How to Use Your Phone as a Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse (PC, Mac, Chromebook, iPad)
Turn an Android phone into a wireless keyboard, touchpad and slide clicker with no software on the computer. Step-by-step pairing for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPad and Android, plus fixes for the most common Bluetooth problems.
Android phones from Android 9 onward can act as a real Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The computer or tablet sees the phone the same way it sees any wireless keyboard, so there is nothing to install on the other device and no Wi-Fi network involved. This guide covers what it is useful for, how to pair step by step, and how to fix the problems people run into most.
What it is good for
- Controlling a laptop from the sofa when it is plugged into a TV or a monitor across the room.
- Running slides in PowerPoint, Google Slides or Keynote without a separate clicker.
- Typing on a tablet or iPad without carrying a physical keyboard.
- Standing in for a broken mouse or keyboard until you can replace it.
What you need
- An Android phone with Android 9 or newer and Bluetooth.
- A device that accepts a Bluetooth keyboard: a Windows PC, Mac, Chromebook, Linux computer, iPad, iPhone, or an Android phone or tablet.
- A keyboard and mouse app. We use our free app BKey: Bluetooth Keyboard Mouse in the steps below.
How to pair, step by step
- Open BKey on your phone and tap Pair a new device, then pick what you are connecting to. Allow the “Nearby devices” permission when Android asks.
- When Android asks to make your phone visible to other Bluetooth devices, allow it. It stays visible for a short time, so keep BKey open while you do the next step.
- On the other device, open its Bluetooth settings and pick your phone’s name:
- Windows: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Add device › Bluetooth. If your phone is not listed, set “Bluetooth devices discovery” to Advanced. Confirm the code on both screens within about 20 seconds.
- Mac: System Settings › Bluetooth, then Connect next to your phone.
- Chromebook: Settings › Bluetooth › Pair new device.
- iPad or iPhone: Settings › Bluetooth, then tap your phone’s name.
- Android phone or tablet: Settings › Connected devices › Pair new device.
- Accept the pairing request on both screens. Once it connects, the touchpad appears in BKey.
You only pair once. Next time, open BKey and tap the device in the list to reconnect.
What you can do once connected
- Touchpad: move the pointer, tap to click, use two fingers to right-click and scroll, pinch to zoom, hold and slide to drag.
- Keyboard: everything you type goes straight to the other device, including voice typing and pasting your phone’s clipboard. Shortcuts like copy, paste and undo use Cmd on a Mac and Ctrl on Windows.
- Presenter: your phone’s volume buttons change slides, with a built-in timer.
Fixing common problems
Your phone does not show up on the other device
Start pairing again in BKey and allow your phone to be visible, since it is only visible for a short time. Keep the two devices within a few metres. On Windows, switch “Bluetooth devices discovery” to Advanced.
It is paired but will not connect, or keeps “Waiting”
Open BKey and tap the device in the list. If that does not help, forget your phone in the other device’s Bluetooth settings, forget that device in your phone’s Bluetooth settings, then pair again.
Every letter appears twice, or it keeps asking to pair again
The other device is remembering an old pairing next to the new one. Forget the pairing on both devices and pair again from scratch.
Typing shows the wrong characters
The phone sends key positions, so the result depends on the keyboard language set on the computer. In BKey, open Settings › Device keyboard layout and pick the same layout the computer uses. On a Mac, if Keyboard Setup Assistant opens, follow it or close it.
The pointer does not show on an iPhone
Turn on Settings › Accessibility › Touch › AssistiveTouch on the iPhone.
It keeps disconnecting
Keep BKey open on screen and stay within a few metres. Disconnecting Bluetooth headphones from your phone, or turning off its hotspot, can also help. If it still drops, turn Bluetooth off and on again on both devices.
”Not available on this phone”
A few phone makers leave out the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse feature, and then no app can use it. On OnePlus, OPPO and realme phones, open Developer options, turn off Disable Bluetooth HID Device profile, and restart the phone.
Honest limits
- The app must stay open on screen. Your phone works as a keyboard and mouse while BKey is open, and reconnects when you open it again. The “Keep phone screen on” setting helps for long sessions.
- One device at a time. You can pair several devices, but the phone controls one at a time.
- Android 9 or newer is required, because older versions of Android do not include the Bluetooth keyboard feature.
- What you type goes only to the device you connect to. BKey does not store it or send it anywhere else, and it needs no account.
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