At least in my use case (as link between Android devices and both Linux/Win PCs) KDE Connect is a real killer app. It enabled seamless integration and saved me lots of hassle and time. It really should get more exposure.
I see reports that it doesn't work. These are mostly for distros where Plasma is either rather old or taking a backseat after other environment (usually Gnome). I'm having great results with the latest Plasma 6 on Slackware-current and also in a standard Windows 11 environment.
This is a killer app. There have been times when I asked someone "why can't you just send me a screenshot on signal" or "Oh, can't you copy the URL to your desktop?"... only to realize that the poor fellow didn't have KDE connect (yet).
It's not perfect, but it does things I haven't found anywhere else, makes your phone and laptop and pc.
It might help that I'm actually running KDE everywhere, of course.
implements a secure communication protocol over the network, and allows any developer to create plugins on top of it.
Has a component that you install on your desktop.
Has a KDE Connect client app you run on your phone.
Looking further it is only for the local network (with ways to extend it e.g. VPNs).
it also talks about using a VPN and what ports to open in a firewall.
I don't know how it handles the harder part, the "device on internet" talks to "device in my house"
most phones and apps use this "harder part" to interpose their corporate server for more than TURN/STUN and continue to "collect all the data" or "insert a subscription"
There's official support for Windows. No support for macOS yet, but there is a working implementation for it. I had no idea I'd be able to use KDE Connect with those operating systems.
when it works it's amazing. but very often both my phone and laptop are connected to the same WiFi, yet kde connect can't see them. I can't figure out how to diagnose and solve that when it happens
I have the same issue, very frustrating. I thought it was a firewall issue, or Android's blocking LAN connections without a VPN, but at this point I'm pretty sure it's just some KDE Connect bug.
Maybe local DNS/DHCP resolution issue? I have this on my LAN with with other services and hosts: the Dnsmasq drops the ball every now and then and does not update the lease database, which results in hosts seemingly being offline.
I would try fixed IPs to see if this solves the issue for you.
> enables all your devices to communicate with each other
I've tried using KDE connect on two desktops (my laptop running Fedora KDE and my desktop running Nobara, also Fedora KDE) and this statement appears false. It was extremely buggy connecting them, and when they did "see" each other, none of the functionality I expected worked. Wanted to use the shared clipboard feature but it didn't work, nor did anything else.
This was early this year, maybe it's gotten better since?
KDE Connect is really for mobile (Android) devices and a computer, not computer to computer, IME
Is there any update on whether Apple had already opened their iOS API in EU, which would allow to match the KDE Connect's Android functionality?
At least in my use case (as link between Android devices and both Linux/Win PCs) KDE Connect is a real killer app. It enabled seamless integration and saved me lots of hassle and time. It really should get more exposure.
I see reports that it doesn't work. These are mostly for distros where Plasma is either rather old or taking a backseat after other environment (usually Gnome). I'm having great results with the latest Plasma 6 on Slackware-current and also in a standard Windows 11 environment.
This is a killer app. There have been times when I asked someone "why can't you just send me a screenshot on signal" or "Oh, can't you copy the URL to your desktop?"... only to realize that the poor fellow didn't have KDE connect (yet).
It's not perfect, but it does things I haven't found anywhere else, makes your phone and laptop and pc.
It might help that I'm actually running KDE everywhere, of course.
I was wondering what "the network" here means:
> To achieve this, KDE Connect:
Looking further it is only for the local network (with ways to extend it e.g. VPNs).It has bluetooth support now as well
it also talks about using a VPN and what ports to open in a firewall.
I don't know how it handles the harder part, the "device on internet" talks to "device in my house"
most phones and apps use this "harder part" to interpose their corporate server for more than TURN/STUN and continue to "collect all the data" or "insert a subscription"
There's official support for Windows. No support for macOS yet, but there is a working implementation for it. I had no idea I'd be able to use KDE Connect with those operating systems.
The protocol is open so you can build software for other systems that uses it, whether it's GNOME or macOS
when it works it's amazing. but very often both my phone and laptop are connected to the same WiFi, yet kde connect can't see them. I can't figure out how to diagnose and solve that when it happens
I have the same issue, very frustrating. I thought it was a firewall issue, or Android's blocking LAN connections without a VPN, but at this point I'm pretty sure it's just some KDE Connect bug.
Maybe local DNS/DHCP resolution issue? I have this on my LAN with with other services and hosts: the Dnsmasq drops the ball every now and then and does not update the lease database, which results in hosts seemingly being offline.
I would try fixed IPs to see if this solves the issue for you.
vpn sometimes
Note that you can use it on GNOME with GSConnect. One of my favorite apps
> enables all your devices to communicate with each other
I've tried using KDE connect on two desktops (my laptop running Fedora KDE and my desktop running Nobara, also Fedora KDE) and this statement appears false. It was extremely buggy connecting them, and when they did "see" each other, none of the functionality I expected worked. Wanted to use the shared clipboard feature but it didn't work, nor did anything else.
This was early this year, maybe it's gotten better since?
KDE Connect is really for mobile (Android) devices and a computer, not computer to computer, IME
Works well for sending things between my laptop (Kubuntu) and Steam Deck.
I use this between my Arch/KDE desktop + Samsung Galaxy S21, and it works beautifully.