TeamViewer is a remote support tool which allows anyone
who has the required details to be able to access your device, from either
their phone or PC. Your entire screen is mirrored on the other person's device,
and then they can operate your phone remotely - for example, you could move to
a menu on screen and click on it on your PC, and the same button would be
tapped on the phone. TeamViewer has proven to be particularly useful to install
on a relative's computer if you have to troubleshoot their system settings and
don't want to painstakingly repeat the same steps fifteen times over the phone,
but it's also used by a number of businesses for tech troubleshooting.
So, I started TeamViewer, and ran into the next issue - you have
to share your TeamViewer ID for this to work. Luckily again, the send button
was just barely visible, and I was able to mail myself the ID. With a little
bit of planning, however, you can eliminate this step, as once you link your
devices with your Team viewer account, you no longer need to share the ID and
password if you are logged into the same account from another device.
The next step was to go to Team Viewer, type in the details, and
gain remote access to my phone. According to the Team Viewer knowledge
base, not all devices allow for full remote control - phones from the big
brands, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Sony etc., do, but a lot of others only allow
remote viewing. This was still sufficient for me though, as the touch screen
was working, I just couldn't see what I was interacting with.
The viewer also shows
you where your last tap was, and with a little trial and error, I was able to
actually work on my phone despite the display being out of commission, saving a
lot of hassle and headache, ahead of actually getting the phone fixed. In the
end, I was able to back up my SMS archive, which contained important information for an upcoming
trip.
How to use Team Viewer
Team Viewer isn't the only app of this kind, but it's certainly the most
famous, and it's pretty easy to use. If my bad experience convinced you that a
safety net of this sort is useful, read on to know how to make it work. It's
best to follow these steps now, beforehand, so you don't need to work things
out in the least optimal conditions like I did.
Install Team Viewer Quick
Support on your phone. Alternatively, you can
install Team Viewer Host, which doesn't
require you to share an ID, but instead, needs you to log in on your phone with
your Team Viewer credentials. If you haven't done this already and now need to
access your phone when the screen isn't working, you can install Quick Support via
the Web from the links above. Just open the link, sign in with the same
Google account as on your phone, click on Install, and then choose
the device.
Once it's installed, launch Quick Support on
your device. You'll see a number displayed on the bottom of your screen. Note
this down, or tap on Send My ID to have the app send the
number, via one of your sharing apps such as mail. Once again, it's best to do
this before something bad happens to your display, or you'll
find it very tricky indeed.
On your computer, go to start.teamviewer.com, and then enter
the ID there, and click on Connect to Partner. This will install
the Team Viewer app on your computer if it isn't there already.
If the app was already installed, clicking on
Connect should have linked the devices. Otherwise, in the Control Remote
Computer pane, and type in the ID again. Or, if you signed up for Team Viewer
earlier and are already signed in on your phone, you should sign in to Team
Viewer and the mobile should show up as one of the devices connected to your
account.
Now, choose Remote Control, and
click on Connect.
Go to your phone and tap Allow,
which show up towards the middle on the right side of the screen.
The mirroring will
start on your PC right away. If your phone supports remote control, you can
fully control your phone from here, with clicks replacing taps. In case your
phone only allows remote viewing, you can still see what's on the screen and
tap on your phone, if it still supports touch input, although it will take a
little bit of trial and error to get right.
At the end of the day,
this solution really only helps in a few very specific scenarios, but
TeamViewer is a useful tool that could come in handy at other times too. You
might - hopefully - never have to use it in this kind of scenario, but there
could be any number of ways in which it comes in handy, so give it a try - and
it might just be a lifesaver if you manage to break your display.
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