DroidPad - Android Trackpad for macOS

Transform your Android device into a wireless trackpad and mouse for your Mac

Features • Installation • Usage • Building • Contributing

📸 Screenshots

Android App	macOS Pairing

Main screen with device registration	macOS Bluetooth settings

Full-Screen Trackpad	Settings

Full-screen trackpad mode	Customizable settings

📱 Overview

DroidPad is an Android application that enables your Android phone or tablet to function as a Bluetooth HID (Human Interface Device) trackpad and mouse for macOS. It provides a seamless, wireless control experience with support for multi-touch gestures, air mouse mode, and macOS-specific shortcuts.

How It Works

DroidPad uses the standard Bluetooth HID protocol to register your Android device as a pointing device with macOS. Once paired, your Mac recognizes it as a standard trackpad, requiring no additional software installation on your Mac. The connection is direct and works immediately after the initial pairing process.

Key Highlights

🎯 Zero Configuration: Works out of the box with standard Bluetooth HID protocol
🖱️ Full Trackpad Experience: Multi-touch gestures, scrolling, clicking, and more
✈️ Air Mouse Mode: Use your device's gyroscope for cursor control
⌨️ macOS Shortcuts: Built-in support for Mission Control, App Switcher, and Show Desktop
🔄 Auto-Reconnect: Automatically reconnects to previously paired devices
🎨 Modern UI: Beautiful, intuitive interface built with Jetpack Compose

✨ Features

Core Functionality

Bluetooth HID Device: Implements standard Bluetooth HID protocol for maximum compatibility
Touchpad Controls:
- Single finger drag for cursor movement
- Single tap for left click
- Two-finger tap for right click
- Two-finger scroll (vertical)
- Pinch-to-zoom gestures
- Three-finger gestures for Mission Control and Show Desktop
- Four-finger swipe for desktop switching
Air Mouse Mode:
- Gyroscope-based cursor control
- Tilt your device to move the cursor
- Perfect for presentations or when you need hands-free control
macOS Integration:
- Mission Control (3-finger swipe up or button)
- Show Desktop (3-finger swipe down or button)
- App Switcher (Cmd+Tab via button)
- Native macOS gesture support
Device Management:
- Recent devices list with quick reconnect
- Auto-reconnect on app launch
- Connection history tracking
- Reset functionality for troubleshooting
User Experience:
- Full-screen trackpad mode
- Visual touch feedback
- Connection status indicators
- Gesture hints and guides
- Smooth animations and transitions

📋 Requirements

Android Device

Minimum SDK: Android 10 (API 29)
Target SDK: Android 14 (API 36)
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0+ with HID support
Hardware:
- Touchscreen (required)
- Gyroscope (optional, for Air Mouse mode)

macOS Computer

macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later
Bluetooth 4.0+ support
No additional software required

🚀 Installation

Option 1: Download APK (Coming Soon)

Download the latest APK from the Releases page
Enable "Install from Unknown Sources" on your Android device
Install the APK file
Grant Bluetooth permissions when prompted

Option 2: Build from Source

See the Building section below.

📖 Usage

First-Time Setup

Step 1: Launch the App

Open DroidPad on your Android device
Grant Bluetooth permissions if prompted
Complete the onboarding process (battery optimization settings)

Onboarding screen - First launch setup. Make sure to enable battery optimization exception for reliable background operation.

Step 2: Register as HID Device

Tap the "Register" button on the main screen
Accept the Bluetooth discoverability request (typically 5 minutes)
Wait for "Device Registered" status confirmation
Your device will now appear as "DroidPad Trackpad" in Bluetooth searches

Main screen - Tap "Register" to make your device discoverable as a trackpad. The status card shows registration state.

Step 3: Pair with macOS

On your Mac, open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
Navigate to Bluetooth settings
Look for "DroidPad Trackpad" in the list of available devices
- ⚠️ Important: Look for "DroidPad Trackpad", NOT your phone's actual name
Click "Connect" next to "DroidPad Trackpad"
Wait for connection confirmation - you should see it change to "Connected"

macOS Bluetooth Settings - Look for "DroidPad Trackpad" in the list of devices. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your Mac.

macOS Bluetooth Pairing - Click "Connect" to pair with DroidPad Trackpad. The connection should complete within a few seconds.

