Your iPhone is often where you decide what to do next. OGAM (Off Grid AI Mobile) can turn that decision into an AI task on your Mac through OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop). Write the goal on your phone, let the Mac work in its desktop apps, and follow the task in your chat.
| Download OGAM for iPhone | Download OGAD for Mac |
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You could ask the Mac to prepare a draft, work in an open app, or inspect a small folder before you decide how to organize it. Your instruction travels with the task, so you do not have to type it again when you return to the keyboard.
The phone-to-Mac Assistant route requires Pro access and a connected, awake Mac. Start with both devices on the same local network, while you can see the Mac’s screen.
How does an iPhone control a Mac with AI?
In OGAM, Assistant exposes desktop tasks from your paired Mac. Computer Use acts through visible Mac apps. Web Use handles supported browser tasks. You describe what you want completed; the task runs on the Mac and returns progress and a result to the conversation.
This guide uses that task workflow, not a remote mouse or a promise that every Mac app can be automated. The model needs to understand the goal and operate the controls it finds.
The relevant release generation is OGAM 0.0.111 with OGAD 0.0.51. Keep both apps on compatible current versions.
What should you set up first?
Prepare OGAD on the Mac before using the iPhone to launch a task. Activate Pro, choose a suitable model, and complete the Mac’s computer-use permissions. You will also need OGAM with Pro access on the iPhone.
The Mac needs:
- Accessibility permission to operate accessible app controls.
- Screen Recording permission for screen inspection when needed.
- A visible target app and an available display.
- A ready model with enough memory to run.
- A network connection to the iPhone.
Use OGAD’s permission prompts and follow any request to relaunch after changing macOS settings. Confirm that a normal chat works on the Mac before adding the phone to the workflow.
If your aim is to keep processing on your own hardware, prepare local models on the devices that will generate answers and execute the task. Choosing a cloud model changes where its input is processed.
How do you pair the iPhone and Mac?
Open Devices in OGAD and Settings → Sync in OGAM. Show the Mac’s pairing QR code and scan it from the iPhone. When pairing finishes, check that the Mac is connected and that remote actions are available.
- Connect the devices to the same trusted local network.
- In OGAD, open Devices and make the Mac discoverable.
- Select Show QR Code.
- In OGAM, open Settings → Sync and choose Scan pairing QR code.
- Allow camera access if you use scanning, then scan the Mac’s code.
- Finish the pairing flow and wait for the connected state.
You can enter the pairing code instead of using the camera. If iOS asks for Local Network access, allow it so OGAM can discover and reach the Mac.
On the Mac, open Devices → Sharing and check Remote actions. Its label is Let paired devices use this Mac’s tools. This is the permission that makes your paired-device connection useful for work on the Mac.
Pair devices you trust. Sync also carries supported conversations and project data. It is not only a saved address for a model server.
What is a good first task from the iPhone?
Start with a read-only task whose answer you can verify. For example, open a small folder in Finder on the Mac and ask for a proposed organization. The model can inspect what is visible while you retain the decision about moving files.
Before sending the request, choose a chat model that supports tools in OGAM and enable Assistant beside the message input. Then send a complete goal such as:
On my Mac, inspect the filenames visible in the open Finder window. Suggest three folders that would help organize them. Give me the plan in this chat. Do not move or rename anything.
Use a small folder with files you recognize for the first attempt. You are checking whether the phone can start a task, whether the Mac can inspect the app, and whether the answer reflects what is on screen.
A task entry should appear in the conversation when execution starts. Watch the Mac’s supervised computer-use view and the phone’s progress updates. When the task completes, compare the proposed categories with the filenames you can see.
This request concerns visible filenames. It does not ask the model to read every file’s contents, and it does not prove that it inspected files below the visible part of the window. Keep the scope clear in the prompt and in how you use the result.
How do you move from a plan to useful work?
After the first task succeeds, send a separate instruction for the next result you want. Name the app, the target, and what completion looks like. A narrow request gives the model less room to misunderstand your intent.
For example:
In the open TextEdit document on my Mac, draft a short plan using those three folder names as headings. Leave it open for review.
Open a blank TextEdit document first. You now have a small draft you can inspect when you reach the Mac, without asking the AI to change your files during the first session.
Useful instructions often include three parts:
| Part | Example |
|---|---|
| Place | “In the open TextEdit document on my Mac” |
| Result | “Draft a plan with these three headings” |
| Finish point | “Leave it open for review” |
Avoid sending the same goal again while it is still running. Check the task status first. If it needs a correction, use a focused follow-up instead of starting another competing task.
Can you pause or stop a task from the iPhone?
The task card offers the controls appropriate to its state, including pause, resume or continue, and stop. Keep the iPhone connected when you use them. A completed task has different controls from a running or waiting task.
If a control reports that it could not be sent, check the Mac directly. Do not assume the task has stopped merely because the phone lost its connection. The Mac also provides supervision and a way to take over there.
Tasks that reach sign-ins or payments hand that step back to you. Complete the required action yourself before deciding whether to continue.
Does this need internet?
The connection can stay on your local network, and a task in a local app can use downloaded local models. Installation, downloads, Pro activation, online websites, and cloud models have their own internet needs.
Keep Wi-Fi or another working local route available between the devices. A Wi-Fi router can carry local traffic without an internet connection, but turning off the phone’s network access removes the route to the Mac.
For a first setup, stay on the same network. Access from outside home is a separate private-network setup, and normally requires internet at both ends. An old connected-device entry does not mean the Mac is reachable from your current location.
What if Assistant will not start?
Use the message in OGAM to narrow the cause. A missing Pro entitlement, a disconnected Mac, and missing remote-task access need different fixes.
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| Assistant requires Pro | Complete the required Pro setup. |
| Connect a Desktop | Open Sync, connect the Mac, and allow local network access if requested. |
| Desktop tasks unavailable | Check Remote actions and computer-use setup on the Mac. |
| The reply gives instructions instead of starting work | Enable Assistant and choose a model that supports tools. |
| The Mac cannot inspect Finder or TextEdit | Check Accessibility, Screen Recording, and the visible target window. |
| The task fails after starting | Read its failure message, inspect the target app, and try a smaller clear goal. |
Put your next instruction to work
Install OGAM on your iPhone and pair it with OGAD on your Mac. Start with a small Finder inspection while you can watch the screen. Then use the same phone conversation to request the next useful result on your Mac.