PlainApp

PlainApp is a free, open-source Android app that turns your phone into a self-hosted management hub you can access from any web browser on the same network — no accounts, no cloud, no subscriptions. Whether you need to transfer files, read SMS, browse photos, or mirror your screen, PlainApp puts full control back in your hands.

<img src="https://play.google.com/intl/en_us/badges/static/images/badges/en_badge_web_generic.png" alt='Get it on Google Play' height="80"> <img src="https://fdroid.gitlab.io/artwork/badge/get-it-on.png" alt='Get it on F-Droid' height="80"> <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plainhub/plain-app/main/assets/get-it-on-github.png" alt='Get it on GitHub' height="80">

Why PlainApp?

Most phone-management tools either route your data through their own servers, lock features behind subscriptions, or plague you with ads. PlainApp is different:

• 100% local — your data never leaves your network
• End-to-end encrypted — every connection is secured with TLS + XChaCha20-Poly1305
• Completely free and ad-free — no purchases, no upsells, ever
• Fully open-source — audit the code, build your own binary, or contribute

Features

🌐 Web-Based Phone Management

Open a browser on any desktop or laptop connected to the same Wi-Fi network and get a full dashboard to manage your Android device — no app installation required on the computer side. Supports PWA so you can pin it to your desktop like a native app.

| Category | What you can do | |---|---| | Files | Browse internal storage, SD card, and USB drives; upload, download, rename, delete | | Media | View and manage photos, videos, and audio; stream them directly in the browser | | Contacts | View, search, and manage your contacts | | SMS & Calls | Read messages and call logs; send SMS from your desktop | | Apps | List installed apps and export APKs | | Notifications | Mirror phone notifications to the browser in real time | | Screen Mirror | Live-stream the phone screen to the browser with audio and remote control support | | Device Info | Check battery, storage, network, and system details |

📱 Built-in Android Tools

PlainApp is also a capable standalone app — not just a server:

• Markdown Notes — write and organize notes with a clean editor
• RSS Reader — follow your favorite websites with a distraction-free reader
• Video & Audio Player — full-featured media player with playlist support
• TV Cast — cast media to any DLNA/Chromecast-compatible TV
• Peer-to-Peer Chat & File Sharing — share files and messages directly between devices without a server
• Pomodoro Timer — stay focused with a built-in work timer
• Sound Meter — measure ambient noise levels in real time

🔒 Privacy & Security

• Zero data sent to any third-party server
• All traffic between phone and browser is encrypted (TLS + XChaCha20-Poly1305)
• No account registration required

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjRhC8pSQ6Q

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/plainapp

Discord: https://discord.gg/RQWcS6DEEe

QQ Group: 812409393

How PlainApp Compares

| Feature | PlainApp | AirDroid | KDE Connect | AnExplorer | Pushbullet | |---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | Open source | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | 100% local / no cloud required | ✅ | ⚠️ partial | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | End-to-end encrypted (local) | ✅ | ⚠️ paid | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Ad-free | ✅ | ⚠️ paid | ✅ | ⚠️ paid | ⚠️ paid | | Free all features | ✅ | ⚠️ freemium | ✅ | ⚠️ freemium | ⚠️ freemium | | Web browser access (no desktop app needed) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | | File manager (browser UI) | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ limited | ✅ | ❌ | | SMS from desktop | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Screen mirroring | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | Media streaming in browser | ✅ | ⚠️ limited | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Notification mirroring | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Built-in RSS reader | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Markdown notes | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | P2P chat & file sharing | ✅ | ⚠️ paid | ❌ | ❌ | ⚠️ limited | | TV casting (DLNA/Chromecast) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | PWA support | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | No account required | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |

✅ Fully supported   ⚠️ Partially supported or requires paid plan   ❌ Not supported

Donations :heart:

This project needs you! If you would like to support this project's further development, the creator of this project or the continuous maintenance of this project, feel free to donate.

Your donation is highly appreciated. Thank you!

• Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi!

• Use WeChat to scan the code

<img src="assets/donate-wechat.jpeg" width="200"/>

Screenshots

Android App

<table> <tr> <td><img src="screenshots/app-files.png" alt="files"/></td> <td><img src="screenshots/app-home.webp" alt="home"/></td> <td><img src="screenshots/app-music-player.jpg" alt="music player"/></td> <td><img src="screenshots/app-chat.png" alt="chat"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="screenshots/app-audio.png" alt="audio"/></td> <td><img src="screenshots/app-images.webp" alt="images"/></td> <td><img src="screenshots/app-videos.jpg" alt="videos"/></td> <td><img src="screenshots/app-rss.jpg" alt="rss"/></td> </tr> </table>

Web Dashboard

<table> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-home.webp" alt="home" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-images.png" alt="images" width="100%"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-videos.png" alt="videos" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-notes.png" alt="notes" width="100%"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-files.png" alt="files" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-calls.png" alt="calls" width="100%"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-messages.png" alt="messages" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-contacts.png" alt="contacts" width="100%"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-audio.png" alt="audio" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-rss.png" alt="rss" width="100%"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-encryption.png" alt="encryption" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-screen-mirror.png" alt="screen mirror" width="100%"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-image.png" alt="image viewer" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-video.png" alt="video player" width="100%"/></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><img src="screenshots/web-chat.png" alt="chat" width="100%"/></td> <td colspan="2"></td> </tr> </table>

Compatibility

PlainApp requires Android 9.0 or higher.

FAQ

https://plainapp.app/docs

Support

PlainApp is fully open-source.
If you have any doubts, you're free to review the code, build your own version, or simply choose not to use it.

If you run into issues, feel free to open a GitHub issue — I'm always happy to help.

Please don’t leave a one-star review without giving it a fair try.

Build

1. Generate release.jks file under $rootProject/app folder.

keytool -genkeypair -v -keystore ./app/release.jks -alias release -keyalg RSA  -keysize 4096 -validity 36500

2. Create keystore.properties file with following content under $rootProject folder.

storePassword=
keyPassword=
keyAlias=release
storeFile=release.jks