How to connect
Two ways to connect.
One familiar Mac.
Start on your Wi-Fi. Add Tailscale when you want to reach your Mac from somewhere else.
Mac and Android downloads are available. Mobile store releases are coming soon.
Start nearby. Go further when you need to.
Before either route
Give your Mac a moment to get ready.
Install on both devices.
Download Tetherly for Mac, open the DMG, and drag Tetherly to Applications. Open it and look for its menu bar icon. The signed, Apple-notarized app supports macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. You also need the mobile client. Download the Android APK (Android 12 or later), open it, and allow installation from your browser when Android asks. iPhone and iPad store releases are coming soon.
The pairing security design has not yet had an independent security review.
Give your Mac permission.
Follow the Screen Recording and Accessibility prompts. Allow Local Network access and incoming connections through the macOS firewall. Reopen Tetherly if macOS asks you to.
Let your phone find your Mac.
On iPhone or iPad, allow Local Network access. Scanning the QR code also needs camera access.
Stay nearby
On your Wi-Fi.
The simplest place to start. No Tailscale account or internet connection is needed for the local session.
Join the same network.
Connect your Mac and phone or tablet to the same home Wi-Fi. A Mac connected by Ethernet works too, as long as both devices are on the same local network.
Show the pairing code.
Open Tetherly from your Mac's menu bar. Turn on Allow connections, then choose Pair New Device to show the QR code.
Make the introduction.
Open Tetherly on your phone or tablet and scan the QR code. Compare the short codes on both screens. Confirm that they match on your phone, then approve the device on your Mac. Cancel if they differ.
You're connected.
Your Mac's desktop is ready to view and control. Next time, choose your Mac from the paired devices and tap Connect. Keep the Mac awake with Tetherly running.
Reach a little further
Away, with Tailscale.
Tailscale lets your devices reach each other across different networks. Your Mac stays at home while your phone connects over the internet.
Both devices need Tailscale. No router port forwarding or exit node is needed.
Install Tailscale on both devices.
Get Tailscale for your Mac and phone or tablet from the official downloads page. Follow its setup prompts, including the VPN permission on your phone.
Sign in to the same private network.
Use the same Tailscale account on both devices. Check that both appear in Tailscale and are connected. This private network is called a tailnet. Tetherly itself does not need an account.
Pair before you head out.
With Tailscale connected on both devices, follow the Wi-Fi pairing steps above. If you already paired, connect to your Mac once while Tailscale is on so Tetherly can remember its Tailscale address.
Try it on another connection.
Leave your Mac awake, online, and allowing connections. Switch your phone to mobile data or another Wi-Fi network, keep Tailscale connected, and tap Connect for your paired Mac in Tetherly.
The connection stays private.
Tailscale uses an encrypted direct connection when possible, and an encrypted relay when needed. A relay may be slower. Tetherly still checks your paired device keys. Tailscale is a separate service with its own account and terms.
How Tailscale connections workA few things to check.
Mac not showing up?
Check that it is awake and Allow connections is on. Guest Wi-Fi can block devices from reaching each other. Try a home network, or the Tailscale route.
Tailscale connected, but no desktop?
Check that both devices are online in the same tailnet. On a managed tailnet, its access rules must allow the phone to reach the Mac on TCP port 47800. Tetherly pairing is still required.
A slower remote session?
Try a stronger internet connection on both devices. Relayed Tailscale connections can have more delay. Keep your Mac awake; Tetherly does not wake a sleeping Mac remotely.