Turn Your iPhone into a Laptop: Foldable Keyboard, SSH, and Tailscale Setup

Recently I bought a small foldable wireless keyboard for $25 that fits in my jeans pocket and lets me turn my iPhone into a laptop replacement while traveling, thanks to powerful apps and SSH.

The keyboard is only slightly larger than the phone and can be stored in the front pocket of jeans.

Carrying a full‑size laptop or iPad is often overkill for short trips, especially when I only need to write a blog post or do some simple coding.

My setup works as a short‑term laptop replacement:

At home I have a computer running SSH (a Linux desktop or a macOS laptop with Remote Login enabled).

I install Tailscale on both my phone and home computer, providing a VPN‑style tailnet that gives each device a private IP.

I use Blink Shell on the iPhone as a terminal SSH client.

Benefits of this setup include:

Access to every headless program on my home machine; I edit files with Vim and even use Blink’s embedded VS Code for remote editing.

Tailscale assigns an IP to my home computer, so I can preview my blog by opening <computer-tailnet-ip>:4000 in iOS Safari.

Blink works perfectly with AirPlay screen mirroring, turning any smart TV into a 4K external monitor for the iPhone.

Drawbacks I encountered:

Cmd‑Tab does not switch apps on iOS, so I use Cmd‑Space (Siri Suggestions) to launch apps.

Input latency increases over time, likely due to network distance, AirPlay delay, and Blink’s terminal emulation.

iOS Safari does not support the “AirPlay external display” trick, limiting the full‑screen experience.

Some apps, such as Slack and iOS Settings, only work in portrait mode, which hampers productivity.

Looking ahead, I dream of using this configuration on business trips—plugging the phone into a USB‑C port at any desk and starting work instantly. The main obstacles are corporate VPN restrictions and Slack’s lack of iOS landscape support, but the solution is within reach.

Appendix: Handy Keyboard Shortcuts

iOS Opt‑Backspace or Cmd‑Backspace – delete the previous word or line. Cmd‑Space – open Siri Suggestions to launch an app. Cmd‑. – sends Esc to iOS.

Safari Cmd‑L – focus the address bar. Cmd‑T / Cmd‑W – open/close tabs. Cmd‑Opt‑Left / Cmd‑Opt‑Right – move to previous/next tab. Cmd‑[ / Cmd‑] – navigate back/forward in tab history.

Vim Ctrl‑W or Ctrl‑U – delete previous word in insert mode. { / } – move backward/forward a paragraph. [s / ]s – jump to previous/next spelling error. z=1 (bound to <leader>z) – accept the first spelling suggestion. Ctrl‑[ – acts as Esc in the terminal.

Overall, running macOS keyboard shortcuts on iOS and using the iPhone as a remote development workstation proved successful.