Step 4: Start Using

Once connected, the app automatically enters full-screen trackpad mode
You can now use your Android device to control your Mac's cursor
Touch and drag on the screen to move the cursor
Tap to click, use multi-finger gestures for scrolling and macOS shortcuts

⚠️ Important Notes

If previously paired: If your device was previously paired with your Mac (as a regular Bluetooth device), you must forget/unpair it first in Mac Bluetooth settings before pairing as "DroidPad Trackpad"
One device at a time: Only one device can be connected as "DroidPad Trackpad" at a time
Auto-reconnect: Once paired, the app will automatically attempt to reconnect on future launches

Using the Trackpad

Main Screen

Trackpad Surface: Touch and drag to move cursor
Status Card: Shows current connection state
Register/Unregister: Control HID device registration
Recent Devices: Quick access to previously connected devices

Main screen showing connection status and device registration

Full-Screen Mode

Automatically launches when connected. Features:

Back Button (✕): Return to main screen
Connection Indicator: Shows connection status
Air Mouse Toggle: Enable/disable gyroscope control
Quick Actions:
- Mission Control button
- App Switcher button
- Show Desktop button

Full-screen trackpad mode - Active trackpad with quick action buttons

Full-screen trackpad mode - Connected and ready to use

Gestures

Gesture	Action
1 Finger Drag	Move cursor
1 Finger Tap	Left click
2 Finger Tap	Right click
2 Finger Scroll	Vertical scroll
2 Finger Pinch	Zoom in/out
3 Finger Swipe Up	Mission Control
3 Finger Swipe Down	Show Desktop
4 Finger Swipe Left/Right	Switch desktops

Air Mouse Mode

Connect to your Mac
Enter full-screen trackpad mode
Tap the Air Mouse button (📱) to enable
Tilt your device to move the cursor
Tap again to disable

Settings

Access settings from the main screen or full-screen mode to customize:

Pointer speed and sensitivity
Scroll speed and direction
Tap-to-click behavior
Gesture guides
Connection preferences

Settings screen - Customize trackpad behavior and preferences

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Device Not Appearing
- Ensure Bluetooth is enabled on both devices
- Make sure the Android device is discoverable
- Check that "DroidPad Trackpad" appears (not your phone name)
Connection Fails
- Unpair the device from Mac Bluetooth settings
- Use "Reset All Connections" in the app
- Re-register and pair again
Lag or Delayed Response
- Ensure devices are within Bluetooth range
- Close other Bluetooth-intensive apps
- Restart Bluetooth on both devices
Gestures Not Working
- Verify connection status shows "Connected"
- Try disconnecting and reconnecting
- Check that full-screen mode is active

🔨 Building

Prerequisites

Android Studio: Hedgehog (2023.1.1) or later
JDK: 11 or later
Gradle: 8.0+ (included via wrapper)
Android SDK: API 29+ (Android 10)

Build Steps

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Tolstoyj/MacTrack.git
cd MacTrack

Open in Android Studio
- Open Android Studio
- Select "Open an Existing Project"
- Navigate to the cloned directory
Sync Gradle
- Android Studio will automatically sync Gradle dependencies
- Wait for sync to complete
Build the APK
```
./gradlew assembleDebug
```
The APK will be generated at: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
Install on Device
```
./gradlew installDebug
```
Or use Android Studio's Run button

