How to Install KDE Connect in Ubuntu LTS

KDE Connect is an application that lets Android/iOS devices communicate with your computer. Its features are as follows:

  • Notifications sync (4.3+): Read your Android/iOS notifications from the desktop
  • Reply to SMS from your desktop.
  • Shared clipboard: copy and paste between your devices.
  • Receive desktop notifications on your phone.
  • Multimedia remote control: Use your phone as a remote for Linux media players
  • Ring your phone from your computer (even when silent), to help you find it.
  • Share files and URLs to your computer from any app, without wires
  • Virtual touchpad: Use your phone screen as your computer’s touchpad.
  • Trigger custom commands from your phone, pre-configured on your desktop
  • WiFi connection: no USB wire or bluetooth needed
  • Use TLS encryption between phone and computer.

Install KDE Connect in Ubuntu LTS

First, install KDE Connect on your Android phone via Google play store. iOS users can install it from the app store. Then on your Ubuntu computer, open a terminal and run the following commands to install KDE Connect from PPA.

sudo apt update

sudo apt install kdeconnect

Once it’s installed, launch KDE Connect Settings from Unity Dash or your application menu. You should also open KDE Connect app on your Android phone.

kde-connect-settins-ubuntu-16-04-unity

It will automatically detect your Android phone if they are in the same network. Select your device on the left pane and click on Request Pair.

kde connect pair device

You will receive a pair request on your phone, select Accept.

kde-connect-android-pair-device

Now your Ubuntu computer and Android phone are paired. You can try to send ping between these two devices. Files sent from your phone to computer will be stored in ~/Downloads directory by default.

Nextcloud

You can also use Nextcloud to share files between desktop Linux and iOS/Android.

That’s it! As always, if you found this post useful, subscribe to our free newsletter or follow us on Twitter or like our Facebook page.

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7 Responses to “How to Install KDE Connect in Ubuntu LTS

  • Amos Folarin
    6 years ago

    in case this isn’t obvious, the Accept/Reject comes in on the notifications list.

  • Robert Redman
    6 years ago

    worked like a charm on a loaded ubuntu studio pc, thanks

  • Aayush M
    5 years ago

    its saying that it does not have a ‘recieve file’.

  • Aayush M
    5 years ago

    “release file.” sorry for the error

  • how to install on DEBIAN distro?? using xfce.
    why is this not listed in synaptic?
    or better yet, where is the link to the .deb file, so we can just download and click it. i couldn’t find it.
    thanks for any info

  • Adil Mustafa
    1 year ago

    WiFi connection: no USB wire or bluetooth needed
    Use TLS encryption between phone and computer.
    Multimedia remote control: Use your phone as a remote for Linux media players
    Ring your phone from your computer (even when silent), to help you find it.
    Share files and URLs to your computer from any app, without wires
    Virtual touchpad: Use your phone screen as your computer’s touchpad.

    these featres not working by y pc and phone

    • Sterling Beck
      2 months ago

      Yes, they do not seem to work for me either between a laptop running Ubuntu and and iphone! If it did work how would you enable and use this feature?

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