One-time setup: connect your iPhone to Anki (about 5 minutes)

Your iPhone drives Anki desktop on your computer through the free AnkiConnect add-on, over your home WiFi. Two things are different from the desktop clicker: AnkiConnect must be told to listen on your home network, and you type your computer's IP into the phone.

Step 1: install AnkiConnect

1. Open Anki desktop, then Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons…
2. Paste the code 2055492159 and press OK. (That is the official AnkiConnect listing on AnkiWeb.)
3. Restart Anki when it asks.

Step 2: let AnkiConnect listen on your home network

By default AnkiConnect only listens on the computer itself, so your phone cannot reach it. Change that:

1. In Anki: Tools → Add-ons → AnkiConnect → Config.
2. Set "webBindAddress" to "0.0.0.0". Leave "webBindPort" at 8765.
3. Add this page's origin to "webCorsOriginList", e.g. "https://toollantern.win". (If you open the app from another host, add that host instead.)
4. Save, then restart Anki.

Security note: 0.0.0.0 means any device on your home network can talk to AnkiConnect. That is the point of a phone remote, and it is also why you should only do this on a home network you trust, never on public WiFi. Your Anki data stays on your computer; nothing is sent to the internet.

Step 3: find your desktop IP

• Windows: Settings → Network → WiFi → your network → IPv4 address.
• Mac: System Settings → WiFi → your network → Details → IP address.
• Linux: run hostname -I in a terminal and take the first address.

It will look like 192.168.1.42. Your phone must be on the same WiFi network. If your router reassigns addresses, the IP can change after a restart; if the remote suddenly cannot connect, check the IP again.

Step 4: connect and test from the phone

1. Open this app on your iPhone, switch to My Anki (AnkiConnect).
2. Type the desktop IP into Desktop IP or hostname and press Connect + test.
3. Anki pops up asking whether to allow this page. Press Allow. AnkiConnect remembers your answer, so this happens exactly once.
4. Pick a deck, press Start review, press Enable motion (choose Allow), and review.

Step 5 (recommended): add to your home screen

In Safari: Share → Add to Home Screen. The app then opens full-screen, like a real remote, and iOS is more likely to keep the motion permission.

What the remote is allowed to do

Through AnkiConnect the page can: see the current card, show the answer, rate it Again/Hard/Good/Easy, and undo. It cannot edit your cards, decks, or scheduling settings. It talks only to Anki on the desktop IP you typed in; nothing is sent over the internet.

API key (optional)

AnkiConnect can require an API key (its settings: Tools → Add-ons → AnkiConnect → Config). If you set one, paste it into the remote's password field before connecting. If you did not set one, leave it blank.

Troubleshooting

• "Can't reach Anki." Check: Anki open? Same WiFi? IP still the same? webBindAddress set to 0.0.0.0 and Anki restarted after the change? A firewall on the computer can also block port 8765; allow Anki through it.
• "Anki refused this page." You pressed Deny in Anki's popup. In AnkiConnect's config, remove this page's origin from the ignore list, or reinstall the add-on to be asked again.
• Connection works at home, not elsewhere. Expected: the remote only works on the same WiFi as the computer. It is a home-network tool by design.
• "No card on screen." Press Start review first; Anki needs to be showing a review session.
• Motion does nothing. iOS needs a tap: press Enable motion and choose Allow. If it still does nothing, remove the home-screen icon and re-add it, then try again.
• Ratings land on the wrong card. Press Undo (or U) right away; the remote ignores gestures for a third of a second after each action to avoid double-fires.

No Anki? Try the practice deck

The remote's Practice deck mode works with no install at all: ten Spanish words to try every shake, tilt, tap, whistle, and blink before you commit to the setup.

Open the remote