5 Free Android Applications for Computer Remote Control – Do you want to access your PC remotely be it Windows, MacOS or even your Linux OS from your Android smartphone? Computer remote control application can help you access and control your computer and access your desktop or server remotely from your Android smartphone device safely. Such applications are very useful when you are in a situation when you are not in front of your computer and you are only holding your Android smartphone.
The process is very simple: just set up RDP or VNC on your computer system, and install and configure compatible applications on your computer and Android device. Then you can safely connect to your configured computer system from anywhere in a remote place even as long as it is connected to the internet.
In this article, I will provide recommendations for the 5 best Android applications that help to remote, access and control your computer remotely from anywhere with an internet connection.
1. TeamViewer
If you are looking for a hp app Android smartphone for remote control of computers remotely, TeamViewer is the app you should try. This provides extremely fast and secure access to computers and mobile smartphone devices.
This tool helps you or your team to remotely access any system, provide online support to customers and manage computers or servers unattended across multiple platforms.
TeamViewer is undoubtedly the easiest software or application with many features for remote control compared to other applications on this list. It also offers support for more devices than any other remote control application, making it the best choice if you are looking for an application that supports multi-platforms.
Advantages
TeamViewer comes with various interesting features such as:
- Connect to all major desktop and mobile platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS.
- Supports screen sharing as well as full control of remote devices.
- Single window console to manage contacts, devices, sessions and more.
- Offers chat and VoIP features to make calls, conference, and meetings.
- Can record remote sessions including screen, audio & video and VoIP.
- Clipboard sharing allows easy copying and pasting of text, images, and files.
- Transfer files at speeds up to 200 MB / s across two remote devices.
- Supports controlled access via trusted devices as well as white and black lists.
- Secure remote connections with strong 256-bit AES for encrypting sessions and 2048-bit RSA for key exchange along with optional two-factor authentication.
- Free for personal use but does not include many advanced features.
- Offers online help videos and support documents including how-to tutorials.
Deficiency
TeamViewer lacks in several places, for example:
- Does not connect to systems running open source VNC or third party VNC software such as TightVNC, UltraVNC, etc.
- This is a proprietary software that comes at a premium price for business users.
2. VNC Viewer
VNC Viewer is a remote control application or remote control from RealVNC (VNC’s own innovator) that gives you instant remote access to your desktop PC or server computer from anywhere using your Android smartphone.
VNC Viewer creates a secure, seamless and reliable cloud connection to any VNC or VNC Connect compatible computer without requiring any network configuration.
If you are looking for an open source and free application, then VNC Viewer is your only choice on this list. Although the application itself is not open source, but contrary to other software, it can connect to a computer running open source VNC.
However, you may find some features missing when using the open source options.
Advantages
VNC Viewer offers a variety of great features as listed below:
- Can be used and connected to all popular desktop operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux and also to the Raspberry Pi.
- Connect to a computer using open source VNC or third party VNC compatible software such as TightVNC, Apple Screen Sharing, etc.
- Provides connection details for backup and sync using a RealVNC cloud account.
- Support Bluetooth keyboard and microphone for easy control on mobile devices.
- Offers multiple authentication schemes to prevent unauthorized access.
- Encrypt all connections to prevent eavesdropping by malicious entities.
- Blacklist users who failed authentication to prevent attacks and port scanning.
- Online documentation and support via live chat and email are available.
- Offer a subscription to Cloud and VNC Connect is free for home users.
Deficiency
VNC Viewer has drawbacks at various points compared to others such as:
- Unable to connect to mobile platform.
- There is a premium price fee for VNC Connect for business users.
- Does not support file transfer features to / from free home subscriptions and using Android, iOS, and devices Chrome OS.
3. Microsoft Remote Desktop
Microsoft Remote Desktop is the best remote control software or application to remotely complete work on a computer system with Windows OS using an Android smartphone.
There is no need to install any software on a remote system to run Windows and you know how to configure Remote Desktop. If not, then you just need to install Remote Desktop Assistant and it will work for you.
Microsoft Remote Desktop is the right choice for you if you are looking for a Windows-specific remote control application solution. Although this software doesn’t work for any other platform, it does a great job for controlling Windows PC remotely.
It is packed with basic features like clipboard sharing but lacks the advanced features offered by other apps like file transfer, chat and voice calls, etc.
Advantages
Here are some of the best features of the Remote Desktop client by Microsoft:
- Connect to Windows OS for desktops and servers only.
- Rich multi-touch experience supporting Windows gestures using RemoteFX.
- Access to remote devices such as printers using Remote Desktop Gateway (same requirement must be configured on your network).
- Access to Android local storage from remote Windows applications.
- Secure connection to remote computers using Network Layer Authentication.
- High quality audio and video support using advanced bandwidth compression.
- Free for everyone although some features are only for enterprise users.
Deficiency
Microsoft Remote Desktop has disadvantages such as:
- Cannot connect to any operating system other than Windows.
- Exclusive technology that can’t connect to Windows 10 Home.
4. Chrome Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop is a unique browser extension for Google Chrome to easily and safely access your Mac PC or desktop Linux from any Android smartphone mobile device.
This allows any Chrome user to provide remote assistance or access a remote computer via the Internet using only the web Google Chrome browser across multiple operating systems.
If you need a sweet and simple remote control app or remote control then Chrome Remote Desktop is the best choice for you. It is the only multi-platform application that is freely available for commercial use unlike all other software or applications on this list, so if you are planning to set up a remote control in your office, Chrome Remote Desktop could be a great choice for you.
Advantages
Some of the most interesting attributes of Chrome Remote Desktop are:
- Connect to Windows, macOS and Linux desktops.
- One-time authentication code to share or gain access.
- Capable of setting up screen sharing as well as remote assistance.
- Manage saved session or connection details in one place.
- Streams audio and supports copy paster function for Windows.
- Encrypted session using feature SSL Chrome includes AES.
- Free for personal and commercial use.
Deficiency
Some of the drawbacks of Chrome Remote Desktop are:
- Cannot access local storage or resources in remote applications.
- Does not support file transfer for every platform.
5. Splashtop 2
The last one is Splashtop. It is a secure remote control application that gives full access to applications, multimedia files, games and more on remote computers.
It’s easy to set up a remote control connection using Splashtop Streamer on a remote computer.
If you are looking for a local network solution, then Splashtop is the best app for you. Even though the online remote control only works for premium subscriptions, its features make it worth checking out on a local connection.
You can access and play music and media stored on your computer from the device cellphone smartphone.
Advantages
Some of the advantages of Splashtop are:
- Can connect to Windows and MacOS platforms.
- Connects from a variety of devices including Kindle Fire and Windows Phone.
- Stream high definition audio and video on remote connections.
- Strong encryption including logging, audit trail and multi-level passwords.
- Business features include file transfer, remote printer, chat, and multi-user access.
- Free to use on a local network to access your computer from another room.
Deficiency
SplashTop also has several disadvantages such as:
- There is no free option to be able to access your remote home computer from anywhere using the Internet.
- Unable to connect to Linux operating system.
Conclusion
TeamViewer is highly recommended for personal use because it is easy to use and allows you to share the screen, remote control, and much more. Chrome Remote Desktop works without any software installation and due to this convenience you can easily set up remote assistance or control on a computer anywhere else without admin or root privileges.
Lastly, Windows Remote Desktop is great for anyone using a Windows OS with basic remote control requirements.
Read: 5 Best Virtual Machine Software for Windows, MacOS, Linux
And those are the 5 best android applications that you can use to remotely control a PC computer using your smartphone. Hopefully this article is useful and good luck. 🙂
