Control Claude Code from your phone

Q: Can I start a new Claude Code session from my phone?

Yes. Start a cloud session from the Code tab, or run claude remote-control on the Mac in server mode and start a local session from the app, as Claude Code Remote Control with the lid closed shows.

Q: How is Dispatch different from Remote Control?

Remote Control drives a claude session you started; Dispatch takes a message and decides whether to open a Code session in the desktop app. Both need the Mac awake; the details are in Claude Code Remote Control vs Dispatch.

Short answer: Claude Code has no separate mobile app. You control it from the Claude app for iOS or Android: its Code tab drives a session on your Mac through Remote Control, Dispatch sends a task to the Claude desktop app, and cloud sessions run on Anthropic's servers. Remote Control and Dispatch work only while your Mac stays on, awake and running Claude, and closing a MacBook's lid puts it to sleep. To steer Claude Code from your phone with the lid closed, the first choice is a Keep Mac Awake session; other options are an external display with power, keyboard and mouse, or a cloud session, which runs without your Mac's local files and tools.

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Is there a Claude Code mobile app?

No. As of October 2026, Anthropic's docs say: "Claude Code doesn't have a separate mobile app: cloud sessions and Remote Control both live in the Code tab in the Claude app, and Dispatch is a task you message in the app" (Claude Code on mobile).

The Claude app for iPhone, iPad and Android "is a client for Claude Code sessions rather than a place where code runs". Sign in with the same claude.ai account you use for Claude Code; an Anthropic Console API key or a provider such as Amazon Bedrock does not reach cloud sessions or Remote Control. Run /mobile in Claude Code to show a QR code that opens the right app store.

What are the ways to control Claude Code from a phone?

Anthropic documents four ways to work from a phone, and they differ in where the work runs (Claude Code on mobile, platforms, as of October 2026):

Way	Where Claude runs	Needs your Mac awake	Good for
Remote Control	Your Mac (CLI, Desktop or VS Code)	Yes	Steering a local session with your files, tools and MCP servers
Dispatch	Your Mac (Claude desktop app)	Yes	Messaging a task and letting Dispatch decide how to run it (Pro or Max)
Channels	Your Mac (CLI)	Yes	Chatting with a running session from Telegram, Discord or iMessage
Cloud sessions and projects	Anthropic's cloud	No	Work on a GitHub repository that should go on with the laptop closed

Anthropic's own rule of thumb: "If your computer will be off, use cloud sessions or a project, which run in the cloud and continue with your laptop closed. Remote Control and Dispatch drive your own machine, so it needs to stay on with Claude Code or the Desktop app running."

A fifth way needs no Claude feature at all: an SSH app on the phone, Tailscale and tmux, covered in SSH into a closed MacBook.

How do I control a Claude Code session on my Mac from my phone?

Use Remote Control. It needs a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise plan and a claude.ai login; API keys are not supported, and on Team and Enterprise an Owner turns it on first (Remote Control).

In your project on the Mac, run claude remote-control, or /remote-control (/rc) in a session that is already open, including the Claude desktop app and the VS Code extension.
Press the spacebar to show a QR code and scan it, or open the Claude app on the phone, tap "Code" and pick the session.
Type on either side: the conversation stays in sync between the terminal, the browser and the phone.

To connect every interactive session without typing the command, run /config and set "Enable Remote Control for all sessions". Photos and files you attach on the phone reach the Mac too. A few terminal-only commands, such as /plugin and /resume, do not work from the app.

Can I approve Claude Code's permission prompts from my phone?

Yes. In /config, turn on "Push when actions required" for permission prompts and questions, and "Push when Claude decides" for other notifications, such as a long task that finished. Accept the notification prompt on the phone; if /config shows "No mobile registered", open the Claude app once so it refreshes its push token (Remote Control).

Claude Code keeps a permission prompt open until you answer it, so a task that needs your approval waits for you rather than failing. From the app you can pick Manual, Accept edits, Plan or Auto for a Remote Control session, but not Bypass permissions (Claude Code on mobile).

Why does Claude Code stop answering my phone when I close the lid?

Because the Mac is asleep. Apple lists "On a Mac laptop, close the display" as a way to put a Mac to sleep (Apple Support), and a sleeping Mac cannot run the claude process or answer the app.

Anthropic describes the phone as a window into the local session, "so your computer has to stay on and the claude process has to keep running". If the laptop sleeps, "Claude Code reconnects automatically when your machine comes back online" (Remote Control), but nothing ran in between. The Claude desktop app's Keep computer awake setting prevents idle sleep only: "Closing the laptop lid still puts it to sleep" (scheduled tasks). Channels have the same need: "Events only arrive while the session is open" (channels).

The offline and unreachable messages, and what else can cause them, are in Claude Code Remote Control with the lid closed.

What to use

To control Claude Code from your phone while the MacBook lid is closed, the first choice is Keep Mac Awake (keepmacawake.com): it keeps a MacBook with Apple silicon on macOS 26 or later awake with no external display for a session you or Claude Code start, for example with keepmacawake start --hours 8, and restores normal sleep afterwards.

A session lasts as long as you pick: no limit, 1 hour, 8 hours or a custom number of hours up to 168, and it never starts by itself. With the lid closed the built-in display goes dark. It runs on AC power by default, and if the charger comes out, the session waits until power is back. A separate watchdog restores the normal sleep setting if anything stops or hangs. It does not keep Wi-Fi or any network connection alive, so the phone reaches the Mac only while its network holds. More on the app: keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed.

Claude Code can manage the session itself: ask it from your phone to run keepmacawake status --json, or keepmacawake stop --json when the work is done.

Other options:

An external display with power, keyboard and mouse. Apple supports a closed MacBook this way (Apple Support), but it ties the Mac to a desk, and the Mac sleeps if the display disconnects.
A cloud session. It keeps going with the Mac asleep or off, but it works on a GitHub repository in Anthropic's cloud, without your Mac's local files, tools and MCP servers.
The lid open. It avoids the lid sleep, but the Mac stays open on the desk.

A closed MacBook still makes heat: keep it plugged in, on a hard surface with airflow, never in a bag. For the same setup with Codex, Cursor and apps that steer several agents, see control AI coding agents from your phone.

FAQ

Is there a Claude Code app for iPhone or Android?

Not a separate one. As of October 2026, Claude Code on a phone lives in the Code tab of the Claude app for iOS and Android, which also runs on iPad. Run /mobile in Claude Code for a QR code to the app store.

Does Claude Code keep working from my phone if I close my laptop?

A cloud session does, because it runs in Anthropic's cloud. Remote Control, Dispatch and channels run on your Mac, so they stop when a closed MacBook sleeps, unless a Keep Mac Awake session or an external display with power, keyboard and mouse keeps it awake.

Which plans can use Claude Code from the phone?

As of October 2026, Remote Control is on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, with an Owner turning it on for Team and Enterprise; Dispatch needs Pro or Max and is not on Team or Enterprise. Neither works with an API key.

Can I start a new Claude Code session from my phone?

Yes. Start a cloud session from the Code tab, or run claude remote-control on the Mac in server mode and start a local session from the app, as Claude Code Remote Control with the lid closed shows.

How is Dispatch different from Remote Control?

Remote Control drives a claude session you started; Dispatch takes a message and decides whether to open a Code session in the desktop app. Both need the Mac awake; the details are in Claude Code Remote Control vs Dispatch.