Momentum Mouse

Frequently asked questions

A phone app that turns your smartphone into a real mouse you slide across the desk — not a trackpad on a screen. Everything below is answered in full, including the things that don't flatter us.

Status: pre-launch. The Android app is not publicly available. Access is exclusive beta access for Indiegogo backers. The campaign launches 22 September 2026.

The basics

What is Momentum Mouse?

Momentum Mouse is a smartphone app that turns your phone into a computer mouse. You lay the phone face-up on a desk, keep a finger on the screen, and slide the whole phone like a mouse — your computer's cursor follows the real physical motion of the phone across the surface.

It uses two inputs at the same time: the physical motion of the phone across the desk, and the screen working as a trackpad under your finger. Both drive the cursor together, and that combination is the product. It is not a remote control, and it is not a trackpad app that merely emulates a mouse. A voice keyboard and one-tap keyboard shortcuts are built in.

How does it actually work? What is the exact motion?

Two inputs are read at the same time, and they add together:

  • the physical motion of the phone as you slide it across the desk, and
  • your finger on the screen, which works as a trackpad.

You slide the phone and drag your finger simultaneously, and the cursor responds to both. That is why it covers distance like a mouse while still giving you fine control in the same gesture — the big movement comes from your arm, the small correction from your finger, without swapping tools.

Lifting your finger stops the tracking, the same way lifting a real mouse off the mat does, so you can reposition the phone on the desk without moving anything on screen.

Is this just a virtual trackpad app?

It is more than one. The screen genuinely does work as a trackpad — that part is real — but it is only half of what is happening.

Most phone-as-mouse apps use a single input: the screen as a virtual trackpad. You stroke the glass and the cursor moves, exactly like a laptop touchpad, and your phone ends up being a smaller version of the touchpad you already have.

Momentum Mouse reads both at once — the trackpad under your finger and the phone's own motion across the desk. That is the difference: you get the reach and physical feel of real mouse movement, with trackpad precision available inside the same gesture. A single-input app cannot reproduce it.

Does the cursor keep gliding after I flick the phone?

No. The cursor stops when your hand stops. There is no coasting, gliding or inertia after a flick — the cursor tracks the phone's actual motion and nothing else.

Which way up does the phone go?

Face-up, screen towards you, flat on the desk. You need to be able to touch the screen while you slide it, so the screen must be accessible.

How do I click, right-click and scroll?

Touch gestures on the phone's screen handle click, right-click and scroll while the phone is acting as the mouse. You are not reaching for a separate button — the surface you are already touching is the button.

What you need

What do I need to use it? Is there any extra hardware to buy?

No extra hardware. You need the phone you already own and a computer. Momentum Mouse uses motion sensors already built into your phone — there is nothing to buy, nothing to carry, and no dongle to lose.

Depending on how you connect, you may run a small receiver application on your computer. That is software, and it is free.

How do the phone and computer connect?
TransportNeeds the PC receiver?What you get
Wi-Fi (primary)YesFull feature set — cursor, click, scroll, voice typing, shortcuts
USBYesFull feature set
Bluetooth HIDNoCursor, click and scroll only

In Bluetooth mode the phone pairs like any ordinary Bluetooth mouse, so no software is installed on the computer at all. The trade-off is that voice typing and shortcuts are unavailable in that mode, because they need the receiver.

Can it work with no software installed on my computer at all?

Yes. In Bluetooth HID mode the phone registers with your computer's Bluetooth stack as a real HID mouse — the same device class as any mouse you would buy. The computer sees a mouse, so it needs no driver, no receiver application and no configuration beyond normal Bluetooth pairing.

This is what makes it work on a locked-down machine where you cannot install anything.

How do I pair it?

Scan a QR code. That is the whole pairing process for the receiver-based transports.

Does it need an internet connection?

No. Wi-Fi mode uses your local network to talk to your own computer — traffic goes phone-to-PC, not out to the internet. USB and Bluetooth do not touch the network at all.

Platforms and compatibility

Which phones does it work on?

Android, version 11 or newer.

Is there an iPhone version?

iOS is in development, and it is honestly a different product rather than a port. The iOS version pairs to a Mac over the AirDrop radio, which means an iPhone cannot drive a Windows or Linux PC.

If you want to drive a Windows or Linux machine, you need the Android app.

Which computers does it work with?

The desktop receiver supports Windows and Linux today. macOS is in development.

Bluetooth HID mode works with anything that accepts a standard Bluetooth mouse, which is a much wider set of machines — but with cursor, click and scroll only.

Features

What is the voice typing feature?

A built-in voice keyboard: you speak, and the text is typed into whatever application has focus on your computer. It is available on the Wi-Fi and USB transports, which use the PC receiver.

The audio is recorded on the phone and transcribed by Whisper on the paired PC receiver — not on the phone, and not in a cloud service.

What are one-tap shortcuts?

Keyboard shortcuts you can fire from the phone's screen with a single tap instead of a key combination. Like voice typing, they require the PC receiver, so they are unavailable in Bluetooth HID mode.

Is it good for gaming?

It is not designed for competitive gaming. Momentum Mouse is built for everyday desktop work — browsing, documents, email, general navigation — and for situations where carrying a mouse is inconvenient. Treat fast twitch aiming as outside what it is for.

Will it scratch my phone?

You are sliding the phone on its back across a desk surface, so the same common sense applies as to putting your phone down anywhere: a case protects the back, and a clean, smooth surface is kinder than a gritty one. A cloth desk mat works well.

