Astropad Workbench Lets You Remotely Control Your Mac and AI Agents From iPhone and iPad - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Astropad Workbench Lets You Remotely Control Your Mac and AI Agents From iPhone and iPad

Astropad, the company behind the popular Astropad Studio software for turning the iPad into a drawing tablet, today launched a new app called Astropad Workbench. Astropad Workbench is a remote desktop app designed for the Mac, and more specifically, built for use with AI.

astropad workbench
With Astropad Workbench, you can control your AI agents remotely, which makes it useful for people who have set up a Mac mini as a personal server for use with OpenClaw and other AI agent features.

Astropad says that it created Workbench to help users monitor their AI agents from anywhere, without being tied to a desk. There are native apps for Mac, ‌iPad‌, and iPhone, so the iPhone and ‌iPad‌ are able to interface with the Mac desktop wherever you are.

It's simple to check logs and output to verify agent work, restart failed tasks, or reconnect to long-running jobs. There are also tools for switching between multiple Macs connected to a Workbench account.

Workbench offers high-fidelity streaming with a unified virtual display, low latency, speech-to-text input, and multiple control options from gestures to keyboard, mouse, and Apple Pencil. Setup is quick and easy without the need for network configurations, and AES-256 encryption is included. No display recordings are captured and saved.

New users are able to connect to Workbench for free for 20 minutes of daily access. Unlimited paid plans are priced at $10 per month or $50 per year. More information on Workbench can be found on Astropad's website.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
imac video apple feature

Apple Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever This Year

Wednesday July 29, 2026 12:03 pm PDT by
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019. Q.ai...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...

Top Rated Comments

16 weeks ago
Whilst I won’t say this app looks great, the subscription model of never owning stuff is starting to become annoying.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
atonaldenim Avatar
16 weeks ago
Wow, even a remote desktop tool has to be promoted as “for AI” now.

I recommend Jump Desktop as a great remote desktop app that’s a one time purchase. But if 20 mins / day fits your use case, then this looks like a good free option. I don’t know if Jump Desktop supports the voice dictation feature this one has.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 weeks ago

Or you could just have Claude do this in an entirely integrated way. I have Claude on my Mac mini running automated tasks all day and use dispatch from my phone or other devices to do things remotely.
I think people getting into these comments curious about Workbench would appreciate if you shared a bit about how you've done that, and how you based on your practical experiences view the features of Workbench.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Happy_John Avatar
16 weeks ago
It's a handly bit of functionality, but there's a lot of similar solutions available. And given that this is a means of connecting one of my machines to another one of my machines, I won't pay a subscription for it (I will only buy such a solution outright) and I won't sign up to any service that's running through the developer's own server.

The developers own alternative product, Luna Display, would be something I would choose over this. For remote access, I'd rely on something I had far more direct control over.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 weeks ago
Jump desktop does this very well and for a one time fee no subscription.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CharlesShaw Avatar
16 weeks ago

Or you could just have Claude do this in an entirely integrated way. I have Claude on my Mac mini running automated tasks all day and use dispatch from my phone or other devices to do things remotely.
"Open the front door, Claude. My key isn't working, for some reason."
"Claude, open the front door."
"Please?"
[strangers approach] "Can I help you?" "We're good, we're just renting this Airbnb from Claude, the owner."
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors