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Rlwakefield's avatar
Rlwakefield
Copper Contributor
Jan 10, 2021

Use mobile device as PowerPoint controller and more

So I have been looking around and the only thing I can find is a reference to an old PowerPoint remote controller app for Android from many years ago that is no longer supported or available. However, I do still have the want to be able to control a PowerPoint being presented from my mobile phone, tablet, etc. and be able to navigate the slides at a minimum, but if I could do some highlighter/markup capabilities, that would be even better.

So here I am reaching out to the Microsoft PowerPoint community to see what I am missing here. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas that I could do to achieve the above?

Thanks.

6 Replies

  • extrappt's avatar
    extrappt
    Copper Contributor

    Answering this old question, since there is no satisfactory solution from Microsoft yet. I've developed my own solution for controlling PowerPoint slides from any phone and being able to see speaker notes and slide previews. Unlike other third-party solutions, there is no need to install mobile apps on your iPhone or Android device. Instead, there is a small native Windows app that sits alongside PowerPoint on your PC. This app provides a web interface, so you can control the presentation from a web browser on your mobile device as long as it's in the same Wi-Fi network. The app is called:

    ExtraPPT Remote

    and it is available in the Microsoft Store. It has a free trial, and there are no subscriptions, ads, in-app purchases, or data tracking. In addition, the app has a soundboard for PowerPoint, so that while controlling the slides, you can also dynamically include sound effects.

    I hope this helps.

    Disclaimer: I'm the app developer here.

    • icuthber's avatar
      icuthber
      Copper Contributor

      I tried replying a couple of days ago but don't see it listed here so I will try again.

      I downloaded ExtraPPT Remote from the Microsoft store and installed in on my laptop. As was explained in the instructions I pointed my iPhone camera at the Q code and the phone loaded the URL. The Power Point presentation I had running on my laptop now showed on my phone screen but I was unable to run the presentation using the phone.

      Ian

    • icuthber's avatar
      icuthber
      Copper Contributor

      I have downloaded the app and was succsessful in getting the app to communicate with my phone. Once my phone read the IP address from the QR code my presentation appeared on my phone.  However I get no response when I try to run the presentation from my phone.  I press the "Next Slide" button on my phone and nothing happens.  Your help would be much appreciated.  I am using an iPhone13.

      • extrappt's avatar
        extrappt
        Copper Contributor

        Ian, first of all, if none of these suggestions help, please contact ExtraPPT support directly. You can find the address on the About page of the ExtraPPT website. Unfortunately, I cannot post it here due to forum rules.

        1. If you can see slide previews and buttons on your phone, it means that at least partial communication is working, which is good. If the button for navigating to the next slide is not working, it might be that your mobile browser is partially blocking JavaScript. Please check if you have any content-blocking browser extensions active. Also, if you're not using Safari on an iPhone, try using it.
        2. It's very easy to check if JavaScript is working properly. Try pressing the Soundboard buttons. If you hear sounds from your presentation PC with PowerPoint, it means that it's working properly and the problem probably lies on the PowerPoint side of things.
        3. In this case, try opening the URL in a desktop browser on the same presentation PC. You can see the URL in the ExtraPPT Remote application window. Open it in your browser before switching to presentation mode with PowerPoint. When the presentation is running full-screen, you can switch to your browser by pressing Alt-Tab. Try navigating with the button then. If it's not working, it means that PowerPoint is somehow blocking the controlling interface. In this case, the only option is to try reinstalling both PowerPoint and ExtraPPT Remote.


        I hope this helps.

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Gold Contributor

    Rlwakefield 

    I'm not an expert on presentations with remote controllers for Android, but it can work directly with the smartphone.

    Office Remote turns your phone into a smart remote that interacts with Microsoft Office on your PC.

    The app lets you control Word, Excel, and PowerPoint from across the room,

    so you can walk around freely during presentations.

     

    Microsoft Office Remote PC Setup

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41149

     

    I would be happy to know if I could help.

     

    Nikolino

    I know I don't know anything (Socrates)

     

    * Kindly Mark and Vote this reply if it helps please, as it will be beneficial to more Community members reading here.

    • Maireposa's avatar
      Maireposa
      Copper Contributor
      Sadly, the Office Remote app was pulled from the Google Play store several years ago and is currently listed as only compatible with Windows phones. It's a shame, I loved that app and the closest I've come to a replacement is a paid version of a third-party application. It would be great if Microsoft would bring this project back to life!

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