Step-by-step setup for macOS and Windows. If your OS shows a warning, there's a plain-language explanation below the step that triggered it.
Click the download button on the homepage. Your browser will save a .zip file — Downloads folder is fine.
Double-click the .zip to extract it. Drag Remote Tap.app into your Applications folder.
Open your Applications folder and double-click Remote Tap. You can delete the .zip file now.
macOS will say the app can't be opened. Right-click (Control-click) the app icon → Open → click Open in the dialog. Alternatively, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
macOS will ask if Remote Tap can find and connect to devices on your local network. Click Allow.
Your Mac should appear as a discovered device within a few seconds. Tap to pair. Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi.
Click the Windows download button on the homepage. Save the .zip file to your Downloads folder.
Right-click the .zip → "Extract All..." and choose a permanent location (e.g. Program Files or your user folder).
Open the extracted folder and double-click MediaRemote.exe. The app runs in the system tray.
Windows will ask if you want to allow MediaRemote to communicate on your network. Click "Allow access" for private networks.
Open Remote Tap on your iPhone or Android. Your PC should appear as a discovered device within a few seconds. Tap to pair. Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi.
The questions people ask before installing software that isn't in an app store.
The App Store sandbox restricts the system entitlements Remote Tap requires — specifically the ability to interact with media controls, window focus, and system-level audio routing. These entitlements aren't granted to sandboxed apps, so distributing outside the App Store is the only way to make it work.
This is an unusual situation and we understand it raises questions — which is why the rest of this FAQ exists.
The macOS build is a development build signed with a personal Apple developer certificate. It has not been signed with a Developer ID or notarized by Apple yet. You can verify the signature with codesign -dvv /Applications/Remote\ Tap.app.
macOS will show a warning on first launch. Use right-click → Open to proceed. The production release will be fully signed and notarized.
The Windows build runs without code signing. Windows Defender SmartScreen may show a warning on first run — click "More info" → "Run anyway."
On macOS, Remote Tap runs as a menu bar agent — no dock icon, no window. On Windows, it runs in the system tray. In both cases it advertises itself on your local network, waits for your phone to connect, and executes incoming commands: play/pause, skip, volume, and window focus. That's it.
It opens no outbound connections. It doesn't phone home. It makes no internet requests.
No. There is no analytics SDK, no crash reporter, and no telemetry of any kind. The app makes no outbound network connections — it only listens on the local network for your phone.
On macOS you can verify this with lsof -i -P | grep RemoteTap or Little Snitch. On Windows, check with Resource Monitor or Wireshark. If this ever changes, it will be disclosed here and in the release notes before the update ships.
Local Network (macOS & Windows) — required. Used to advertise on the local network and receive commands from the phone app. Without this the app cannot function.
Accessibility (macOS only) — optional. Only requested if you enable the "window focus" feature. Decline it and everything except window management continues to work normally.
No microphone, camera, contacts, calendar, or file system access of any kind.
macOS: Quit from the menu bar icon, then drag Remote Tap from your Applications folder to the Trash. To remove all traces, delete ~/Library/Application Support/RemoteTapHelper. There are no LaunchAgents, kernel extensions, or files in /Library.
Windows: Right-click the system tray icon and quit, then delete the extracted folder. No registry entries or system modifications to clean up.