Anthropic has introduced a mobile companion to Claude Code called Remote Control, extending its AI coding agent beyond the desktop and into smartphones and tablets. The feature allows users to manage active Claude Code sessions from an iPhone or Android device, while the core process continues running on their local machine.
Since its launch, Claude Code has gained traction among developers and non-technical users experimenting with AI-assisted software creation. The tool is commonly associated with the rise of “vibe coding,” where users describe desired functionality in plain English and the AI generates working applications. Until now, however, Claude Code was largely confined to desktop apps, terminal command-line interfaces, and integrated development environments.
Announcing a new Claude Code feature: Remote Control. It's rolling out now to Max users in research preview. Try it with /remote-control
— Noah Zweben (@noahzweben) February 24, 2026
Start local sessions from the terminal, then continue them from your phone. Take a walk, see the sun, walk your dog without losing your flow. pic.twitter.com/43c4RJCiOS
Remote Control changes that by creating a synchronization layer between a user’s local CLI session and the Claude mobile app or web interface. Instead of shifting development to the cloud, the feature acts as a bridge. Claude continues running on the user’s computer, maintaining access to the local filesystem, environment variables, and Model Context Protocol servers. The phone or tablet effectively becomes a remote window into that ongoing session.
At launch, Remote Control is available as a research preview for subscribers to Anthropic’s Claude Max tier, which ranges from $100 to $200 per month. The company has indicated that access will expand to Claude Pro subscribers, who pay $20 per month, though it is not yet available to Team or Enterprise plans.
Setup requires users to update to Claude version 2.1.52 and run the claude remote-control command or the in-session /rc command. The terminal then generates a unique session URL and QR code, which can be scanned to sync with the Claude mobile app. Once connected, both surfaces remain synchronized. Users can initiate a task at their desk and continue monitoring or directing it from another location without interrupting the underlying process.
From a security standpoint, Anthropic says the architecture avoids opening inbound ports on the user’s machine. Instead, the local computer initiates outbound connections to Anthropic’s API, which provides access to its models, including Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6. Files and local servers remain on the user’s machine, while chat messages and tool outputs pass through an encrypted connection.
The release also replaces a range of unofficial workarounds previously used by power users. Developers had relied on combinations of VPN tunneling tools, SSH clients, and session managers to approximate mobile access. These setups were often fragile and required manual configuration. Remote Control consolidates those workflows into a native solution with automatic reconnection if a device sleeps or temporarily loses network access.
Claude Code has become a significant revenue driver for Anthropic, reportedly reaching a $2.5 billion annualized run rate as of February 2026. The tool has also seen heavy usage within Visual Studio Code, and independent analyses suggest it now contributes to a measurable share of public GitHub commits. While such figures reflect rapid adoption, they also highlight broader questions about how AI-generated code is reviewed, maintained, and secured over time.
By extending Claude Code to mobile devices, Anthropic is reinforcing its position in the emerging market for agent-driven software development. Rather than replacing developers, tools like Remote Control appear aimed at shifting their role toward supervision and orchestration. Whether that shift leads to sustained productivity gains—or introduces new risks—will depend on how these systems perform in real-world, production-scale environments.
