If you have used MacOS or have been interested in this operating system, you know that it offers synchronization between your phone and computer, for example, for file transfers or media control, when a phone call comes in, the media playing on your PC is automatically paused.
In Linux and Android, similar synchronization can be set up using KDE Connect. In this article, we'll look at how to connect Android to Ubuntu 24.04 or 25.04 using KDE Connect, and what advantages it provides. This article will be relevant not only for Ubuntu but also for other distributions using GNOME.
Table of Contents
How Does It Work?
The program consists of two parts. The first part is an Android application for your phone that can be installed from the Play Market. The second part is integrated into your computer's desktop environment. For the phone to detect the computer, they must be connected to the same local network. Once the pairing is set up for the first time, you will be able to send commands and files both from your phone to your PC and from your PC to your phone.
However, as you can understand, KDE Connect is, as the name suggests, a KDE project. And Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop environment. For Android, we can still use the KDE Connect app, but for PC, we need an implementation of this protocol for GNOME. At the time of writing this article, there are several implementations available. These are the GNOME extension - GSConnect and the Valent application.
I wasn't able to get GSconnect working stably. However, Valent, despite being in alpha state, already works quite well and supports most features. In this article, we will specifically look at setting up synchronization using Valent.
How to Connect Android to Ubuntu 24.04 Using KDE Connect
Installing KDE Connect on Android
You can install the KDE Connect app from the Play Market using this link. Or you can simply search for KDE Connect in the Play Market:
After installation, the app is ready to use. On first launch, you need to grant notification permissions.
Installing Valent in Ubuntu
As I mentioned above, the application is still in alpha state, so it's not available on Flathub or in distribution repositories. However, it has its own Flatpak package that can be downloaded from the official website. There you can find the latest version of the program.
After downloading the package, you need to install it with the following command:
flatpak install ~/Downloads/valent.flatpakref
Before installation, you need to confirm the installation of components from Flathub, and then the installation itself:
After that, you can launch the program with the following command:
flatpak run ca.andyholmes.Valent
Device Pairing
Make sure KDE Connect app is running on your phone and open Valent on your computer. If they are connected to the same network, the devices will discover each other.
Click on your smartphone's name on the PC, then press the Request Pairing button:
Then you need to open the pairing request notification on your phone and press the Accept button:
After this, your devices will be paired. Since this is still an alpha version, some features may not work. Here's how the program interface looks on PC and phone:
Pay attention to the list of permissions at the bottom of the KDE Connect app window that need to be granted to access all features.
Finding Your Phone
First, there is a device search function, similar to the one in your Google account. If you can't remember where you put your phone, you can click the Ring button in Valent to make it start ringing:
Transferring Files From Phone to PC
Now you don't need to connect your phone to your computer to transfer files. You can select the desired files, for example, photos in the Gallery, press the Share button and choose KDE Connect. Then simply select the name of the device you want to transfer files to:
After the transfer, these files will appear in the Downloads folder in your home directory on the computer, and you will also receive a notification about successful file transfer. Alternatively, you can select the Send Files option in the KDE Connect app and choose the files you want to transfer to your PC from there.
Transferring Files From PC to Phone
If you need to transfer files from your PC to your phone, it's also quite simple. In the main Valent window, click the menu button and select Share:
In the opened window, select the files you want to transfer:
Then select the device to which you want to transfer these files:
After the transfer is complete, the selected files will appear in the Downloads folder on your phone.
Mounting Phone's File System on PC
If the above description is not enough for you, you can also mount your phone's file system on your PC. However, for this to work, the KDE Connect application needs to be granted file system access permissions. Under the control buttons in the KDE Connect application, there is a message Some Plugins need permissions to work with a list of permissions that need to be granted:
For this functionality, you need to grant the Filesystem Expose permission. After that, in Valent, select the device and click the Mount button:
If the file system was mounted successfully, the button text will change to Browse Folders. Click it:
After that, you need to select a folder on the device. Usually, you will see internal storage (Internal shared Storage) and SD card here:
After selecting a folder, Nautilus will open with the selected file system, from here you can copy files both to your PC and from your PC to your phone, similar to when the phone is connected via USB.
Playback Control from Your Phone
You can use your phone as a remote control to some extent. When music or a movie is playing on your PC, you can open the Multimedia Control section in the KDE Connect app on your phone to stop playback or switch tracks. You can also adjust the volume in the Devices tab:
Another interesting setting is the ability to automatically pause music playback on your PC when you receive an incoming call on your phone. To do this, select the device in Valent, open the menu and choose Preferences:
Here, find the Incoming Calls option in the Telephony section and enable the Pause Media toggle:
Similarly, you can do this with outgoing calls. However, for this to work, you need to grant KDE Connect app permissions to access the call log and call information (Telephony notifier).
Additional Settings
KDE Connect and Valent have many more features that can be used for more convenient synchronization between your phone and Linux computer. I won't cover all of them here. You can open Preferences for your device in Valent and review the available settings. For example, on the Sync tab, you can enable clipboard synchronization or disable contact import:
On the Other tab, you can select the folder where files sent from your phone will be saved, and also set up terminal commands that can be executed remotely later. And on the Plugins tab, you can disable plugins that you don't want to use:
Running in Background Mode
After making all necessary settings, the program can be closed. It will be minimized to the background and continue running. You can always restore the program from the Background Apps section in GNOME:
Wrapping Up
In this article, we explored how to use KDE Connect and Valent to connect Android to Ubuntu 24.04/25.04. As you can see, it's quite straightforward and can be useful in various situations.
