Although Mac and IOS are not the best when it comes to freedom, window management, customization, and privacy, there is one thing that you can’t fault them on. The amount of integration you get between devices and operating systems. All of your files are shared, you can message and video chat from both your phone and desktop, and you can even use your iPad and iPhone to control and extend your desktop. And for the longest time, it seemed that Apple would be able to fill this niche without being contested by any FOSS or Proprietary projects. Well, I’m here to tell you, there is one project that does exactly the same thing as Apple, while being free software. KDE connect is a project that allows an astounding amount of continuity from your Phone and Desktop. And, for the GNOME users out there, I am going to show you how you can take advantage of this amazing feature without having to use KDE or even install KDE connect on your desktop.

Installing GSConnect from your package manager

While you can install GSConnect from the GNOME extensions store right HERE, I would personally recommend installing it using your package manager. Depending on what Linux distro you use, you can install GSConnect and the dependencies by copy-pasting one of these commands into your terminal.

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-gsconnect 

Fedora/CentOS/Rocky

sudo dnf install gnome-shell-extension-gsconnect

Arch/Manjaro/Endeavour

yay -S gnome-shell-extension-gsconnect-git 

Installing KDE Connect On Your Phone

Thankfully, KDE Connect is available wherever you get your apps. It is on the regular Google Play store, and recently, the IOS app store. However, I the best way to get KDE Connect is though the free and open sourced android store F-Droid.

Using GSConnect

Using GSConnect is even easier than installing it. All you need is to have both devices on the same WIFI network. From there, you can need to open GSConnect from the top panel in GNOME, as well as the app on your Android phone. Then, you need to hit the refresh button in the top left corner on the desktop app, and you should see your phone.

From there, you can just go into the app and start interacting with all of the amazing features.

You did it!

Your phone and desktop are now one. The possibilities are endless. You can send files to your computer without having to physically hook it up using a USB-C cable, you can even respond to SMS messages without having to walk the two steps to go pick up your phone, and you can even control your computer from the other side of the room. And the best part of all, you can brag to Mac users about how integrated your phone and desktop are without having to fork thousands of dollars over to Apple.