Using Impress Remote for Android with LibreOffice 4.1 or later

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Prerequisites

Computer

• A computer with GNU/Linux, macOS, or Windows and Bluetooth connectivity

Note: Impress Remote works best with GNU/Linux computers.

• LibreOffice 4.1 (or higher)
  • Can be downloaded from the LibreOffice download page.

Note: To find out which version of LibreOffice you are using, see the information displayed in Help ▸ About LibreOffice.

Phone

• An Android 2.3 (or higher) device with Bluetooth connectivity

Note: To find out which version of Android you are using, open the Settings application from the main menu, then open About Phone. There should be an entry reading Android Version.

• Impress Remote for Android
  • Can be installed from the Google Play Store, or from F-Droid.

Pairing the Phone with the Computer

1. Enable Bluetooth on both devices.
   1. On the computer:
      1. The instructions on how to enable Bluetooth on the computer will vary by operating system and possibly even by make and model of the computer. Refer to the computer or operating system manual for instruction.
      2. To be able to later see the computer from the phone, make sure to make the computer visible in the Bluetooth settings.
   2. On the phone:
      1. Open the Settings application.
      2. Tap Bluetooth.
      3. If the Enable Bluetooth switch is set to Off (or 0), enable it.
2. Pair the devices.
   1. If you left the Bluetooth panel, open it again.
   2. There should be a list of devices at the end of the panel. To pair with the computer, tap the entry with the name of your computer. If you have not changed the Bluetooth name of your computer, the name is often the name of the computer brand or the operating system.
   3. You will now be asked to confirm a number on both devices. Check if the number displayed on the computer matches that displayed on the phone. If it does, affirm on both devices.

Your devices should now be paired successfully.

Enable the Remote Control in LibreOffice

1. On your computer, open LibreOffice Impress.
2. Open Slide Show ▸ Slide Show Settings.
   
3. Enable ☑ Enable remote control.
4. To close the dialog, click OK.
5. Close all open LibreOffice windows.
6. Start LibreOffice again. (If you do not see the green splash screen with the loading bar, LibreOffice was not closed completely. In this case, repeat the previous step.)

Using Impress Remote

1. On both devices, make sure Bluetooth is already enabled and configured
2. On your computer, open the presentation you would like to present.
3. On your phone:
   1. Open Impress Remote from the main menu.
   2. To select your computer, tap the name of it. The presentation opened on the computer begins automatically.
   3. To control the presentation:

      To advance the presentation

      tap the slide thumbnail or use the phone's physical Volume Up button

      To go backwards

      double-tap the slide thumbnail or use the phone's physical Volume Down button

      To skip slide animations and transitions

      swipe left to go to the next slide, or swipe right to go backwards.

   4. To end the presentation, use the back button of the phone, or open the menu and select Stop slide show.

Tips/Issues

There are a some issues:

Connecting multiple phones as remote controls

In general, this works. However, at times, the phones can come into conflict over which slide to display. This manifests in the computer quickly and repeatedly switching between slides. To fix this problem, switch between slides with the computer keyboard or mouse multiple times.

Wi-fi connection

There is experimental support for connecting Impress Remote to Impress over a Wi-fi connection instead of Bluetooth. Wi-fi is often faster than Bluetooth. Slide switches on the computer can be quicker, as can be loading of slide thumbnails and notes.

To use a Wi-fi connection: On your computer, enable the experimental features of LibreOffice: Go to Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice ▸ Advanced and check ☑ Enable experimental features. On the phone, go to the start screen of Impress Remote, then tap the WiFi tab to connect to Impress and begin your presentation.