Guru
Free · Open source · LGPL-3.0

Anki Remote, on the iPhone you already have

Pair your iPhone with Anki Desktop in 10 seconds via QR code, then drive Show Answer / Again / Hard / Good / Easy from your couch, treadmill, or wherever you're studying. Pair a cheap 8BitDo controller with your phone and it drives desktop Anki through Guru — no Contanki, no Karabiner, no mode hunting.

Download on theApp Store View on AnkiWeb
iPhone showing the Show Answer button while a MacBook in the background runs Anki — connected wirelessly

Setup (3 steps, ~1 minute)

  1. On your Mac: open Anki, then Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons… and paste this code:
    1196082853
    Restart Anki when prompted. The first time the add-on starts, macOS asks "Allow incoming connections?" — click Allow.
  2. On your iPhone: install Guru from the App Store.
  3. Pair:
    • In Anki: Tools → Connect Phone (Flashcard Guru Remote)… — a QR code appears.
    • In Guru: Settings → Anki Remote → Pair with Mac — scan the QR.
    That's it. Open any deck on your Mac and your iPhone takes over.

Real setup screenshots

Follow the same flow shown in these screenshots: install the add-on in Anki Desktop, restart Anki, open the QR pairing window, then scan it from Guru.

Anki Tools menu with Add-ons selected
1 Open Anki add-ons

On your Mac, open Anki and choose Tools → Add-ons.

Anki Add-ons dialog with Get Add-ons and the code entry field (1) Anki Add-ons dialog with Get Add-ons and the code entry field (2)
2 Enter the add-on code

Click Get Add-ons…, paste 1196082853, then confirm.

Anki Add-ons success dialog after installing Flashcard Guru Remote
3 Restart Anki

After the install succeeds, restart Anki so Flashcard Guru Remote appears in the Tools menu.

Anki Tools menu with Connect Phone selected (1) Anki Tools menu with Connect Phone selected (2)
4 Show the QR code on your Mac

Open Anki again and choose Tools → Connect Phone (Flashcard Guru Remote)….

Guru Settings screen showing the Anki Remote row
5 Open Anki Remote on iPhone

In Guru, go to Settings → Anki Remote.

Guru Anki Remote screen showing Pair with Mac
6 Pair with Mac

Tap Pair with Mac, scan the QR code on your Mac, and the connection is ready.

What you can drive remotely

Show AnswerFlip the current card.
Again / Hard / Good / EasyAll four ratings.
Replay audioFor decks with media.
UndoRoll back the last rating.

Hardware controller support

Plug a controller into your iPhone (USB-C or Bluetooth) and Guru forwards the buttons to Anki Desktop:

Gamepad (MFi)

  • A → Good · B → Again · X → Hard · Y → Easy
  • R1 → Show Answer · L1 → Replay · Options → Undo

Keyboard mode (8BitDo Zero 2 / micro / external keyboards)

  • 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 → Again / Hard / Good / Easy
  • Space → Show Answer · R → Replay · Z or U → Undo

Guru reads Apple's GCExtendedGamepad profile, which an 8BitDo Zero 2 exposes in Mac mode (A+START) and a Micro in S mode, and it also listens to GCKeyboard for the keys 1–4, Space, R and Z/U, so a pad remapped to those keys works too. (AnkiMobile can use the same pads in gamepad mode with a digital D-pad; the difference here is that nothing has to be configured on the Mac.) New to controllers? See the Contanki setup guide for driving desktop Anki from a gamepad, or connect an Anki remote on a Mac.

Best Anki remote: which setup fits you?

There's no single "best anki remote" — there are four honest setups, and which one wins depends on where you review. Here's how a phone clicker, a game controller, a cheap 8BitDo pad, and a dedicated hardware remote compare for plain grading:

SetupCostWhere it worksBest for
Your iPhone (Guru)FreePhone → Anki Desktop over Wi-FiReviewing anywhere — and it drives an 8BitDo pad with nothing installed on the Mac
Game controller + ContankiFree if you own a padAnki Desktop onlyFull desktop control: mouse, menus, per-screen button maps
8BitDo pad, Keyboard Mode~$20Any device, iPhone and iPad includedThe cheapest pocketable clicker
Dedicated remote (StudyRemote & co.)~$30–40Anything that reads a Bluetooth keyboardA single-purpose gadget, nothing to configure

Every route maps the same buttons — Again / Hard / Good / Easy plus Show Answer — so choose on cost and where you study, not features. Already own a controller? Start free with Contanki on desktop, or use your phone as the remote right here.

Privacy

  • LAN only. The pairing token never leaves your local Wi-Fi. The add-on rejects connections from non-private IPs as a safety check.
  • No telemetry. No analytics, no remote logging, no upload of your decks or cards.
  • Revocable any time. "Forget" the iPhone in Anki's pairing dialog and the token is invalidated immediately.

FAQ

Does this work with AnkiMobile (the official iOS Anki app)?
No. This is the companion to Guru, our standalone iOS flashcard app. The add-on talks WebSocket to Guru on your iPhone, not to AnkiMobile.
Why isn't this just a Bluetooth keyboard like StudyRemote?
iOS doesn't allow third-party apps to act as Bluetooth HID peripherals — that limitation is platform-level, not something we can work around. The Wi-Fi WebSocket route lets us deliver the same review actions without that restriction.
Does it work on Windows or Linux?
Probably yes — the Python add-on is cross-platform — but we only actively QA on macOS. Anki 2.1.55+ on Qt6 builds is the minimum supported version.
How do I update the add-on?
Anki Desktop checks for add-on updates automatically. Tools → Add-ons shows the version; Check for Updates pulls newer ones from AnkiWeb.
Is the iOS app open source?
The add-on is open source under LGPL-3.0: jyehn/flashcard-guru-remote-addon. The iOS app itself stays closed-source.

Anki remote & controller guides

Step-by-step walkthroughs for each setup:

Source & support