How-To: Remote Control Your Phone from Desktop via VNC
#11
(10-13-2025, 10:39 AM)powerflow Wrote:
(10-10-2025, 06:25 AM)biketool Wrote:
(03-05-2025, 06:18 AM)Kevin Kofler Wrote: The Phosh Wayland compositor (phoc) uses wlroots, which is why it works with wayvnc.

SO I have something based on stripped ubuntu 24.04 and echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE says x11 for my computer and I use tigerVNC viewer.  I used to get video from the PPp running Mobian trixie and now I get the grey on theVNC but I can use it for input if I can see the phone's screen.
I am not sure if wlroots requires a change in the config of the VNC server on the PPp?

hi, no solution but just remarks: looking up the problem there are lots of reasons why wayvnc may show a gray screen. one of the principal ones is that mobian's user (usually 'mobian') is not in the 'video' users group by default. unfortunately, "sudo usermod mobian -aG video" neither fixes the vnc problem, nor the other great problem of mobian that keeps it short of daily driving (for some people): the camera. No matter which camera app is used - related because the video group addition was suggested as a fix for both of these problems.

must be something in the setting of wlroots or wayvnc - strange that no error or warning appears at all, just gray screen (and apparently works in other distros that use phosh).

I think it works on normal Pinephone mobian  I dont remember if it has ever worked on PPpro maybe on bookworm bit I dont reliably recall when It stopped now.
  Reply
#12
(10-13-2025, 10:39 AM)powerflow Wrote:
(10-10-2025, 06:25 AM)biketool Wrote:
(03-05-2025, 06:18 AM)Kevin Kofler Wrote: The Phosh Wayland compositor (phoc) uses wlroots, which is why it works with wayvnc.

SO I have something based on stripped ubuntu 24.04 and echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE says x11 for my computer and I use tigerVNC viewer.  I used to get video from the PPp running Mobian trixie and now I get the grey on theVNC but I can use it for input if I can see the phone's screen.
I am not sure if wlroots requires a change in the config of the VNC server on the PPp?

hi, no solution but just remarks: looking up the problem there are lots of reasons why wayvnc may show a gray screen. one of the principal ones is that mobian's user (usually 'mobian') is not in the 'video' users group by default. unfortunately, "sudo usermod mobian -aG video" neither fixes the vnc problem, nor the other great problem of mobian that keeps it short of daily driving (for some people): the camera. No matter which camera app is used - related because the video group addition was suggested as a fix for both of these problems.

must be something in the setting of wlroots or wayvnc - strange that no error or warning appears at all, just gray screen (and apparently works in other distros that use phosh).

This is a regression since wayvnc works on bookworm, the image even rotates when the pinephone is rotated. I found 4 groups with user mobian on bookworm but not on trixie (render, video, dialout, and input) and did sudo usermod for each one by one logging out then logging back in. Nothing changed for the wayvnc even after a reboot.

As to no error, when I start wayvnc in trixie, I get:
"Warning: ../src/output.c: 300: Output DSI-1 power state failure"
   
  Reply
#13
(10-14-2025, 10:46 AM)j_s Wrote:
(10-13-2025, 10:39 AM)powerflow Wrote:
(10-10-2025, 06:25 AM)biketool Wrote:
(03-05-2025, 06:18 AM)Kevin Kofler Wrote: The Phosh Wayland compositor (phoc) uses wlroots, which is why it works with wayvnc.

SO I have something based on stripped ubuntu 24.04 and echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE says x11 for my computer and I use tigerVNC viewer.  I used to get video from the PPp running Mobian trixie and now I get the grey on theVNC but I can use it for input if I can see the phone's screen.
I am not sure if wlroots requires a change in the config of the VNC server on the PPp?

hi, no solution but just remarks: looking up the problem there are lots of reasons why wayvnc may show a gray screen. one of the principal ones is that mobian's user (usually 'mobian') is not in the 'video' users group by default. unfortunately, "sudo usermod mobian -aG video" neither fixes the vnc problem, nor the other great problem of mobian that keeps it short of daily driving (for some people): the camera. No matter which camera app is used - related because the video group addition was suggested as a fix for both of these problems.

must be something in the setting of wlroots or wayvnc - strange that no error or warning appears at all, just gray screen (and apparently works in other distros that use phosh).

