r://phoneset/support

Support

Write to [email protected] and every message is read. Say which phone and which PC (Windows or Mac) it is about, and what the app or the PC window showed. Bugs can also be reported as an issue on GitHub, which is public, so leave out anything private.

What phoneset is

phoneset turns a phone into the microphone and the headphones of a Windows or Mac PC, over the local Wi-Fi. It has two halves: this app on the phone, and a small program on the PC. The app does nothing on its own, it needs the PC half, which is free and open source.

The app has five screens.

Screen	What it is for
Home	The list of paired PCs. Tap one to connect. The gear at the top left opens Settings and the + at the top right opens Pair a PC.
Settings	Links to How it works, Support, the privacy policy, the source code and the license, and the app's version.
How it works	The setup steps, inside the app.
Pair a PC	Pair with a QR code, with a 6-digit code, or with the PC's address.
Connected PC	The Microphone and Headphones switches, the Echo cancellation switch (iPhone), and Disconnect.

Set it up in three steps

1. Install the PC program. It is a small terminal program for Windows 10 and 11 and for macOS 12 or later. On Windows, in PowerShell (no administrator rights):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mehmetraufoguz/phoneset/main/scripts/install-windows.ps1 | iex

On a Mac:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mehmetraufoguz/phoneset/main/scripts/install-mac.sh | sh -s -- --start

Or download the archive for the system from the latest release. Then install the virtual audio cable, which is what apps on the PC record from: VB-CABLE on Windows, and BlackHole 2ch on a Mac. The full instructions are in the repository.

2. Run it. Run phoneset in a terminal, or phoneset daemon to keep it running in the background with a tray icon. It shows a QR code and a 6-digit code. The first time on Windows, allow it through the firewall for private networks.

3. Pair the phone. Put the phone and the PC on the same Wi-Fi. In the app tap

on Home, then Scan QR code, or type the 6-digit code. After that, tap the PC on Home and switch on Microphone, Headphones or both. In the app that should hear the phone, Discord, Teams, OBS or the system sound settings, pick the other end of the cable as the microphone: CABLE Output on Windows, BlackHole 2ch on a Mac.

The app can't find my PC

Work down this list.

Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi. A guest network, or a router with client or AP isolation switched on, stops a phone from reaching a PC. Another network or the router's other band can fix it.
On Windows, the firewall has to allow phoneset on private networks. It listens on TCP port 47831. Windows asks the first time phoneset runs; if that prompt was dismissed, allow phoneset through the Windows firewall for private networks.
On an iPhone, Local Network access has to be on for phoneset, in Settings → phoneset. Without it the phone sees nothing.
Some routers block mDNS, which is how the PC shows up in the list. The QR code carries the PC's addresses instead, so scan it. Or type the 6-digit code with the PC's address under Can't see your PC? on the Pair a PC screen. The address is printed when phoneset starts, and phoneset status shows it.
A VPN or virtual network adapters can make the PC announce addresses the phone cannot reach. The QR code lists up to three addresses and the phone tries them all.
If everything above is right and the app still says it couldn't reach the PC, check that the app and the PC program are the same version (see below).

Pairing fails

A QR code or a 6-digit code is good for five minutes, works once, and is withdrawn after five wrong tries. Run phoneset pair for a fresh one, or press p in the phoneset window.

If the app says a PC couldn't prove who it is, or the PC no longer knows the phone (it was reset, or the phone was forgotten on the PC), forget the PC in the app and pair again from a fresh QR code. The QR code is the safer way to pair on a network you do not trust, because a 6-digit code is short.

Apps on the PC can't hear the phone

The PC plays the phone's voice into the virtual cable, and apps record from the cable's other end. Install VB-CABLE on Windows or BlackHole 2ch on a Mac, then run phoneset audio: the microphone line should name the cable.

In the app that records, choose CABLE Output on Windows or BlackHole 2ch on a Mac as the microphone. Choosing CABLE Input, the playback side, hears nothing. phoneset test --mic plays a quiet tone into the cable, and the app's input meter should move.

The headphones are silent

Turn Headphones on from the Connected PC screen, with the PC playing something.

On Windows the PC's audio is only passed on while something is playing, so silence on the phone with nothing playing is normal. On a Mac, macOS asks once for permission to record system audio, and until that is allowed it hands over silence without an error. phoneset test shows whether anything is being captured, and the repository's troubleshooting notes cover the Mac permission step by step.

I hear an echo

The phone's microphone is hearing the phone's own speaker, and sending it back to the PC. Earphones on the phone fix it for good.

On an iPhone, Connected PC → Sound → Echo cancellation puts the phone in its voice-call audio mode, which cancels the echo. The PC's audio may sound different while it is on, and switching it stops the running streams for a moment and starts them again. It is not available on Android yet.

Android shows a notification that stays

While the phone is connected, Android shows a phoneset notification. An app that keeps the microphone running in the background has to show one, and it is what keeps the connection alive when the screen is off. It is shown while the phone is connected. If it never appears, check that notifications are allowed for phoneset in Android's settings.

The app and the PC program have to match

The phone and the PC speak a numbered protocol, and a phone and a PC on different versions do not talk to each other. After the app updates, update the PC side too:

phoneset update --check
phoneset update

Updating the PC program does not touch the phone app, and the phone app updates through its store. The tray icon's Check for updates entry does the same thing as the command.

How do I forget a PC?

On Home, tap Forget next to the PC and confirm. If the PC is connected there is a Disconnect button instead, so disconnect first. The PC keeps its own record of the phone, so to end the pairing from that side too, run phoneset phones to see the list and phoneset forget <name> to remove one, or use Paired phones in the tray icon's menu.

Where is my data?

On the phone, and nowhere else. The app has no account and there is no server of phoneset's to hold a copy. What it keeps is the list of paired PCs and a random device identifier, in the system's secure storage. The privacy policy has the details, including what happens when the app is deleted.

The PC program keeps its paired phones in %AppData%\phoneset\ on Windows and in ~/Library/Application Support/phoneset/ on a Mac.

The privacy policy lists everything the app sends and where.