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Google Launches Chrome Remote Desktop App for iOS

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Google today launched a Chrome Remote Desktop app for iOS, which allows Chrome users to access their Mac or PC desktop computers remotely using an iOS device. Google has had an Android version of the Chrome Remote Desktop app for several months and has finally brought the tool to iOS.

To access a PC or Mac remotely with the new app, users will first need to install the Chrome Remote Desktop on their computer, which is a free download from the Chrome Web Store. With both the desktop browser app and the iOS app, it's possible for users to access their computers on an iOS device through the Chrome browser with a few simple taps after verifying through a generated code.

chromeremotedesktop.jpg
Securely access your computers from your iOS device.
- On each of your computers, set up remote access using the Chrome Remote Desktop app from Chrome Web Store.
- On your iOS device, open the app and tap on any of your online computers to connect.
Click to expand...
In addition to allowing access from an iOS device with the new app, Google's Chrome Remote Desktop feature also allows computer-to-computer access, which Google suggests is useful for securely accessing files on one machine from another or giving a friend temporary access to help solve a computer problem.

The Chrome Remote Desktop app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Google Launches Chrome Remote Desktop App for iOS
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/01/12/google-chrome-remote-desktop-app/
The fact that a Chrome Webstore App allows someone to reach into and control my computer through only a browser is a bit scary. That is not an App I want installed.
 
oneMadRssn said:
The fact that a Chrome Webstore App allows someone to reach into and control my computer through only a browser is a bit scary. That is not an App I want installed.
Click to expand...

I just installed the app to try it out. It requires both Chrome extension AND installing a helper app (from a downloaded DMG file). Having said that, setting it up from Chrome extension was rather kludgy (I am not sure why helper app itself doesn't let you setup) and I frankly don't trust Google to potentially gain access to my computers.
 
The fact that apple doesnt have this built in to any iOS device is behind me.
 
WHOAAAA!

I already don't trust Google that much, so they expect me to use this, where they can essentially see my computer's contents? Hell no. I'm not going to be a total gSheep...

This sounds like a good and useful concept in theory, but with it being made by Google, no way. I guarantee that if Apple had this feature, people would be all over it, including myself.

Also, what is up with the screenshot using a PC? This is MACRumors, right?
 
I don't trust Google that much either. However, I've been searching for a easy and secure VPN like program in order to conect my home PC from my iPhone... ¿Anyone knows any software as easy as this Google Desktop, but with the privacy of Open VPN?

I tried to install Open VPN on my PC, but I don't know how to do it. There's no such an application!

If it happens to be that Google Remote Desktop is the easiest way of connecting vía VPN my home PC, then i'll take it :confused:
 
Populus said:
I don't trust Google that much either. However, I've been searching for a easy and secure VPN like program in order to conect my home PC from my iPhone... ¿Anyone knows any software as easy as this Google Desktop, but with the privacy of Open VPN?

I tried to install Open VPN on my PC, but I don't know how to do it. There's no such an application!

If it happens to be that Google Remote Desktop is the easiest way of connecting vía VPN my home PC, then i'll take it :confused:
Click to expand...

You can use the free version of RealVNC, which is from the company that created the RFB protocol (which is what all VNC programs use).

I'm very interested in taking this app for a spin. I had been trying to make my own VNC app but stopped when I realized the RFB protocol has no support for audio. I believe this app uses a new protocol that Google created called Chromoting which supports both audio and video.

If it doesn't let me do exactly what I want, maybe the protocol is at least open source so I can write my own iOS client implementation which supports the things I want.
 
I'm hugely confused by the description of this app. Does it require the Chrome browser, or not? On the Mac, iOS device, or both -- or not?
 
I've been using the Chrome Remote Desktop to access my iMac at home from my work Windows 7 PC, and vice-versa for the last year. It works fairly well except that Windows will intercept a few key combos and not send them on (e.g. command-spacebar), but for the most part I've enjoyed the ease of use.
I'm hoping that the iOS to OS X interface is a little more streamlined.
 
Install Chrome Remote Desktop so that Google can spy on everything I do on my Mac?

Err, no thanks!
 
This should be a feature built into iOS. At the very least, it should be available on iPad. Right now we have to use clunky 3rd party apps. Apple could nicely integrate it and it would (hopefully) work flawlessly.
 
If you're already using Chrome, Google theoretically already sees what you're doing. I think the novel you're writing via free public wifi at Starbucks cafe is safe, though.
 
IJ Reilly said:
I'm hugely confused by the description of this app. Does it require the Chrome browser, or not? On the Mac, iOS device, or both -- or not?
Click to expand...

It requires the Chrome Remote Desktop app within the Chrome browser on a Mac or PC, which connects to the Chrome Remote Desktop iOS app.
 
odedia said:
The fact that apple doesnt have this built in to any iOS device is behind me.
Click to expand...

This was specifically why I bought a MacBook and an iPad at the same time in 2011. Not only was this functionally awol, it has still not reported for duty. Hardly makes any sense in these days of 128GB iPhones and "desktop class" 64-bit A8 processors.

Worse yet is that besides BTMM not existing between iOS and Osx, BTMM has become very glitchy since the recent Yosemite updates that I have gone back to the glitchy but better team viewer.
 
I installed it and was able to see my Mac's desktop on my iPhone, but I wasn't able to scroll around on webpages or anything. You can select either a mouse or a keyboard-style input but neither really allowed me to move around efficiently. Maybe I just need to spend more time with it. Then again, I don't have much use for this in reality.
 
jclo said:
It requires the Chrome Remote Desktop app within the Chrome browser on a Mac or PC, which connects to the Chrome Remote Desktop iOS app.
Click to expand...

Thanks. So does this mean the Chrome browser needs to be running on the Mac in order for the Mac to be accessible on an iOS device?
 
Apple's had the ability to do this for years but has routinely chosen to not do anything with it, leaving us to rely on third parties and more security exposure.
Still cant get into a mac from a pc without using the absolutely pathetic vnc encryption too (i may be out of date on that though)

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SolarShane said:
And Apple doesn't? Typical.

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And Apple doesn't spy on you? Classic!
Click to expand...

Feel free to back that up with some facts. Go ahead. We'll wait.
 
Yup, Parallels Access does this really well. I very much don't need Google nor anyone else with a browser to be able to get access in the same way...
 
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