Have you ever wanted to receive your Android phone notifications on your Ubuntu PC? Then take a look at KDE Connect, a community project from KDE that allows you to receive your phone notifications on a Ubuntu desktop without touching your phone at all. Not only this, but it also lets you control music playing on your mobile from your desktop, sending files to and from your phone, using your mobile phone as a remote control for your Linux desktop, and much more.
It allows your Phone and your Ubuntu desktop to communicate with each other wirelessly over the same network.
Features of KDE Connect
Following are some features of KDE Connect:
- Receive mobile phone notifications on desktop
- Can ring your phone
- Run commands on your desktop
- Shows mobile battery status
- Can play/pause media running on the desktop from your phone
- Browse phone
- Share files/links to the mobile device from desktop and vice-versa
In this article, we will see how to install and use KDE Connect to see Android notifications on the Ubuntu Desktop. We will also install KDE Connect app on the Android device from the Google play store.
We will use Ubuntu 18.04 LTS for describing the procedure mentioned in this article.
Installing KDE Connect on Ubuntu desktop
In order to install KDE Connect in Ubuntu, press Ctrl+Alt+T to launch the Terminal and then type the following command as sudo:
$ sudo apt install kdeconnect
When prompted for the password, enter sudo password:
Then we will install indicator-kdeconnect that will add a system tray in desktop. For that, run the following command in Terminal to add its PPA:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/indicator-kdeconnect
After adding PPA, update your local apt repository by running the following command in Terminal:
$ sudo apt update
Then run the following command in Terminal to install indicator-kdeconnect:
$ sudo apt install kdeconnect indicator-kdeconnect
Installing KDE Connect on Android device
Now download and install KDE Connect app on your Android device from the Google Play store.
Integrating Ubuntu PC with Android device
Now the KDE Connect is installed on both Ubuntu PC and Android device, its time now to integrate both of them. To integrate both devices, we will need to pair them. Also, keep in mind that both devices should be on the same network.
Launch the installed KDE Connect app on your Android device. KDE Connect automatically discover devices in a network. When you launch the app, you will see available devices listed on the app screen
In case, if you do not find your device, you can add it via its IP address. Tap on the three vertical dots on the top right side of the mobile screen, and then tap on Add devices by IP. Enter the IP address or hostname and tap on ADD HOST/IP button.
After that, you will see your device listed under Available devices. Tap on the device to select it.
Then tap on REQUEST PAIRING to pair it with the Ubuntu desktop.
As soon as you request for pairing, you will see a notification on your Ubuntu Desktop. Click on Accept to pair Ubuntu desktop with the Android device.
After accepting the pairing request, your devices will get connected you will see the following view on your android device. You will be presented with various options for your Ubuntu machine. However, for some options to work, you will have to assign certain permissions.
Tap on to select the option, and go to Settings to allow permissions.
KDEConnect Usage
On your Ubuntu desktop, you will notice a new icon in the system tray. Click on it to open up drop-down menu. Here you can view your mobile’s battery status, browse it, ring it and send file to it.
By using KDE Connect, you can receive your mobile notifications on your Ubuntu desktop.
You will see all your phone notification including SMS, call, WhatsApp and about different apps running on your Mobile phone.
For instance, when you play any media on your mobile device, you will see its notification on your Ubuntu PC.
When receiving a WhatsApp message, you will see its notification on your Ubuntu Desktop.
Similarly, you will also get notifications on your Ubuntu PC when you will receive a message or call.
KDE connect offers multimedia control option that let you control Audio/Video that is running on your Ubuntu PC. For instance, if you run any music on your Ubuntu PC, you will following notification in your android mobile’s notification area. You can simply control it from your mobile.
That is all there is to it for installing and setting up KDE Connect in order to receive android notifications on your Ubuntu desktop. This app helps you to save a lot of time by giving you notification on your Ubuntu desktop and you do not have to switch to your phone every time when you receive a notification.