# Orca IDE — Manage Coding Agents Remotely

> Remote terminal and AI agent management for developers on iOS. (iPhone/iPad app by Lovecast LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-ide/id6766130217 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Lovecast LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498017204)
- Category: Developer Tools
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 18 App Store ratings · 21 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 39 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-07
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-ide/id6766130217/reviews.md

## What is Orca IDE?

Orca Mobile is the companion app for Orca, the open-source agentic coding workspace for macOS, Linux, and Windows. Pair your iPhone to your desktop in seconds and pick up a terminal session from the couch, the kitchen, or across the office.

WHAT IT DOES

• Live mirror of your desktop terminal, including running AI agent sessions (Claude Code, Codex, custom CLIs).
• Full keyboard input — type, tab-complete, Ctrl-C, scroll back, all from the phone.
• Multi-worktree, multi-terminal: jump between projects with a tap.
• Phone-fit zoom and a smart on-screen keyboard with quick Ctrl/Alt accessory keys and shortcuts.
• Background long-running commands and get a notification when a TUI goes idle (e.g. when Claude finishes thinking).

HOW IT WORKS

Orca Mobile is a thin client. Nothing runs on your phone except the viewer. Your code, your shells, your AI agents — all of that stays on your desktop. The phone shows you what's happening and forwards your keystrokes back over an encrypted local-network connection.

Pairing is end-to-end encrypted. Your desktop generates a one-time keypair and shows a QR code; you scan it from the app. After that, all traffic between phone and desktop is sealed with that pair's keys.

PRIVACY

• No analytics SDK, no crash reporter, no third-party SDKs of any kind in the iOS app.
• Pairing tokens and your preference list live in the app's own sandbox. The app's traffic to your desktop is end-to-end encrypted on your local network only.
• The Orca desktop app collects anonymized usage metrics per the policy at https://www.onorca.dev/privacy. The mobile app itself does not.
• Open source: every line is auditable at https://github.com/stablyai/orca.

REQUIREMENTS

• An iPhone (iOS 16+) on the same Wi-Fi as your desktop.
• The Orca desktop app, free, from https://www.onorca.dev/ or https://github.com/stablyai/orca/releases.

## Key features

- Live desktop terminal mirror
- AI agent session management
- Full keyboard input
- Multi-worktree, multi-terminal support
- Phone-fit zoom and smart keyboard
- Background command execution
- End-to-end encrypted pairing

## Chart rankings

- #23 in Top Free · Developer Tools (US App Store)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 21)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orca-ide/id6766130217/reviews.md

### 5/5 — This is the best coding software you can get.

*2026-08-20*

I've been using Orca for a while now. Before that, I used Ghostty, some terminal tools, Claude Code, and the official ChatGPT app, but none of them come close to Orca. It's genuinely the best tool I've used.

Whether it's checking files or running multiple agents in parallel, it's an absolute game-changer. I highly recommend it—five stars.

### 5/5 — Just amazing

*2026-08-10*

How is this free!!! Thank you for keeping this free and open source

### 5/5 — Best IDE I’ve ever used

*2026-08-10*

Besides having the best features, It’s great to see the project evolving daily.

### 5/5 — 怎么设置中文语言啊

*2026-08-03*

怎么设置中文语言

### 5/5 — 体验更好

*2026-07-29*

目前用过的手机控制 agent 最佳方案

### 5/5 — 잘만들었음

*2026-07-29*

얘때문에 하루종일 일하게 만듬

### 3/5 — Missing feature

*2026-07-29*

After latest update there are so many bug. Cannot change effort level. Some time needs restart the app to see changes

### 4/5 — keyboard avoid?

*2026-07-28*

keyboard avoid直接杀死了app. native chat模式。 另外手机版本不支持访问模拟器(serve-sim应该能做到吧，走类似tailscale网络，其实目前是连内网都没有走)。手机上面打开html文件预览也不方便。

### 5/5 — Best mobile Dev AI Tool

*2026-07-28*

Read the title

### 5/5 — goated

*2026-07-27*

love it

## Frequently asked questions about Orca IDE

### What is Orca IDE?

Orca IDE is a companion app for the Orca desktop workspace, allowing you to manage coding agent sessions and terminal commands remotely from your iPhone. It provides a live mirror of your desktop terminal and full keyboard input capabilities.

### How does Orca IDE work?

Orca IDE acts as a thin client, displaying your desktop terminal and forwarding your keystrokes over an encrypted local network connection. All code, shells, and AI agents remain on your desktop, ensuring your data is not stored on your phone.

### Is Orca IDE free to use?

Yes, Orca IDE is completely free to download and use. The associated Orca desktop app is also free and open-source, available from their official website or GitHub.

### What devices does Orca IDE support?

Orca IDE is available for iPhone and iPod devices running iOS 16 or later. It requires your iPhone to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your desktop.

### Does Orca IDE collect user data?

The Orca IDE mobile app does not include any analytics SDKs, crash reporters, or third-party SDKs. Your pairing tokens and preferences are stored locally. The desktop app collects anonymized usage metrics as per its privacy policy.

### How secure is the connection with Orca IDE?

Pairing between your iPhone and desktop is end-to-end encrypted using a one-time keypair generated by your desktop. All traffic between the phone and desktop is sealed with these keys, ensuring a secure local network connection.

### Can I run long-running commands with Orca IDE?

Yes, you can run background long-running commands and receive notifications when a TUI session becomes idle, such as when an AI agent finishes processing. This allows you to manage tasks remotely without constant monitoring.

### What is the update frequency for Orca IDE?

The latest version of Orca IDE is 0.0.16, last updated on June 24, 2026. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, the app is actively maintained as indicated by recent updates.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 0.0.44 — 2026-08-22

This update makes pairing QR codes easier to scan, keeps chat sessions from getting stuck while they load, stops sent messages lingering as queued, and reconnects more reliably over Relay, plus reliability fixes and more parity with the Orca desktop app.

### 0.0.43 — 2026-08-15

This update adds a keyboard-dismiss control in the markdown editor, model and reasoning-effort pickers for Grok, Prime Agent support with full session history, and copyable quick commands, plus reliability fixes and more parity with the Orca desktop app.

### 0.0.42 — 2026-08-10

This update adds visible host actions and a host picker for new workspaces, keeps paired hosts and chat transcripts available through reconnects, and improves pairing address selection, plus reliability fixes and more parity with the Orca desktop app.

### 0.0.41 — 2026-08-07

- Bug fixes, typing responsiveness improvements

### 0.0.40 — 2026-08-04

Bug fixes & UX improvements

## More apps by Lovecast LLC

- [Lovecast - Event Livestream](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lovecast-event-livestream/id1508238947)

All apps by Lovecast LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1498017204

## Related topics

[orca app](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/orca-app) · [orca ide](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/orca-ide) · [orrca](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/orrca) · [ocra](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ocra) · [bigwig language center](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bigwig-language-center)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*