This is a regression since wayvnc works on bookworm, the image even rotates when the pinephone is rotated. I found 4 groups with user mobian on bookworm but not on trixie (render, video, dialout, and input) and did sudo usermod for each one by one logging out then logging back in. Nothing changed for the wayvnc even after a reboot.

As to no error, when I start wayvnc in trixie, I get:
"Warning: ../src/output.c: 300: Output DSI-1 power state failure"

I also get this warning but it seems timed to screen switching to power save, not to starting wayvnc. the bug could be something to do with color depth (different on the ppp and pp I believe). meaning there's an overflow in the mapping from sent bytes to rendered pixels.. and it there's no warning/error trap for that in the code. it "thinks" it's displaying just fine. that should not be a regression, though (did it work on the ppp or just the regular pp)?
  Reply
#14
Pinephone.

Thanks for the clarification regarding the warning.

wayvnc worked on bookworm, doesn't work on trixie.
  Reply
#15
(Yesterday, 08:40 AM)j_s Wrote: Pinephone.

Thanks for the clarification regarding the warning.

wayvnc worked on bookworm, doesn't work on trixie.

ok, thanks for all the feedback, at least we can now tell where the bug lies so it can be reported in the right place.

it cannot be in the vnc clients, I tried 3 of them, it's a standardized protocol.

since there's no reliable info that it ever worked on the ppp except in other distros, it's most likely not in wayvnc either, but rather in mobian. so it should be reported there. only those developers know the responsible code base.
(that is my current understanding).

if wayvnc worked, presto, you have a cheap cordless extra monitor (a tablet) to run any deb app u want. for now, of course, non-gui apps work just fine over ssh.
  Reply
#16
ssh works for most of my needs, but as far as I know there are no CLI utilities for adding external service accounts and entering strong passwords via OSK is torture for me.

I've been trying to figure out which package to report, but didn't get as far as you, and even narrowing it down to mobian, I still don't know.
  Reply
#17
(Yesterday, 05:47 PM)j_s Wrote: ssh works for most of my needs, but as far as I know there are no CLI utilities for adding external service accounts and entering strong passwords via OSK is torture for me.

I've been trying to figure out which package to report, but didn't get as far as you, and even narrowing it down to mobian, I still don't know.

I mostly use it to manage SMS and initiate phone calls at my desk. otherwise SSH and SCP do everything I ever need.
  Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Jami on the Pine phone ? bcnaz 8 11,587 06-09-2025, 04:17 PM
Last Post: j_s
  is there an progam to forward calls and texts to my desktop dallytaur 2 4,382 11-01-2023, 04:55 AM
Last Post: Samurai_Crow
  Article: NuttX RTOS for PinePhone: Feature Phone UI in LVGL, Zig and WebAssembly lupyuen 64 44,560 09-09-2023, 09:49 AM
Last Post: WhiteHexagon
  Article: NuttX RTOS for PinePhone: Phone Calls and Text Messages lupyuen 2 3,174 05-03-2023, 05:03 PM
Last Post: lupyuen
  [Stupid Question] Where is the phone camera software?! newusername 5 5,684 10-10-2022, 03:58 AM
Last Post: newusername
  Control HBIAS through a linux OS twiclo 0 1,742 10-04-2022, 03:20 PM
Last Post: twiclo
Question New user/phone here - initial update issues sexywheat 2 3,285 06-29-2022, 04:27 PM
Last Post: sexywheat
  Which apps can I run on this phone? poppyhodler 2 4,228 06-07-2022, 12:18 PM
Last Post: jenniferjohn12
  Phone Operation which SW Realease (mute funtion)? scrwbigtek 0 1,598 05-25-2022, 07:35 AM
Last Post: scrwbigtek
  First time pine phone user Matt73 3 4,516 03-10-2022, 02:04 AM
Last Post: Matt73

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: powerflow, 2 Guest(s)