# Using ReadyPixl on a phone or tablet

URL: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/mobile-tablet
Markdown: https://helpcenter.readypixl.com/articles/mobile-tablet.md
Section: Getting Started
Summary: What works and what doesn't when you open ReadyPixl on a phone or tablet. Short version: small batches work; serious bulk needs a computer.

ReadyPixl works in mobile browsers, but **the experience is built for computers.** This article tells you what you can realistically do on a phone or tablet, and what you should save for desktop.

## What works on mobile

- **Loading a few images** by tapping the drop zone and using your phone's image picker
- **Browsing images in the filmstrip**
- **Checking the canvas preview** — see how a pipeline looks
- **Reading the help center** — every article reads fine on phones
- **Signing in / managing your account**
- **Reviewing presets** you previously saved

Useful for: checking a result on the go, reviewing presets between batches, reading docs.

## What's harder on mobile

- **Building a pipeline from scratch.** The Selected Tools panel and tool sidebar are crowded on small screens. Possible, but slow.
- **Tweaking sliders precisely.** Sliders are designed for mouse precision; they're harder to land on exact values with a thumb.
- **Drag-and-drop loading.** Mobile browsers don't always support drag-and-drop the way desktop browsers do. Use the click-to-pick instead.
- **Big batches.** Mobile browsers have stricter memory limits than desktop. 5-10 images is fine; 50+ may cause slowdowns or crashes.

## What basically doesn't work on mobile

- **Loading a folder.** Mobile image pickers don't have a "select folder" option — you'd have to multi-select individual images.
- **Heavy AI processing.** The paid AI tools (AI Background Removal and AI Upscale) do work on mobile, but they can be slow and use credits — better run on a desktop.
- **Long sessions.** Mobile Safari and Chrome aggressively close idle tabs. A long ReadyPixl session can lose your pipeline if you switch apps.

## Phone vs tablet

| Device | Realistic use |
| --- | --- |
| **iPhone / Android phone (small screen)** | Quick result checks, reading docs. Skip serious work. |
| **iPad / Android tablet (medium screen)** | Light work — small batches (5-15 images), simple pipelines. Checking previews. |
| **iPad with keyboard + mouse / Surface tablet** | Closer to desktop experience. Real work possible, but Chrome or Edge desktop is still faster. |

## Tips if you have to use mobile

- **Use the click-to-pick to load.** Drag-and-drop is unreliable on mobile.
- **Save your pipeline as a preset frequently.** Mobile sessions can get lost when you switch apps or get a notification.
- **Stick to small batches.** 10 images or fewer.
- **Keep the ReadyPixl tab in front the whole session.** Switching apps can pause the browser tab.
- **Use Chrome or Safari** — they're better optimized than smaller-share mobile browsers.

## When to switch to desktop

- **For batches over 10 images**
- **For any pipeline that uses 5+ tools**
- **For your first time using ReadyPixl** (the desktop view shows everything at once; mobile hides things behind taps)
- **Whenever you have the choice**

The free web version on a desktop browser is the same product, way easier to use.

## Are you building a mobile app?

Not as a separate native app. The plan is to keep improving the mobile web experience as the product matures. For people who need a serious mobile workflow, the **ReadyPixl desktop app** (a native Windows and macOS app, available now) will be the closest equivalent — it's the webapp wrapped in a native shell.

A dedicated phone app isn't on the year-1 roadmap. If that's something you'd want, post or vote for it on [feedback.readypixl.com](https://feedback.readypixl.com) — demand drives priority.

## What to read next

- **[The editor at a glance](editor-layout)** — visual layout (read on desktop for best experience)
- **[Loading your images](loading-images)** — for the click-to-pick workflow that works on mobile
- **[Frequently asked questions](../faq/faq)** — for the broader question of what ReadyPixl is and isn't