KDE Connect links Android with the Plasma desktop
Building Bridges

© Lead Image © Giuseppe Iera, 123RF.com
KDE Connect bridges the gap between mobile devices and the KDE desktop, allowing the exchange of notifications, files, and URLs between devices.
KDE developers have been working for more than a year to extend KDE Plasma to the mobile world. The current project, under the name Plasma Mobile, is geared to provide a free platform for mobile devices some time in the future, thus acting as an alternative to existing platforms [1]. Since Google Summer of Code 2015 (GSoC 015), an application has connected Android and BlackBerry devices with the Plasma desktop and supported some reciprocal functional control.
Spanish developer Albert Vaca aptly dubbed the application KDE Connect [2], which is available for Linux and FreeBSD, with clients for Android and BlackBerry. An iOS version is currently being built, as well. Users can meaningfully connect PCs, notebooks, tablets, and smartphones on the home network. Additionally, extensions for Firefox [3] and Chrome [4] send URLs from the desktop to Android devices. With the kdeconnect-cli
command, you can control KDE Connect in a terminal (Figure 1).
In September 2016, KDE Connect reached version 1.0, which incorporates several important innovations. Most distributions are not packaging this version right now, but that is likely to change in the near future. The associated packages in the archives of the distributions are typically named kdeconnect; for Ubuntu – depending on the version – this is kdeconnect-kde or kdeconnect-plasma. If necessary, you can build the latest 1.0.1 version from source code.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.