Remote BuddyVoice within reach
HARDWARE × VOICE INPUT
Pick up your remote. Hold to talk. Release to finish.
Bring its microphone to your favorite input tool.
macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon / Intel · Open source
Every idea starts
with a few words.
Hold the button to preview the voice trigger.
Hold the remote voice button to speak and release to finish. Configure it for hold-to-talk or tap-based input tools.
Shortcuts, app actions, and common phrases turn your remote into a useful companion.
Connect to input methods and dictation tools for the recognition experience you already know.
HOW IT WORKS
Microphone audio + buttons
Decode audio · Trigger shortcuts
Recognize speech · Enter text
Your remote sends audio over Bluetooth. Remote Buddy decodes it, routes it into a virtual microphone, and triggers the voice shortcut. Recognition, live text, and corrections come from the input tool; Buddy does not run a speech-recognition model.
APP INTERFACE
Check device status, customize buttons, edit common phrases, and follow the guide to set up voice input.
Check connection status, battery level, and device details for added remotes. Adjust microphone gain for each device (0–24 dB).
WATCH IT IN ACTION
A cartoon overview of remote voice input, installation and permissions, input tool integration, button mapping, and common phrases.
3 min 19 sec · Mandarin audio · Chinese captions
GET STARTED
One installer includes the app and virtual microphone driver.
Setup and troubleshooting ↗Download the PKG from Releases and open Remote Buddy in Applications.
Follow the guide for Bluetooth, Input Monitoring, and Accessibility permissions.
Connect your remote, test its buttons, and check the driver. Then select Remote Buddy Mic in your input tool and follow the guide to set its voice shortcut.
Pass the voice test in the guide, then click where you want to type. Hold the remote voice button to speak and release to finish. For tap-based tools, follow the guide to configure how voice input starts and stops.
COMPATIBILITY
Xiaomi 2 / 2 Pro are supported. G9N9N supports voice input; single-button mapping is unsupported. GY3LE and Siri Remote support is planned.
See support by model ↗Choose your tool, follow the guide to configure Remote Buddy Mic and the voice shortcut, then try a spoken sentence.
Your tool needs microphone selection and a configurable voice shortcut. Settings vary by version; use the guide’s voice test to check your setup.
TROUBLESHOOTING
A remapper can take exclusive access to the remote, preventing Buddy from receiving its buttons. Ordinary buttons may stop performing their assigned actions while Bluetooth or voice input still works. For Xiaomi remotes, the defaults are: Home switches apps, TV plays or pauses media, Power sends Backspace, and Back sends Escape.
If Buddy still reports that another input tool owns the device, restart Karabiner-Elements and try again. Also check Buddy’s Input Monitoring and Accessibility permissions.
Karabiner’s official device settings guide ↗PRIVACY & INSTALLATION
Buddy does not collect usage statistics or upload logs. Check your input tool’s settings for its own network and recognition behavior.
Installation requires administrator authorization. A first install or driver change briefly restarts audio. The current PKG is unsigned and not notarized by Apple, so macOS may block installation.