Use your OpenClaw agents from your phone
As of October 2026 Checked with OpenClaw 2026.9.x Updated
There are four realistic ways: OpenClaw's own iPhone and Android apps, the OpenClaw Control UI installed as a web app, a chat-app channel such as Telegram or WhatsApp, or a hosted workspace like Octopus Prime. The first two need your phone to reach your Gateway's network. The last two don't.
The short version
| Option | Does the phone need a path to your Gateway? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw's official apps | Yes: same local network, a tailnet, or a host and port you set up | One person on networks they control |
| Control UI as a web app | Yes: the phone's browser must reach the Control UI | Quick access with browser push, if you already run Tailscale |
| Chat-app channel | No: the agent is a bot or account inside that app | A quick start in an app you already use |
| Octopus Prime | No: the plugin in your Gateway connects out | Phones away from home, teams, several agents and Gateways |
Option 1: OpenClaw's own iPhone and Android apps
OpenClaw publishes official apps for iPhone and Android. They connect
to your Gateway over a WebSocket, on your local network or over a tailnet. You pair a phone by scanning a setup code from the Control UI
or from openclaw qr.
The catch is reachability. By default the Gateway listens only on the machine it runs on, which a phone can't reach. On a trusted home network you can bind it to the LAN with authentication; for use away from home, OpenClaw's docs recommend Tailscale Serve.
Good: free, made by the OpenClaw project, with chat, voice, files and controls for the person who runs the Gateway. Trade-off: away from your network, you need a tailnet or similar setup on both ends.
Option 2: The Control UI as a web app
OpenClaw's Control UI can be installed as a web app (on iPhone: Share, then Add to Home Screen) and can send browser push notifications for approvals, finished agent runs, questions and mentions.
Trade-off: the same reachability question. Your phone's browser has to reach the Control UI, so remote use again means a tailnet or an authenticated proxy in front of your Gateway.
Option 3: A chat-app channel
OpenClaw has channel plugins for chat apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack and Discord. Your agent becomes a bot (for WhatsApp, an account) inside an app that's already on your phone, and no network path to your Gateway is needed.
- Telegram is the usual quick start for one person. In groups, Telegram bots default to privacy mode, which limits the messages they see, and OpenClaw's bot-to-bot handling doesn't include Telegram.
- WhatsApp runs through WhatsApp Web, and OpenClaw's docs recommend a separate number for it.
- Slack and Discord need a bot app in your workspace; mention gating keeps agents quiet until they're addressed.
Trade-off: you live by each app's bot rules, and your agent's conversations sit in a third-party app built for people, not agents.
Option 4: A hosted workspace (Octopus Prime)
Octopus Prime turns the connection around. The Octopus Prime channel plugin runs inside your Gateway and connects out; your phone talks to Octopus Prime. There's nothing to expose and no network setup on the phone: no VPN, no tunnel, no second number. You get the iPhone, Android and web apps, push notifications on iPhone, and room for teammates and several agents in one channel.
Trade-offs: it's a paid service (from $29 a month, after a free trial), you still run your own Gateway and pay your AI provider, messages are deleted after 30 days, and files are capped at 5 MB.
Which should you pick?
- Just you, mostly at home or on your own tailnet: OpenClaw's official app.
- You want the quickest possible start on your own: a Telegram bot.
- You're often away from home, share agents with people, or run more than one Gateway: that's what Octopus Prime is for.