Hands Mobile can offer a phone feature only when Android grants the necessary access and the supporting service is ready. Change permissions on your Android phone, not through the status rows in the Hands Console.
Review and grant permissions
- Open Hands Mobile on your Android phone and follow the permission prompts for the features you intend to use.
- Open Android Settings when directed, grant only the access you need and return to Hands Mobile.
- Open the Hands Console, select your Hand and go to Devices.
- Find the paired phone and expand Technical details and permissions.
- Review the listed functions and their statuses: Ready, Allowed · not ready, Permission needed or Not available. Check the app version and Last reported time as well.
- Open Hands Mobile again and use Refresh devices in the Console to retrieve newer reports.
The status list can include screen and touch control, read notifications, all files access, background activity, show notifications and screenshots. Availability varies by Android version and phone. A row for dedicated keyboard is not proof that a dedicated keyboard is implemented.
Understand the reported status
- Ready: the app reports both the required permission and functional readiness.
- Allowed · not ready: permission was granted, but the feature is not currently ready to use.
- Permission needed: the relevant Android permission is missing.
- Not available: the phone app reports that it does not support the feature.
These are last reported observations, not a live view of Android’s Settings. A stale report updates only after Hands Mobile sends a new status. Screenshots also require compatible Android support, available screen control and an awake screen; protected app windows can remain blank.
Control which Hands may use the phone
Under Devices, supported controls let you Pause/Resume for all Hands, or Disable/Enable for the selected Hand. Those settings affect Hands access and are separate from Android permissions. The Device actions menu also lets you Unlink device from all Hands, subject to confirmation.
If something still does not work
- Permission granted but not ready: review the relevant Android settings and service, then reopen Hands Mobile.
- Outdated status: open the app, check network connectivity and refresh Devices. An offline phone cannot report new state immediately.
- The Hand cannot access the phone: check the Hand-specific binding, phone online status, and the feature’s readiness. Action rules and approvals can also be independent.
- App version is outdated: choose Update Android app if the Console offers it.
Related: Install Hands Mobile and Control what your Hand may do.
When the phone and selected Hand are ready, continue with Use your Hand with a connected Android phone. That workflow happens through Chat or a voice call; Devices itself is a status and access-management view, not a live remote-control screen.
Access and maintenance
Learn to enable or disable a phone per Hand, pause or unlink it across all Hands, and update the app or restore connectivity. These Console actions do not change Android OS permissions.