Mix & connect / 11

Remote Control

Use an iPhone as the physical control pad while the iPad remains the tracker screen.

How it works

  • Both devices run GlassTracker and are on the same local Wi-Fi network.
  • The iPad is the host and source of truth. Keep its app active and look at its tracker screen while playing the iPhone controls.
  • The current Alpha accepts one reserved or active controller connection at a time.
  • The phone sends control-pad edges and receives compact project, view, tempo, and transport status. It does not mirror the tracker display.

Pair a new iPhone

01
Enable the iPad host.

On iPad, open Remote in the app header and turn on Enable Remote Control.

02
Open pairing briefly.

Tap Pair New Controller. The iPad shows a one-use QR code for up to two minutes.

03
Scan from iPhone.

On iPhone, open Remote, choose Scan iPad Pairing QR, and allow Camera and Local Network access when iOS asks.

04
Start controlling.

After authentication and state sync, the iPad pairing sheet closes and the phone opens its controller.

Pairing is closed by default and the QR is consumed after one successful use. The iPad lists trusted phones under Paired Controllers; use its trash button to revoke one.

Reconnect a paired iPad

Open Remote on both devices and leave the iPad host enabled. Nearby trusted hosts appear under Paired iPads on the phone; select one to connect. GlassTracker also retries a temporary interruption with bounded backoff and requests a fresh authoritative state after reconnecting.

The trash button beside a Paired iPad removes that phone-side pairing. Pair again with a new QR if either device has forgotten or revoked the other.

Phone controller

The phone reuses the familiar GlassTracker buttons and haptics. Multi-touch lifetimes are preserved, so you can hold NAV, press and release an arrow, then keep holding NAV for another navigation chord. The iPad applies the same screen ownership and PLAY policy as its local controls.

  • The status line shows the connected iPad, project, current view, tempo, and Playing/Stopped state.
  • Disconnect returns to host discovery.
  • STOP ALL SOUND is an explicit immediate emergency action independent of the current tracker screen.
  • Diagnostics shows recent connection events plus round-trip timing.
Sliders and buttons are not mapped yet

The four vertical sliders and four square buttons above the pad are current-Alpha layout placeholders. They keep local values only and send no MIDI or network commands. Channel/CC mapping, profiles, persistence, and host routing are planned for a later programmable-controller phase.

Pairing and safety

Control traffic uses an encrypted authenticated WebSocket on the local network. Pairing establishes device-specific trust stored in Keychain; Bonjour advertises discovery information, never pairing secrets. An unpaired client cannot execute controls, and the iPad releases any held remote buttons when the session disconnects, backgrounds, is revoked, or is replaced.

If the iPad does not appear

  1. Confirm both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network and Local Network access is enabled in iOS Settings.
  2. Confirm Enable Remote Control is on and the iPad app is active.
  3. Disconnect another controller; the current Alpha permits only one session.
  4. Use Retry or reopen Remote after changing networks.
  5. Remove the pairing on both devices and scan a fresh QR if authentication continues to fail.