Morning you lovely people. Now. I get a lot of email. A … lot. Over the years one email keeps popping up and, unfortunately, I have to keep knocking it back because there wasn’t a solution to the problem.
Remotely controlling a smartphone. Remote support of a smartphone. How?
This will have a huge impact on businesses and IT staff who have to support Android and iPhone or iPads. Support staff can take real-time snapshots and get full access to device settings and system logs to diagnose problems.
In order to get it working you’ll need to have TeamViewer 8 and an additional licence. The QuickSupport app then runs on Android or iOS but it looks like functionality depends on your operating system and the make of phone. For example, on Android the QuickSupport app will let you chat to users, remove apps, kill processes and transfer files, however the remote contol aspect is available only on Sony, Medion and Alcatel One Touch devices. Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola and other devices don’t seem to be on the list of remotely-controllable handsets.
On iPhones and iPads you can push customization profiles for setting up email, calendars and VPN connections. It’ll also do chats, system log viewing, file transfers, screenshots and full access to screenshots.
TeamViewer® Extends Remote Support for Mobile Devices
New TeamViewer QuickSupport app allows remote support of iPhone®, iPad®, and Android™ devices from any computer
Tampa, Florida, July 11, 2013 – TeamViewer®, one of the world’s most popular providers of remote control and online meeting software, announced today the launch of TeamViewer QuickSupport, a new app that makes remote support available for Android and iOS based devices. The TeamViewer QuickSupport app provides the ability to access and troubleshoot mobile devices via TeamViewer software.
The remote support of mobile devices via the new QuickSupport app is available for TeamViewer 8 and requires an additional license. The release is designed e.g. for mobile operators, customer care, IT help desks and system administrators. It simplifies support for iOS and Android devices, making it easier for help desk staff to better serve customers and employees. At the same time, personal users receive the ability to provide remote support to family members and friends who need guidance and assistance.
TeamViewer QuickSupport allows IT specialists to connect to a mobile device and remotely support it from their computer. This can be helpful in various situations, e.g. when a remote user has problems with receiving emails while on a business trip. For accounting purposes and better transparency, the beginning and ending of all remote sessions are logged in the TeamViewer Management Console.
Depending on the manufacturer, different support features are available:
For Android devices, technicians can deliver comprehensive remote support including the ability to remove apps or kill processes on the remote device. In addition, full screen sharing and remote control is available on Sony, Medion, Alcatel One Touch / TCL devices.
For iPhones and iPads, technicians can set up and push customized configuration profiles using Apple’s iOS Profile Configuration Tool to the device, in order to govern user access to corporate software applications and data. This makes it very easy to set up email, calendar, and contact accounts (including Exchange), create VPN connections, or enable restrictions for how the device can (and cannot) be used, over the air.
The following feature highlights are available on both iOS and Android devices:
- Chat: Technicians can chat with the end-user to better understand the issue and educate them, without the need to have a telephone call. To get their attention, they can use the nudge feature.
- Real-time screenshots: Technicians can request a real-time screenshot from the mobile device very easily. Once a screenshot is captured, the image is automatically sent to TeamViewer on the computer making it easy to share information.
- Full access to device settings: The technician can access device settings and configure them, including connectivity settings, e.g. setting up Wi-Fi. They can see running processes and a list of installed apps on the remote device. All information is shown in a clear and understandable dashboard.
- System logs: Viewing system information and system logs can help to diagnose issues.
- File transfer: Files can be transferred easily to and from the device.
- Secure connection: Every remote session is encrypted with the highest level of security, based on RSA private-/public key exchange and AES (256 Bit) session encoding.
“The mainstream acceptance of mobile device usage in business has led to some unexpected support challenges. TeamViewer responds to this requirement, providing IT departments with a comprehensive solution that complies with the changed needs, and which helps them to resolve queries and support issues with mobile devices quickly and easily”, said Kornelius Brunner, Head of Product Management at TeamViewer.
System requirements
The remote support of mobile devices via the TeamViewer QuickSupport app is available for TeamViewer 8. Remote support is available for any Android phone or tablet running Android version 2.3 and higher. Also, it is available for any iOS device (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch) running iOS 5.0 or higher. Depending on the manufacturer, an add-on may be required. Support can be provided from any Windows or Mac computer.
Pricing and availability
In order to be able to use the remote support of mobile devices via the TeamViewer QuickSupport app, an additional license is required. The costs depend on the existing TeamViewer 8 license. Further information is available at: www.teamviewer.com/licensing. For personal users, TeamViewer software is always free of charge.
The TeamViewer QuickSupport app for Android devices is available at Google Play, or at www.teamviewer.com/mobile The TeamViewer QuickSupport app for iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch) is available in the Apple Store.
I use teamviewer a fair bit, pretty nift device, luckily I don’t have to support phones or tablets.
I’ve been waiting for something to do this for ages. Sometimes it would be really handy to be able to control a phone from a PC – really hope it hits all the popular handsets.
Edit: Just tried it out; it’s not bad actually. Might be useful for some remote support. I’m a little disappointed that there’s absolutely no way of controlling the device (at least on iOS), but it could help if I’m trying to explain to somebody how to set something up, which occasionally happens. It’s free for personal use too, which is a great bonus.