pocketlink 0.6.0

Changes since 0.5.1

• Settings in the browser: pocketlink settings (or pocketlink settings in your app launcher) opens a page with your phones (connected or last seen, unpair), pairing with the QR code right on the page, and all settings. Handy on desktops without the DankMaterialShell plugin.
  • It only runs while you use it: started on demand with a new random address each time, it stops when you close the tab, or a minute after you leave it.
  • It's reachable only from your user's programs on this computer, and protected against other websites in your browser: a random token in its address, plus checks that requests come from the page itself.
  • If no browser opens (no default set), it shows the address to open yourself, in the terminal or as a notification. It tries $BROWSER before xdg-open.

The Android app is unchanged apart from its version number.

Install

Android: pocketlink-0.6.0.apk (Android 10+). Updates 0.5.0 in place. Certificate SHA-256: 9C:BB:73:0D:CD:0A:41:6C:ED:93:DF:7F:57:F9:A6:EA:D3:9D:94:EE:F0:33:19:4E:97:57:7D:27:62:66:0B:B8. Obtainium installs and updates from this repository.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR. Elsewhere, a static binary for your architecture, pocketlink-0.6.0-linux-ARCH.tar.gz (x86_64, aarch64, armv7, i686, riscv64; checksums in SHA256SUMS): put pocketlink in ~/.local/bin, copy pocketlink.service to ~/.config/systemd/user/, then systemctl --user enable --now pocketlink. Or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest. Restart the daemon after updating.

pocketlink 0.5.1

Changes since 0.5.0

• "Show in folder" opens your file manager: the button on a received file's notification used whatever your system opens folders with, which could be a terminal. It now opens your file manager in front, with the file selected in Dolphin and Nautilus. If your notification daemon passes along permission to raise windows, it asks the desktop's file manager to show the file; otherwise (DankMaterialShell, for one) it opens a new file manager window, since a window the running file manager reuses could stay hidden on another workspace.
• New file_manager setting: pocketlink config file_manager dolphin picks the file manager for "Show in folder". Left empty, it's the one your desktop uses for showing files, or the first installed. The DMS plugin's file manager setting is copied into it, so one choice covers both.

This is a desktop-only release; the Android app is unchanged.

Install

Android: no new app version; pocketlink-0.5.0.apk (attached again here) is current.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR, or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest. Restart the daemon after updating.

pocketlink 0.5.0

Changes since 0.4.2

• Send folders, and many files much faster: pocketlink send and Send to phone in your file manager now take folders too. Several files or folders go as one stream that the phone unpacks as it arrives, creating several files at once. On a Pixel over Wi-Fi, 200 small files took 1.1 s instead of 8.1 s. A folder lands as a folder of its name in Downloads (or the folder picked in the app), and an interrupted transfer continues where it stopped, without duplicates.
• Faster copies of small files through the phone's folder: copying many small files to the phone in Dolphin, Thunar or Nautilus takes one round trip per file instead of three, about 30% faster. Most of the remaining time is Android registering each new file.
• pocketlink status -json lists the features each phone supports.

Both the app and the daemon need updating. A phone with an older app still gets files one by one, but can't receive folders.

Install

Android: pocketlink-0.5.0.apk (Android 10+). Updates 0.4.2 in place. Certificate SHA-256: 9C:BB:73:0D:CD:0A:41:6C:ED:93:DF:7F:57:F9:A6:EA:D3:9D:94:EE:F0:33:19:4E:97:57:7D:27:62:66:0B:B8. Obtainium installs and updates from this repository.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR, or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest. Restart the daemon after updating.

pocketlink 0.4.2

Changes since 0.4.1

• Faster copies through the phone's folder: copying a file to or from the phone in Dolphin, Thunar or Nautilus now goes over its own HTTPS connection, like other file transfers, instead of in 512 KiB pieces over the shared connection. A copy no longer waits on a round trip per piece, and notifications and other messages aren't held up behind file data. Thumbnails, small files and random access keep the small requests.

  On a Pixel over 5 GHz, copying a large file from the phone went from 8.6 MB/s to 19.3 MB/s. Wi-Fi still sets the limit: on 2.4 GHz with a weak signal, even a plain TCP connection to the phone stays under 1 MB/s. If your router uses one name for both bands, the phone may drop to 2.4 GHz.

Both the app and the daemon need updating for this; with only one of them updated, copies work as before.

