How to use Claude Code on your phone (2026): Remote Control and more

Short answer: there's no separate Claude Code app; it lives in the Code tab of the Claude app for iOS and Android. To keep working on a session that runs on your computer, start it with claude remote-control (or type /remote-control in a session you already have), scan the QR code with your phone, and you're in. For work that should keep going with your computer off, start a cloud session from the same Code tab instead.

Everything below is from Anthropic's own documentation, checked on November 6, 2026. (I build Morphy, whose Remote feature does this for every agent on its canvas; it comes up near the end.)

Four ways to use Claude Code from your phone

	Where Claude runs	Your computer	Best for
Remote Control	Your computer, in the terminal, the desktop app or VS Code	Must stay on	Carrying on with local work from the couch
Cloud sessions	Anthropic's cloud	Can be off	A task on a GitHub repository that should keep running
Projects	Cloud threads (or your computer, through Remote Control)	Can be off	A stream of tasks over days
Dispatch	Your computer, through the Claude desktop app	Must stay on	Messaging a task and letting the desktop app run it

All of them need a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max or Ultra; Remote Control also works on Team and Enterprise) and a claude.ai sign-in: they don't work with an API key or through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry.

Set up Remote Control

1. Get the Claude app for iOS or Android (on an iPad, the iOS app), and sign in with the same account you use for Claude Code. In Claude Code, /mobile shows a QR code that opens the right app store.

2. Start Remote Control on your computer, in one of three ways:

claude remote-control      # a server that waits for your phone; spacebar shows the QR code
claude --remote-control    # (or --rc) a normal session you can also use from your phone
/remote-control            # (or /rc) inside a session that's already running

The first time, Claude Code explains what Remote Control does and asks Enable Remote Control? (y/n).

3. Connect from your phone. Scan the QR code, open the link it shows, or open the Claude app's Code tab and pick the session by name: a session on your computer has a computer icon with a green dot when it's online. From the claude.ai/code website on any browser works too.

From then on, the conversation is the same on both screens: send messages from your terminal or your phone, attach photos and files from the phone (photos go straight to Claude; other files are downloaded to your computer), and pick the model or effort from the phone. If your laptop sleeps or the network drops, the session reconnects by itself when the computer is back.

Make it automatic

Every session, every time: run /config and turn on Enable Remote Control for all sessions. The desktop app has Connect new sessions to Remote Control in its settings, and VS Code a toggle in the extension's settings.
Push notifications: in /config, turn on Push when Claude decides (a long task finished) and Push when actions required (a permission prompt or a question). You can also just ask: "notify me when the tests finish."
Several sessions from one command: claude remote-control --spawn worktree gives each session you start from your phone its own git worktree, so they don't edit the same files. --capacity sets how many can run (32 by default).

What to know

Your computer has to stay on, and the Claude Code process has to keep running. Close the terminal and the session goes offline until you bring it back (for a server, claude remote-control --continue picks up its last session).
One remote session per terminal session. For several at once, use claude remote-control (server mode).
It runs locally: your files, tools, MCP servers and settings stay on your computer; the phone is a window onto them.

When Remote Control won't connect

What you see	What it means	The fix
`Remote Control requires a claude.ai subscription`	You aren't signed in with claude.ai, or an API key is used instead	`claude auth login` with the claude.ai option; remove `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` or `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN` if the message names one
`Remote Control is only available when using Claude via api.anthropic.com`	`ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` points at a gateway or proxy	Unset `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`
Remote Control disconnected or Can't reach on the phone	The phone lost contact with your computer	If Claude Code is still running, it reconnects when the computer is awake and online; if not, start it again and bring the session back
`could not reach the Remote Control server for about 30 minutes`	The connection lapsed	Run `/remote-control` again
`Remote Control is disabled by your organization's policy`	Your Team or Enterprise admin hasn't turned it on	Ask an owner to enable Remote Control in Claude Code's admin settings
No push notifications	The app's push token is stale, or the phone holds them back	Open the Claude app once; on iOS check Focus and notification summaries, on Android exempt Claude from battery optimization

Turning off feature flags with CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC or DISABLE_GROWTHBOOK also turns Remote Control off.

Cloud sessions and Dispatch: when your computer is off

Cloud sessions run on Anthropic's machines, so they keep going after you lock your phone. In the Claude app's Code tab, pick a GitHub repository and branch, describe the task and send it; you can check progress, answer Claude's questions or have it watch a pull request and fix failing checks. Your code has to be on GitHub.

Dispatch is a task you message in the Claude app, and the Claude desktop app on your computer runs it (Pro, Max or Ultra, with the app paired to the desktop app). Projects go further: one conversation that starts cloud threads for a stream of work. More in how to run multiple Claude Code agents.

Other apps for your phone

Happy: free and open source, with phone apps for iOS and Android that reach Claude Code, Codex and Grok on your computer, end-to-end encrypted. Use its happy claude command for the real Claude Code.
CloudCLI: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and Cursor's CLI in any browser, your phone's included; run it yourself for free, or pay for the hosted version.
Orca: a free desktop app for running agents in parallel, with iOS and Android apps to follow and answer them.

These and the desktop apps are compared in the best Claude Code GUIs.

In Morphy

Morphy Remote (part of Pro) puts every chat on your canvas on your phone, not just one Claude session: Claude, Codex, Grok and the other AIs, with the ones waiting for you first. Scan a QR code and it opens in your phone's browser, over your own Wi-Fi, with nothing going through a Morphy server. From the phone you can send messages, attach photos, answer permission requests and Claude's questions, approve plans, start a new chat, check your usage and switch accounts. See Morphy Remote.

Questions

Is there a Claude Code mobile app? Not a separate one. Claude Code lives in the Code tab of the Claude app for iOS and Android, where you reach cloud sessions, projects and sessions on your computer through Remote Control.

Can I use Claude Code on my phone for free? No. Remote Control, cloud sessions and Dispatch need a paid Claude plan; Claude's free plan doesn't include Claude Code.

Does my computer need to stay on? For Remote Control and Dispatch, yes: Claude runs on your computer. Cloud sessions and projects run in Anthropic's cloud, so they don't need it.

Can I use Claude Code on Android? Yes, through the Claude app for Android: Remote Control, cloud sessions and projects all work there.

Why does Remote Control keep disconnecting? Usually because the computer went to sleep or the network dropped; an interactive session reconnects by itself when it's back. See the table above for the messages that need a fix.

References

Anthropic: Remote Control, Claude Code on mobile, cloud sessions, Projects, the desktop app and Dispatch
Morphy: Morphy Remote