you to the software center when you can install Desktop Sharing and then you should be able to find it in Unity. Good luck!

    5. milan hazra March 19, 2015 at 5:50 pm

      how to configure android vnc to connect to a desktop under proxy

    6. tekeous April 7, 2015 at 5:09 pm

      I tried this, and it did not work. I recieved the error “Server did not provide supported security type”.

      I do have full disk encryption on my Ubuntu 14.04.2 setup, could that be the cause?

      • Razz June 26, 2015 at 9:12 pm

        I got that error too. I fixed it by either turning on UPnP or portforeward 5900, 5800 and 5500.
        That gave me “establishing handshake” screen until the connection timed out. :-(
        I’m also fully encrypted on 14.04.

        Hope to figure it out tomorrow.

    7. MACK May 20, 2016 at 11:24 am

      Im unable to connect to the Linux Pc the following Error:

      OS:14.4LTS
      Error: VNC connection failed! Server did not offer supported security type
      Port:5900(and dont know whether this is correct port)
      provide me with assistance or solution