Install

Android: pocketlink-0.4.2.apk (Android 10+). Updates 0.4.1 in place. Certificate SHA-256: 9C:BB:73:0D:CD:0A:41:6C:ED:93:DF:7F:57:F9:A6:EA:D3:9D:94:EE:F0:33:19:4E:97:57:7D:27:62:66:0B:B8. Obtainium installs and updates from this repository.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR, or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest. Restart the daemon after updating.

pocketlink 0.4.1

Changes since 0.4.0

• "Send to phone" in file managers: right-click files in Dolphin, Thunar (Send To → Phone), Nemo or Nautilus (needs nautilus-python) to send them to your phones. A desktop notification reports the result. The AUR package installs the menu entries; pocketlink send -notify is the command behind them.
• Keeps working in the background:
  • Finish setup asks to turn off "Pause app activity if unused", so Android doesn't take pocketlink's permissions and stop it after months of not opening the app.
  • Notification forwarding recovers by itself when Android drops the notification listener, instead of stopping until a reboot.
  • Allowing notifications works even after Android has stopped asking: it opens the notification settings.
• File access prompt: when a computer tries to open your files while file access is off, the phone shows a notification that takes you to the setting.

Install

Android: pocketlink-0.4.1.apk (Android 10+). Updates 0.4.0 in place. Certificate SHA-256: 9C:BB:73:0D:CD:0A:41:6C:ED:93:DF:7F:57:F9:A6:EA:D3:9D:94:EE:F0:33:19:4E:97:57:7D:27:62:66:0B:B8. Obtainium installs and updates from this repository.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR, or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest. Restart the daemon after updating.

pocketlink 0.4.0

Changes since 0.3.0

• Your phone's files in your file manager: turn on File access in the app's settings, then open webdav://127.0.0.1:1765/ in Dolphin or dav://127.0.0.1:1765/ in Thunar or Nautilus. Each paired phone is a folder there: browse, open, copy, move, rename and delete, both ways.
  • Opening a folder costs one round trip to the phone. The phone reports changes to folders you've opened, so going back to one is instant.
  • The server only listens on localhost and only accepts your own user's programs, so bookmarks need no password. pocketlink config files off turns it off; pocketlink status shows the address.
  • The phone needs All files access for this. It's off until you turn it on.
• DMS plugin: a folder button on each phone, and Phone files for all of them, open the files in your file manager. Pick which one in the plugin settings (default: the first of Dolphin, Thunar, Nautilus, Nemo and PCManFM that's installed).

Install

Android: pocketlink-0.4.0.apk (Android 10+). Updates 0.3.0 in place. Certificate SHA-256: 9C:BB:73:0D:CD:0A:41:6C:ED:93:DF:7F:57:F9:A6:EA:D3:9D:94:EE:F0:33:19:4E:97:57:7D:27:62:66:0B:B8. Obtainium installs and updates from this repository.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR, or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest. Restart the daemon after updating. File access needs both the new app and the new daemon.

pocketlink 0.3.0

Changes since 0.2.0

• Contact photos on calls: "Incoming call" and "Missed call" on the desktop show the caller's contact photo.
• Images share straight to the clipboard: when you share a picture (e.g. a screenshot) from the phone, the desktop notification gets a "Copy to clipboard" button next to Open / Show in folder.
• Clipboard images paste everywhere: images are put on the desktop clipboard as PNG, so Signal and other Chromium/Electron apps accept them (they ignore JPEG).

Install

Android: pocketlink-0.3.0.apk (Android 10+). Updates 0.2.0 in place. Certificate SHA-256: 9C:BB:73:0D:CD:0A:41:6C:ED:93:DF:7F:57:F9:A6:EA:D3:9D:94:EE:F0:33:19:4E:97:57:7D:27:62:66:0B:B8. Obtainium installs and updates from this repository.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR, or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest. Restart the daemon after updating.

pocketlink 0.2.0

Lightweight phone companion for sway, niri and other standalone Wayland compositors: notifications, clipboard, files, media remote and calls, without KDE libraries.

Changes since 0.1.0

• Renamed to pocketlink (formerly tether). Existing config and pairings move over automatically on first start.
• Clipboard images sync both ways: a grim screenshot lands on the phone ready to paste, and "Send clipboard" on the phone sends images too.
• The clipboard keeps its contents when the daemon stops or restarts.
• Direct share: each paired computer appears by name in Android's share sheet.
• Panel widget: send a file to one phone (or "Send to all"), tidier settings layout, popout sized to its content.
• App: computer cards update right after pairing instead of staying on "Connecting…".
• App: explains how to allow notification access when Android greys it out for sideloaded apps.
• Much smaller app: 3 MB instead of 61 MB, signed with the release key.

Install

Android: pocketlink-0.2.0.apk (Android 10+). Certificate SHA-256: 9C:BB:73:0D:CD:0A:41:6C:ED:93:DF:7F:57:F9:A6:EA:D3:9D:94:EE:F0:33:19:4E:97:57:7D:27:62:66:0B:B8. If you had a 0.1.0 debug build, uninstall it first. Obtainium installs and updates from this repository.

Desktop: pocketlink-git in the AUR, or go install github.com/carnager/pocketlink/cmd/pocketlink@latest.

tether 0.1.0

First publication, when the project was still called tether. Superseded by pocketlink 0.2.0, which has the Android app.