Build a Mac shortcut keypad with an Android phone

Before you start

Use a compatible Android 9-or-newer phone with Bluetooth HID Device support and a Mac that permits Bluetooth keyboard pairing. Keep the phone app open for initial setup.

Open a temporary text document on the Mac. Avoid testing unfamiliar combinations in unsaved work, account settings or an application with destructive shortcuts.

How to do it

1. Pair the phone with the Mac

   Open Connect computer, choose the Mac Pairing guide and select Make discoverable. On the Mac, open System Settings → Bluetooth → Nearby Devices. Choose the phone, confirm both pairing prompts and wait for connected status.

2. Confirm Mac shortcut keys

   Read Shortcut keys in Connect computer. Use Change if it shows Windows. The Mac setting supplies the Command, Control, Option and Shift conventions used by the editor and starter shortcuts. Choosing the Mac guide chip alone only changes the pairing instructions.

3. Test a small editing sequence

   Focus the temporary text document on the Mac and type a short sample with Keyboard. Try a Copy button after selecting some text, then click elsewhere and try Paste. Watch the result on the Mac rather than treating Connected as proof that a shortcut reached the correct field.

4. Create a clear button

   Return to Buttons, choose Edit and open a button or empty slot. In Tap, use Add step → Key press to configure the intended combination. Give the button a label that names its result, review Style if needed, and choose Save, then Done to leave Edit. Begin with a shortcut such as Command plus F that opens Find in your chosen application.

5. Save a deck you can return to

   Open Settings → Profiles & preset packs → Save current deck as profile. Name the snapshot, such as Writing Mac. Save changes to your current deck before loading another profile.

A small deck for everyday editing

Copy, Paste, Undo and Find make a useful starting set because their effects are easy to inspect in a disposable document. The starter Mac deck also includes Redo with Command plus Shift plus Z and Spotlight with Command plus Space. Their effect depends on the Mac’s enabled shortcuts and current context. A host shortcut you have remapped should be reflected in your button.

Use labels such as Find or Undo when those are easier to recognise than symbols. Group related buttons together and add a separate long-press action only when you can remember the difference.

Application context matters

A key combination is not a command sent directly to a named Mac app. It goes to the focused window or control. A shortcut that works in one editor can do something different in a browser or have no effect in a dialog. Select the intended application before testing each button.

The app can include an Open app macro step, but that uses launcher search and typed input rather than a privileged connection to the target software. Host settings, text input and timing still matter. For a first deck, keep launching and editing as separate actions until both work reliably.

What is free and what needs Pro

One page with up to 12 buttons and all macro step types is available in the free tier. Multiple pages, the 4 × 5 layout and button glow require Pro. You do not need a Pro purchase merely to send an ordinary Command-based shortcut or use the basic Mouse screen.