Project Structure

DroidPadMacOS/
├── app/
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── main/
│   │       ├── java/com/dps/droidpadmacos/
│   │       │   ├── MainActivity.kt              # Main UI and setup
│   │       │   ├── FullScreenTrackpadActivity.kt # Full-screen trackpad
│   │       │   ├── bluetooth/
│   │       │   │   ├── BluetoothHidService.kt   # HID device management
│   │       │   │   └── HidConstants.kt         # HID descriptors
│   │       │   ├── touchpad/
│   │       │   │   ├── EnhancedGestureDetector.kt # Multi-touch gestures
│   │       │   │   └── TouchpadGestureDetector.kt # Basic gestures
│   │       │   ├── sensor/
│   │       │   │   └── AirMouseSensor.kt        # Gyroscope control
│   │       │   ├── viewmodel/
│   │       │   │   └── TrackpadViewModel.kt     # Business logic
│   │       │   ├── data/
│   │       │   │   └── DeviceHistoryManager.kt # Device persistence
│   │       │   └── ui/
│   │       │       ├── TrackpadSurface.kt       # Trackpad UI component
│   │       │       └── RecentDevicesList.kt     # Device list UI
│   │       └── res/                             # Resources
│   └── build.gradle.kts                         # App dependencies
├── build.gradle.kts                             # Project config
├── gradle/
│   └── libs.versions.toml                       # Version catalog
└── settings.gradle.kts                          # Project settings

Key Dependencies

Jetpack Compose: Modern declarative UI framework
Material 3: Latest Material Design components
Kotlin Coroutines: Asynchronous programming
AndroidX Lifecycle: Lifecycle-aware components

🏗️ Architecture

DroidPad follows a clean architecture pattern:

UI Layer: Jetpack Compose screens and components
ViewModel Layer: Business logic and state management
Service Layer: Bluetooth HID service (singleton)
Data Layer: SharedPreferences for device history

Key Components

BluetoothHidService: Manages HID device registration and communication
TrackpadViewModel: Coordinates between UI and services
EnhancedGestureDetector: Processes multi-touch gestures
AirMouseSensor: Handles gyroscope-based cursor control

🔧 Technical Details

Bluetooth HID Implementation

DroidPad implements the Bluetooth HID specification to register as a standard input device:

SDP Record: Defines device as combo keyboard+pointing device
HID Descriptors: Standard mouse and keyboard descriptors
Report Protocol: Uses report IDs for mouse and keyboard events
QoS Settings: Optimized for low latency input

HID Report Format

Mouse Report (Report ID 1):

[Buttons: 1 byte] [X: 1 byte] [Y: 1 byte] [Wheel: 1 byte]

Keyboard Report (Report ID 2):

[Modifiers: 1 byte] [Reserved: 1 byte] [Keys: 6 bytes]

Gesture Detection

Uses Android's MotionEvent API for touch tracking
Supports up to 4 simultaneous touch points
Implements velocity and distance thresholds for gesture recognition
Configurable sensitivity settings

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these guidelines:

How to Contribute

Fork the Repository

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/MacTrack.git

Create a Feature Branch
```
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
```
Make Your Changes
- Follow Kotlin coding conventions
- Add comments for complex logic
- Update documentation as needed
Test Your Changes
- Test on multiple Android versions if possible
- Verify Bluetooth connectivity
- Test gesture recognition
Commit Your Changes
```
git commit -m "Add amazing feature"
```
Push and Create Pull Request
```
git push origin feature/amazing-feature
```

Code Style

Follow Kotlin Coding Conventions
Use meaningful variable and function names
Add KDoc comments for public functions
Keep functions focused and single-purpose

Reporting Issues

When reporting issues, please include:

Android version and device model
macOS version
Steps to reproduce
Expected vs actual behavior
Logs (if applicable)

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with Jetpack Compose
Uses Android's Bluetooth HID API
Inspired by the need for a wireless trackpad solution

📞 Support

Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions

🗺️ Roadmap

Made with ❤️ for the open-source community

⭐ Star this repo if you find it useful!

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 9 Commits
.claude		.claude
app		app
docs/images		docs/images
gradle		gradle
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CODE_REVIEW.md		CODE_REVIEW.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
PRODUCTION_READY_IMPROVEMENTS.md		PRODUCTION_READY_IMPROVEMENTS.md
README.md		README.md
RELEASE_NOTES_v1.0.0.md		RELEASE_NOTES_v1.0.0.md
SETUP_GITHUB.md		SETUP_GITHUB.md
build.gradle.kts		build.gradle.kts
gradle.properties		gradle.properties
gradlew		gradlew
gradlew.bat		gradlew.bat
settings.gradle.kts		settings.gradle.kts

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation