Getting started

Install PerritoDeck on your computer and Perrito on your tablet, pair them once, and you're ready to press buttons. It takes a few minutes.

What you need

• A computer running Windows, macOS or Linux.
• An Android tablet or phone. Old ones are fine: Perrito is being built to run on Android 5.1 and newer, including Amazon Fire tablets.
• Both on the same Wi-Fi network, or a USB cable between them (see Connect with a USB cable).

Install PerritoDeck on your computer

On Windows, download the PerritoDeck installer from the download page and install it like any other app. On Linux, build it from source for now. The Mac version isn't ready yet. Coming The Windows download isn't available yet either; until it is, the download page also explains how to build PerritoDeck yourself on Windows.

When you open PerritoDeck, a window appears and an icon (a paw) is added to the tray: the system tray on Windows, the menu bar on a Mac, or the panel on Linux. The first time, the window opens on Pair a tablet.

Closing the window doesn't stop PerritoDeck. It keeps running in the tray so your buttons keep working. To open the window again, use Open PerritoDeck in the tray menu. To stop it completely, choose Quit PerritoDeck.

• Windows: the first time, Windows Firewall asks whether PerritoDeck may use the network. Allow it on private networks, or tablets on Wi-Fi can't reach it.
• Mac: to press hotkeys and type text, PerritoDeck needs the Accessibility permission. A banner at the top of the window asks for it; click Open System Settings and turn on PerritoDeck under Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
• Linux: on GNOME, the tray icon only shows if the AppIndicator extension is installed. On Wayland desktops, your desktop asks for permission to control the keyboard each time PerritoDeck starts. See Linux notes.

To have PerritoDeck start by itself, go to Settings and tick Start PerritoDeck when I log in. It then starts quietly in the tray.

Install Perrito on the tablet

Perrito will be available as a direct download (an APK file), and from IzzyOnDroid and F-Droid. Coming None of these are live yet. It's not on Google Play for now.

Amazon Fire tablets don't have Google Play; see Fire tablets for how to install it there.

An iPhone and iPad version of Perrito is coming. It's written but hasn't been built and tested yet.

Pair the tablet with your computer

Pairing introduces the tablet to your computer once. After that, it connects by itself whenever both are on the same network.

On the computer, open PerritoDeck and click Pair a tablet (it's also in the tray menu). You'll see a QR code, a 6-digit code and a short fingerprint. The codes work for 5 minutes; click New code for a fresh one.

If the tablet has a camera: scan the QR code

1. Open Perrito on the tablet and tap Scan QR code.
2. The first time, allow the camera. Perrito uses it only to read the pairing code.
3. Point the camera at the QR code on your computer's screen.

You can also point the tablet's own camera app at the code; it offers to open the link in Perrito. Scanning needs no further checks, because the QR code already tells the tablet exactly which computer to trust.

No camera? Type the code

1. Open Perrito. Your computer should appear under Found on this network. Tap Pair next to it.
2. Type the 6-digit code shown on the computer and tap Continue.
3. Perrito asks Is this your computer? and shows a fingerprint. Check that it's the same as the fingerprint on the computer's screen, then tap It matches.

If your computer isn't listed, tap Pair with a code and type its address as well. PerritoDeck lists its addresses in Settings under Tablets connect to (for example 192.168.1.20:46710).

When it's paired

The computer says Paired with and the tablet's name, and the tablet switches to showing your buttons. From now on, open Perrito and it connects by itself; your computer is listed under Your computers with a Connect button.

Perrito keeps the tablet's screen on while it shows your buttons, and turns the screen to match the grid's shape: landscape for a grid wider than it is tall, like the starter one. To leave the buttons and go back to Perrito's start screen, use the tablet's Back button.

The small text in the top corner names the computer and shows how long the last press took to reach it and come back, in milliseconds: the network plus the computer's own work.

You can pair several tablets with one computer. They're all listed on the Tablets page, where you can rename them (click the name), choose what each one shows, or Unpair… one.

Your first buttons

A new PerritoDeck comes with a starter layout so there's something to press straight away. Its first page, Main, has a clock, play/pause and volume keys, a microphone mute toggle, copy and paste, and a key that types some text. Press More › for a second page with a volume slider and a few more examples.

To change a button, open the Buttons page on the computer and click it. Its settings appear on the right: the title, an image, colours, and what happens When pressed. Every change is saved straight away and shows on the tablet within a moment. To add a button, click an empty spot (marked +).

Try Try it under a button's action to run it from the computer without touching the tablet. For keyboard actions it counts down from 3 so you can switch to the window that should receive the keys.

Next, read Buttons and profiles for everything the editor can do.

Connect with a USB cable

A cable is steadier than Wi-Fi, keeps the tablet charged, and works where Wi-Fi is unreliable. It uses Android's developer tools, so it takes a little setup once.

1. On the computer: install Android's "platform-tools" from the Android developer website (it contains a program called adb). If you already have Android Studio, you have it. Then quit PerritoDeck from the tray and open it again.
2. On the tablet: turn on developer options (usually Settings → About → tap Build number seven times), then turn on USB debugging in the developer options.
3. Plug the tablet in. It asks whether to allow USB debugging from this computer: tap Allow (tick "Always allow" so it doesn't ask every time).
4. In PerritoDeck's Settings, the USB line should now say 1 tablet on a cable.

Pair the tablet as usual. From then on it uses the cable by itself whenever it's plugged in, and Wi-Fi when it isn't. If the tablet has no Wi-Fi at all, pair over the cable: in Perrito, tap Pair with a code, tap USB (adb reverse) to fill in the address, then type the code.

Fire tablets

Amazon Fire tablets run Fire OS, which is based on Android, so Perrito works on them; old Fire tablets are exactly what it was built for. Coming We're still finishing checks on real Fire hardware, so treat Fire support as a preview for now.

• Installing: Fire tablets don't have Google Play. Until Perrito is in the Amazon Appstore, install the APK file directly: in the Fire's Settings → Security & Privacy, allow apps from unknown sources (newer Fire OS versions ask per app, e.g. for Silk Browser or Files), then download and open the APK.
• Pairing: most recent Fire tablets have a camera, so Scan QR code works. Older ones may not; type the code instead.
• USB: to turn on developer options, go to Settings → Device Options → About Fire Tablet and tap Serial Number seven times. Then turn on Enable ADB in Developer Options. On Windows you may also need Amazon's USB driver for Fire tablets.