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Connect your iPad to your computer

Run the heavy lifting — native Python, terminals, file access, GPU — on your computer, and drive it all from your iPad. This guide pairs the Circuitry iPad app with Circuit running on your Mac, Windows, or Linux machine.

You only do this once. After the first connection your iPad reconnects automatically whenever both devices are on the same network.

What you'll need

  • The Circuitry app on your iPad (from the App Store).
  • Circuit installed on your computer (Step 1 below).
  • Both devices on the same Wi-Fi / local network.

Step 1 — Install Circuit on your computer

Circuit is a small companion app that runs on your computer and does the work your iPad asks of it.

  1. On your computer, open the Downloads page and get Circuit for your operating system — macOS, Windows, or Linux.
  2. Install it and open it.
  3. Leave it running. It shows a QR code, along with a server address (e.g. http://192.168.1.100:3030) and an access key. You'll use one of these in the next step.

For more on what the server does, see the Circuit overview.

Step 2 — Connect from your iPad (QR code — easiest)

  1. In the Circuitry app, tap the ⚡ lightning icon in the top toolbar.
  2. Choose Scan QR Code.
  3. The first time, iPad asks "Allow 'Circuitry' to find devices on your local network?" — tap Allow. This is what lets your iPad reach Circuit on your computer; pairing can't work without it.
  4. Point the camera at the QR code shown by Circuit.

You'll see a "Connected" confirmation and the lightning icon turns green. Done.

Alternative — Connect manually in Settings

If you can't scan the QR code, enter the details by hand:

  1. Tap the ⚡ lightning icon → Settings. This opens the Circuits settings.
  2. Tap Add Server.
  3. Fill in:
    • Server Name — anything you like, e.g. "MacBook Pro".
    • Server URL — the address shown by Circuit, e.g. http://192.168.1.100:3030.
    • Access Key — the key shown by Circuit.
  4. Tap Add Server to connect. The first time, you'll get the same "Allow Local Network" prompt — tap Allow.

If you tapped "Don't Allow" by mistake

iPad only asks for Local Network access once. To turn it back on:

  1. Open the iPad's Settings app.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security → Local Network.
  3. Turn on Circuitry.
  4. Return to the Circuitry app and connect again.

You don't need to delete or reinstall the app.

"Local Network" is already on, but it still won't connect

This is the confusing one, and it looks exactly like broken Wi-Fi when it isn't.

You'll see it as: the app says it can't reach Circuit, or that the internet connection appears to be offline — while your Wi-Fi is plainly working, both devices are on the same network, and Privacy & Security → Local Network already shows Circuitry switched on. A related version: Circuitry is missing entirely from that list, and no prompt ever appears no matter how many times you try.

A quick way to tell this apart from a real network problem: open Safari on the same device and load http://<your-computer-ip>:3030/ping. Safari is exempt from this permission, so if Safari gets a response and Circuitry can't, the network is fine and the permission is the problem.

Two fixes, in order:

  1. Switch the permission off and on again. Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network → turn Circuitry off, then back on. Fully close Circuitry (swipe it away from the app switcher) and reopen it.
  2. If that doesn't work, delete Circuitry and install it again. A fresh install has no stale permission record, so it asks properly the first time it needs the network — tap Allow and pair as normal.

Deleting the app does not lose your work: documents and projects live in your account and on your computer, not only on the device.

If you are running a development build from Xcode rather than the App Store version, there is one more cause worth knowing: iOS ties this permission to the app's signing identity, so a build signed against a wildcard provisioning profile can never hold the permission you grant it — Settings shows it switched on while the system refuses every request. Register a real App ID for the bundle identifier and rebuild. App Store builds are never affected.

Troubleshooting

  • Nothing connects — make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, and that Circuit is still open on your computer.
  • The "Allow Local Network" prompt never appeared — enable it manually in iPad Settings (see the section above).
  • It says you're offline but you're clearly not — that message is also what iOS shows when it blocks an app from reaching your local network. See the section above.
  • It worked before and stopped after an app update — same cause; switch the Local Network permission off and on, or reinstall.
  • The QR code stops working while you're setting up — each code is only valid for a few minutes and your computer replaces it automatically. Show the QR code again and scan the fresh one.
  • Works at home but not at the office — some workplace and guest networks stop devices from seeing each other ("client isolation"). Try a home network or a personal hotspot.
  • The camera won't open to scan — use the manual Settings method instead.

What you can do once connected

  • Run native Python, far faster than in the browser.
  • Open a terminal on your computer from the iPad — see Terminals.
  • Read and write files on your computer.
  • Use your computer's GPU for heavier work.

The same steps work for iPhone and Android — tap the lightning icon and scan, or add the server in Settings.

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