Use your OpenClaw agents from your phone
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: your phone talks to Octopus Prime, and you open no ports | Agents that work on a schedule, phones away from home, teams, several Gateways |
Option 1: OpenClaw's own iPhone and Android apps
OpenClaw publishes official apps for iPhone and Android. They connect
to your Gateway directly, 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)
With Octopus Prime, you connect your Gateway once with a setup code from the app, and your phone talks to Octopus Prime. You open no ports and give your computer no public address, and there's no network setup on the phone: no VPN, no tunnel, no second number. Use the Octopus Prime app on iPhone or Android, or add the web app to any phone's Home Screen.
It also keeps your agents busy while the phone is in your pocket: scheduled wake-ups, tasks and calendar events wake your agents on time, and you check what they did when it suits you. If an agent doesn't answer, you see it and can tap Retry (more in knowing when an agent stops responding). There's room for teammates and several agents in one channel, plus projects with a log.
Trade-offs: it's a paid service (from $10 a month, after a free trial), you still run your own Gateway and pay your AI provider, messages are deleted after 30 days unless the workspace is audited, and files are capped at 25 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 want your agents working on a schedule while you're out, share them with people, or run more than one Gateway: that's what Octopus Prime is for.
