Have you ever wished you could effortlessly control your Android phone or tablet right from the comfort of your computer? Maybe you need to quickly reply to a text message while working on a document, or perhaps you want to play a mobile game with the precision of a mouse and keyboard on a bigger screen. Look no further than scrcpy, an incredible open-source tool developed by Genymobile, the creators of the popular Genymotion Android emulator.

What is scrcpy?

In simple terms, scrcpy (pronounced "screen copy") allows you to display and control your Android device's screen on your computer (Windows, macOS, or Linux) via USB or Wi-Fi. It's lightweight, efficient, and doesn't require root access on your device. Unlike some other screen mirroring solutions, scrcpy focuses on performance and low latency, making it feel like your phone's screen is directly integrated into your desktop.

Why is scrcpy so great?

• Free and Open Source: Being completely free and open-source means you can use it without any cost and even contribute to its development.
• Lightweight and Efficient: scrcpy is designed to be resource-friendly on both your computer and your Android device. It doesn't hog your CPU or RAM.
• High Performance and Low Latency: Experience minimal delay between your actions on the computer and their reflection on your Android device. This makes it great for gaming, typing, and general use.
• No Root Required: You don't need to root your Android device to use scrcpy.
• Multiple Platform Support: Whether you're on Windows, macOS, or Linux, scrcpy has you covered.
• Wireless Connection (via TCP/IP): While USB is the primary connection method, scrcpy also supports connecting wirelessly over Wi-Fi, offering more flexibility.
• Keyboard and Mouse Input: Interact with your Android device using your computer's keyboard and mouse. This is a game-changer for typing long messages or navigating complex apps.
• Copy and Paste: Seamlessly copy text between your computer and your Android device.
• Screen Recording: Easily record your Android device's screen directly from your computer.
• File Transfer (Drag and Drop): Conveniently drag and drop files between your computer and your Android device (requires a separate installation on the device for older Android versions).
• Keep Device Screen Off: You can keep your Android device's screen off while still controlling it from your computer, saving battery.
• Audio Forwarding (Experimental): While still in development, scrcpy is working on forwarding audio from your Android device to your computer.

Getting Started with scrcpy:

Setting up scrcpy is relatively straightforward:

1. Install ADB (Android Debug Bridge): You'll need ADB installed on your computer. You can usually get this as part of the Android SDK Platform Tools.
2. Enable USB Debugging on Your Android Device: Go to your phone's Settings > About phone and tap "Build number" repeatedly until Developer options are enabled. Then, go to Developer options and enable "USB debugging."
3. Download scrcpy: Head over to the official scrcpy GitHub repository (https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy) and download the appropriate version for your operating system.
4. Connect Your Android Device: Connect your Android device to your computer via a USB cable.
5. Run scrcpy: Open your terminal or command prompt, navigate to the directory where you extracted the scrcpy files, and run the scrcpy command.

For wireless connection, you'll need to connect via USB initially to enable TCP/IP over your Wi-Fi network. Follow the instructions on the GitHub page for detailed steps.

Use Cases for scrcpy:

• Productivity: Respond to messages, manage notifications, and use Android apps without switching between devices.
• Gaming: Play mobile games with the precision of your keyboard and mouse on a larger screen.
• Presentations: Easily display your Android screen for presentations or demonstrations.
• Accessibility: Control your Android device with your computer's input devices if you have difficulty interacting directly with the touchscreen.
• Development and Testing: Developers can use scrcpy to test and debug their Android applications on a real device.
• Content Creation: Record your Android screen for tutorials or demonstrations.

In Conclusion:

Genymobile's scrcpy is a fantastic and versatile tool that bridges the gap between your Android device and your computer. Its focus on performance, ease of use, and rich feature set makes it an indispensable utility for anyone who frequently interacts with both platforms. If you haven't tried scrcpy yet, we highly recommend giving it a go – you might be surprised at how seamlessly it integrates your Android experience with your desktop environment. Head over to the GitHub repository, download it, and start controlling your Android device like never before!

Connect your phone to Resolume pathway

What you'll need:

srcrpy (for phone to pc capture): https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy

OBS with NDI plugin: https://obsproject.com/ https://github.com/DistroAV/DistroAV

Resolume Arena/Avenue

Process:

Open srcrpy and connect phone to pc via USB. Srcrpy should auto detect the phone and start a stream in a new window (phone needs to be in USB debugging mode, i suggest to read through the srcrpy instructions first)

In OBS create a new source and capture the srcrpy phone stream window, NDI output should be on

Drag and drop the NDI OBS source from sources to comp in Resolume

You can now play jetpack joyride at your next gig 😎

https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy