Pocket PointerSupport
Pocket Pointer is two halves: the iPhone app, and a free menu-bar helper on the Mac it drives. Most trouble is one of the two not seeing the other, and the answers below cover it.
Get in touch
Email reaches the developer directly. Include your macOS and iOS versions, the Mac model, and what you saw — it usually answers the question in one round trip instead of three.
Setting up
- Install the Mac helperDownload it from pocketpointer.vercel.app, drag it to Applications, and open it. It lives in the menu bar — no Dock icon, no window.
- Grant AccessibilityApprove the prompt, or choose Allow Control from the menu. This is what lets the helper move your pointer and type for you; macOS offers no other way.
- Choose Allow PairingIn the Mac's menu bar item. The Mac only advertises itself while pairing is open, so this step is not optional the first time.
- Pick the Mac on your iPhoneOpen Pocket Pointer on the iPhone, tap your Mac in the list, and type the six-digit code the Mac is showing. After that the two remember each other and connect without a code.
Troubleshooting
My iPhone does not find the Mac
In order of how often it is the cause: the Mac's menu bar item does not have Allow Pairing switched on — a Mac that has never paired stays invisible until you do. Then, the two devices are on different Wi-Fi networks, or the network separates its clients from each other, which many guest and corporate networks do by design. Then, the iPhone declined the Local Network prompt; discovery silently finds nothing after that, and the app cannot ask again. Turn it back on under Settings → Pocket Pointer → Local Network.
The Mac appears, but says it needs updating
The iPhone app and the helper speak a versioned protocol, and a helper too old for the phone's build is shown rather than hidden — a Mac that quietly vanished would read as a broken app. Open Pocket Pointer on the Mac, choose Check for Updates…, and install what it offers. If the helper is very old, download a fresh copy from the download page and replace it.
The cursor does not move
The Mac has the session but not permission. Its menu will say Permission required. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and switch Pocket Pointer on. If it is already on and still does nothing, remove Pocket Pointer from that list with the − button and add it again — a permission entry bound to an older copy of the app does not carry over to a new one.
It disconnects when I switch apps
That is deliberate, with a delay. Leaving the app open in the background keeps the session for about five minutes so a quick glance at a message does not cost you the connection; past that, it lets go rather than holding a link you are not using. Reopening reconnects on its own when Auto-reconnect is on in Settings.
The pointer feels jumpy or laggy
Both devices being on the same normal Wi-Fi network gives the steadiest link. If either is on a hotspot, a VPN, or a mesh node that hands them off between bands, movement can arrive in bursts. Pointer Speed in the iPhone app's Settings adjusts how far the cursor travels per swipe, which is worth setting for your own screen size.
How do I unpair, or remove a device?
On the Mac, open the menu bar item and use Forget next to the device under Trusted Devices. That drops the shared credential on the Mac's side, and the iPhone has to pair again with a fresh code. Deleting either app removes its half of the credential too.
Requirements
- iPhone
- iOS 26 or later
- macOS
- 26 or later, Apple silicon or Intel
- Network
- Both devices on the same local network, or a direct link between them. No internet connection is required to use the app.
- Account
- None. There is no sign-in.
Privacy
Nothing is collected, and no data of yours reaches the developer. The privacy policy sets out what stays on your devices and names the only two requests either app makes to the internet.