Where to find settings
The Settings gear on the phone changes that device’s controls, appearance and preferences. CmdPalm Settings on the Mac manages permissions, pairing, connected devices, the shared Deck and server options.
The phone’s Settings header shows the Mac name, app version, connection latency and Encrypted / Not encrypted status. Show advanced settings reveals additional input options, gesture assignments and Deck actions.
Phone preferences
Trackpad and scrolling options are explained in Trackpad & gestures. Keyboard mode, function-row and text-sending options are in Keyboard & typing.
Deck → Button size adjusts how large the shared deck’s buttons look on this device. A phone and tablet can use different sizes. See Deck sizing.
Under This iPhone, This iPad or This Android phone (named after your device):
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | Changes the name shown on the Mac on the next connection, unless you renamed the device on the Mac. |
| Appearance | Chooses Automatic, Dark or Light. Automatic follows the device’s system appearance. |
| Haptic feedback | Adds touch feedback on supported devices. |
| Key press haptics | With Haptic feedback on, turns feedback for keyboard and modifier-key presses on or off independently. |
| Keep screen on | Requests a browser screen wake lock while connected or waiting for the Mac to approve pairing. Requests it again if the system releases it while CmdPalm stays visible. Availability depends on the browser and secure connection. |
| Remember this device | Keeps pairing and a backup of settings on the Mac. Changes take effect on the next connection. |
Install app and Full screen buttons appear where the browser supports them. Keeping the phone awake does not keep the Mac awake; manage the Mac’s sleep settings separately.
Haptic feedback uses vibration on supported Android browsers and system switch feedback on supported iPhone and iPad devices running iOS/iPadOS 18 or later. In 0.5.0, iPhone taps on the trackpad, keys, click buttons and Deck buttons give feedback again, including on iOS 26.5. Swipes and long presses still cannot give haptic feedback on iPhone. Hardware and system settings affect whether you feel it. A failed Deck action or gesture gives two pulses on devices that support vibration patterns.
What is shared
| Item | Where it belongs |
|---|---|
| Deck pages and buttons | Stored on the Mac and shared by all paired devices. |
| Trackpad, keyboard, gesture and Deck button-size preferences | Specific to each device, with a backup on the Mac for remembered devices. |
| Custom keyboards | Specific to each device, with its settings backup. |
| Pairing and access decisions | Managed by the Mac. |
Phone settings are also kept in its browser. If you use Forget this Mac and pair again, a remembered device gets its saved settings back from the Mac. If the browser’s website data is cleared, the phone pairs as a new device. Its old entry stays under Mac Settings → Devices, so use Copy settings from another device to bring the settings back, then remove the old entry.
If the Mac cannot save phone settings, for example because its disk is full, the phone shows an error, keeps its local settings and retries while connected. Resolve the saving problem before clearing browser data or relying on the Mac’s copy. Forgetting a Mac also clears its cached app list on the phone.
Copy settings to another device
- Make sure both devices paired with Remember this device on. Connect the source phone or tablet and change a setting so the Mac has its saved setup.
- On the destination device, open Settings → Copy settings from another device.
- Choose the source and select the items you want: Trackpad, Gestures, Keyboard settings, Deck button size, Appearance and feedback, or individual Custom keyboards. Available options depend on the saved setup. Use Select all if you want everything available.
- Tap Copy selected. Nothing changes until you do.
Selected settings replace the corresponding preferences on this device; unselected settings stay as they are. New custom keyboards are added, and previously copied keyboards are updated in place. Other keyboards remain. The device name and remember choice stay on this device. Deck pages and buttons are already shared by devices paired with the same Mac, so they do not need copying.
Back up or restore this device
Open Settings → Back up or restore this device on the phone.
- Choose Export device backup to save preferences and all custom keyboards as a JSON file.
- To restore a file, choose Choose a backup to restore and select a CmdPalm device backup.
- Review Ready to restore, including the keyboards it will replace. Nothing changes until you tap Restore backup; Cancel restore leaves the current setup in place.
A restore replaces this device’s preferences and custom keyboards. Export its current setup first if you want to keep it. The device name, pairing and remember choice stay as they are, and backups never contain pairing tokens. Invalid, unsupported or oversized files are rejected before changing anything.
Deck pages and buttons are shared by the Mac and are not part of a device backup. Export them from CmdPalm Settings → Deck on the Mac.
Pause or revoke access
| Control | Result |
|---|---|
| Mac menu → Allow control off | Immediately pauses input from every device without removing pairing. It also stops text still being typed and anything a Deck shell command left running in the background. |
| Mac Settings → Devices → Connected Now → Disconnect | Ends that session; the device can reconnect. |
| Mac Settings → Devices → Paired Devices → Remove… | Revokes pairing, disconnects the device and deletes its settings backup on the Mac. It must pair again. |
| Phone Settings → Disconnect | Ends the phone’s session while keeping pairing. |
| Phone Settings → Forget this Mac | Removes the phone’s saved pairing. Pair again next time; use Remove… on the Mac to revoke access there too. |
| Phone Settings → Reset settings on this device | Resets that device’s preferences after confirmation. |
Pausing also stops held media repeats and scroll-strip holds, releases held keys and buttons, and clears drag lock. Text still being sent, running Deck sequences and shell commands they started stop too. Lock Screen, Sleep and Display Sleep actions queued behind typing are cancelled. Apps already launched remain open, and an automation that already started may continue. Resume from the same Mac control when ready; dictation needs a fresh tap on Dictate.
Stopping or restarting the server, or quitting CmdPalm, also stops running shell commands and their background jobs.
Renaming a paired device in Mac Settings → Devices updates its name in the current connection immediately.
Mac settings at a glance
- General: control switch, Open at login, Accessibility and Speech Recognition, dictation, app folders and updates.
- Phone Setup: QR code, PIN and approval options, network address, port, HTTPS certificate and encrypted link.
- Devices: current sessions and remembered devices; disconnect, rename or remove them, or Remove All… at once.
- Deck: export, import or reset the shared deck; optionally allow shell commands.
- Advanced: server status, Restart Server, the Mac’s IP addresses, Log detail, Show Log, Show Data Folder and Show Guide for the welcome walkthrough.
In Phone Setup, Address in the QR code can use Mac Name, IP Address or a Custom address. Changing Port changes the connection link, so reopen the current address on your phone afterwards. Custom addresses and the Advanced proxy option are for networks or proxies you have configured yourself.
Enable Open at login from the installed copy in Applications. If CmdPalm was opened from the disk image or a temporary location, it asks you to move it to Applications and open it there first.
Keep CmdPalm updated
Open CmdPalm Settings → General → Updates → Check Now. You can also choose automatic checks and automatic downloads there. The release notes explain what changed.