Switchify PC

Switchify PC is the Windows desktop companion for Switchify Android. It runs in the tray, accepts authenticated Bluetooth commands from paired Android devices, and turns them into mouse, keyboard, text, media, window, and status actions on the PC.

Switchify PC is early-stage Windows-first software. Expect Bluetooth and Windows packaging behavior to be the main supported path for now.

Download

Download the latest Windows installer from GitHub Releases:

• Latest Switchify PC release

Install Switchify Android from Google Play:

• Switchify for Android

The Windows installer is a per-machine installer and should be installed under C:\Program Files\Switchify PC\ so Windows can honor uiAccess.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or later.
• Bluetooth enabled on the PC.
• Switchify Android installed on a nearby Android device.
• Per-machine install under C:\Program Files\Switchify PC\ for full uiAccess behavior.

Using Switchify PC

1. Install Switchify PC.
2. Install Switchify Android.
3. Launch Switchify PC and leave it running in the tray.
4. Open Switchify Android near the PC.
5. Approve the pairing request on the PC and confirm the verification code.
6. Use the Android app to control the PC.

If the main window is closed, Switchify PC continues running from the tray. Use the tray menu to reopen it or quit.

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the Electron app in development mode:

npm run dev

Build the compiled Electron output:

npm run build

Build the native Windows cursor overlay helper:

npm run native:build-overlay

Run checks before pushing implementation changes:

npm run typecheck
npm test

Windows packaging

Create a local Windows x64 package:

npm run package:win

The package script runs npm run build and npm run native:build-overlay first, then creates an unpacked Windows artifact in dist/win-unpacked and a per-machine NSIS installer in dist.

Local packaging builds artifacts under dist. It does not publish a GitHub release.

Windows uiAccess packaging

Switchify PC uses uiAccess="true" so the installed app can interact with elevated or higher-integrity windows for accessibility and input automation scenarios.

Windows only honors uiAccess when all of these are true:

• The app executable manifest has level="highestAvailable" and uiAccess="true".
• The executable is Authenticode signed.
• The executable is installed in a secure location such as C:\Program Files\Switchify PC\.
• Signing happens after icon and manifest resource embedding.

The packaged Windows app also disables the Chromium GPU child-process sandbox at startup. Without that switch, Electron's GPU child process can fail to launch under uiAccess=true, causing the app to exit even when the manifest, signature, and install location are valid.

Packaged Windows builds include SwitchifyCursorOverlay.exe, a native self-contained cursor overlay helper under app resources. The Electron app controls it over stdin JSON lines so cursor feedback can render as a per-pixel-alpha ring over protected UI. If the helper cannot start, Switchify PC falls back to the Electron overlay instead of failing input commands.

Development builds can use a local certificate chain trusted on the test machine. The script creates a local dev root CA, creates a code-signing leaf certificate, exports the leaf PFX, stores the leaf thumbprint for signtool, and imports trust material into the current user and local machine certificate stores. Accept the UAC prompt so Windows can trust the certificate machine-wide for uiAccess.

$env:SWITCHIFY_DEV_CERT_PASSWORD = "choose-a-local-password"
npm run signing:create-dev-cert

Then package and verify:

$env:SWITCHIFY_DEV_CERT_PASSWORD = "same-password"
npm run package:win
npm run package:win:verify-uiaccess

Run the generated installer from dist and install per-machine. To verify the installed Program Files copy launches and stays running, use:

$env:SWITCHIFY_VERIFY_INSTALLED_LAUNCH = "1"
npm run package:win:verify-uiaccess

Running from npm run dev, dist/win-unpacked, AppData, Downloads, or the repo does not prove that uiAccess is active.

Self-signed certificates are for development and testing only. Production users should not be asked to trust a self-signed certificate manually.

Production signing

Production Windows packages are signed with the Certum SimplySign code-signing certificate through signtool.

Required environment variables:

$env:SWITCHIFY_SIGNING_MODE = "certum-simplysign"
$env:SWITCHIFY_CERTUM_CERT_THUMBPRINT = "<certum-certificate-thumbprint>"
$env:SWITCHIFY_CERTUM_TIMESTAMP_URL = "http://time.certum.pl"

The release workflow expects the Certum certificate to be available in Cert:\CurrentUser\My on the Windows signing runner and the SimplySign session to be available before the release job runs.

Release CI

Only the maintainer should publish releases.

Release builds are published from tags named vX.Y.Z, where X.Y.Z matches package.json.

The release workflow runs on the self-hosted Windows signing runner with the switchify-signing label. It:

• installs dependencies with npm ci
• runs npm run typecheck
• runs npm test
• verifies the Certum signing certificate
• builds native helpers
• packages the Windows x64 NSIS installer
• verifies the tag matches package.json
• uploads the installer and update metadata to GitHub Releases

The maintainer can publish a release by pushing an annotated tag:

git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
git push origin vX.Y.Z

The workflow can also be dispatched manually by the maintainer with a tag input.

Bluetooth connection expectations

Switchify PC uses Bluetooth for PC control pairing and reconnect. The Android device must be near the PC, Bluetooth must be enabled on both devices, and the first pairing still requires approval on the PC.

Paired devices reconnect over Bluetooth using the existing app-level pairing token and authenticated command flow. Local-network WebSocket control, mDNS discovery, manual IP entry, and QR connection are not part of the product path.

Security

Bluetooth proximity is not authentication. Pairing approval and authenticated commands remain required, and pairing tokens, auth proofs, and typed text payloads must not be exposed in logs or UI.

Please report vulnerabilities by email to owen@switchifyapp.com instead of opening public issues.

MVP smoke checklist

Use this checklist after packaging changes and before publishing any installer:

• Signed installer verifies with Authenticode.
• Installer installs under C:\Program Files\Switchify PC\.
• App launches from Switchify PC.exe.
• Tray menu opens and can show the main window.
• Main window shows Android download QR/link before a device is connected.
• Android download link opens externally in the browser.
• Bluetooth helper starts and reports a safe status.
• No QR/manual local-network connection UI appears for pairing or control.
• No local IP address or WebSocket address appears in Settings or troubleshooting.
• Pairing approval requests appear and can be accepted or rejected.
• Android can pair with the PC using Bluetooth and approval.
• Paired Android device can disconnect and reconnect without deleting the saved pairing.
• Authenticated ping receives an ack.
• Relative mouse movement works and remains responsive under repeated movement.
• Cursor highlight appears as a green ring, not a square, including over the Start menu.
• Cursor highlight does not steal focus or block clicks.
• Left click works.
• Right-click works.
• Scroll works.
• Text typing works in a focused text field.
• Keyboard shortcut works, for example Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V.
• Media key command works, for example play/pause or volume up.
• Window control commands work, for example next app and show desktop.
• Settings > Updates can check for updates in packaged builds.
• Downloaded updates show an Install update action.
• Disconnect all removes active Bluetooth sessions.
• Quit exits the app, removes the tray icon, and exits the native cursor overlay helper.

License

Switchify PC is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later. See LICENSE.