What is the Pro Sensor Case?

An optional phone case with a dedicated optical mouse sensor built in. It is a planned stretch goal at $200,000, not a shipping product, and it is not included by default. Nothing about the core product depends on it — the app works using the phone's existing sensors.

How it compares

How is this different from other phone-as-mouse apps?

Almost every other app in this category is a virtual trackpad — the phone screen becomes a touch surface and you stroke it. That makes your phone a smaller version of the touchpad you already have.

Momentum Mouse moves the phone itself. The differences that follow from that:

  • It reproduces the physical motion of a mouse, so it suits people who specifically dislike touchpads.
  • Lifting your finger re-centres it, the way lifting a real mouse does.
  • In Bluetooth HID mode it presents as a genuine mouse device, needing no software on the host.
Why use this instead of just buying a mouse?

Because you always have your phone and you do not always have your mouse. The honest case for Momentum Mouse is the moment when a mouse is missing, impractical or one object too many: working somewhere that is not your desk, a machine that is not yours, a bag you would rather keep light, an aircraft tray table, a hotel room, a borrowed meeting-room PC.

If you are sitting at a permanent desk with a good mouse already on it, a dedicated mouse is a fine tool and we are not going to pretend otherwise. The value is in not needing to carry a second object.

Why use this instead of a laptop trackpad?

Because the motion is different in kind. A trackpad asks your fingers to make small strokes on a fixed surface; Momentum Mouse uses whole-hand motion across a desk, which is the motion a mouse uses. People who find trackpads uncomfortable or imprecise for long sessions are the clearest fit.

Does it require carrying anything extra?

No. That is the central claim: no extra hardware to buy or carry, because it uses sensors already in the phone in your pocket.

Privacy and security

What data leaves my devices?

Cursor and click data go directly from the phone to your own PC over your local network. Voice audio goes to the paired PC and is transcribed there. Your voice never leaves your own two devices.

Does the app track me or run analytics?

No. The app contains no analytics, telemetry, ads or tracking SDK of any kind.

To be precise about scope, because it matters: the website you are reading does load Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is cookieless. The app has nothing of the sort.

Does it collect my location?

No. Location permission was deliberately removed from the app. No location data is collected, derived or transmitted. That choice cost a feature — Wi-Fi band detection on Android 11 and 12 — and it was made anyway in exchange for a cleaner data-safety listing.

Does it need camera permission for the QR pairing?

No. The app does not declare camera permission at all. QR pairing uses Google Play services' code scanner, which handles the camera inside Play services and returns only the decoded text.

Pricing and availability

Can I download it right now?

No. Momentum Mouse is pre-launch and the Android app is not publicly available. There is no public download and no open beta.

Access is exclusive beta access for Indiegogo backers, granted after the campaign ends.

When does it launch?

The Indiegogo campaign launches on 22 September 2026.

How much does it cost?

The public lifetime licence tier on Indiegogo is $59. Backers also lock in early access to new platforms as they arrive.

Is it a one-time purchase or a subscription?

Both, depending on when you buy — and this is the single most important thing to understand about the pricing.

Indiegogo backers get a one-time purchase. You pay once for a lifetime licence and never pay again.

After the Indiegogo campaign closes, Momentum Mouse moves to a subscription. The plan is that the lifetime licence is available during the campaign and not afterwards, so the one-time option is genuinely tied to the campaign window rather than being a permanent tier that is merely discounted now.

If a one-time purchase matters to you, the campaign is the moment it is available.

Is there a free trial?

There is a 3-day in-app trial, with no card required.

Situations people ask about

Can I use my phone as a mouse without installing anything on the computer?

Yes, and this is the one thing most apps in this category cannot do.

In Bluetooth HID mode the phone pairs as an ordinary Bluetooth mouse. The computer sees a standard mouse device, so there is no driver, no server application and no install — just normal Bluetooth pairing.

The widely used alternatives all work differently: Remote Mouse, Unified Remote and WiFi Mouse each require a server application installed on the PC before the phone can control it. If you cannot install software, those are not options and this is.

The trade-off is that Bluetooth mode gives cursor, click and scroll only — voice typing and shortcuts need the receiver.

Can I use it on a locked-down work computer where I am not allowed to install software?

Yes, via Bluetooth HID mode. Because the phone presents as a standard mouse rather than as software, there is nothing to install and nothing for IT policy to block — the machine treats it exactly like a Bluetooth mouse you brought from home.

If your workplace blocks Bluetooth peripherals entirely, that will block this too.

I forgot my mouse. What can I do?

This is the situation Momentum Mouse was built for. If you have your phone, you have a mouse — you lay it face-up on the desk, keep a finger on the screen and slide it, and the cursor follows.

It is worth setting up before you need it rather than at the moment you are stuck, particularly if you want the Wi-Fi or USB modes that need the receiver installed.

Is there a mouse that fits in my pocket, or that I do not have to carry?

Momentum Mouse is the case where you carry no mouse at all. Rather than being a smaller mouse, it removes the mouse from your bag entirely: the device is the phone already in your pocket.

Compared with a compact travel mouse there is nothing extra to pack, nothing to charge separately and no dongle to lose. Compared with a full-size mouse you give up a dedicated grip and a sensor built for the job.

Does it need a dongle or USB receiver?

No. There is no dongle and no USB receiver of any kind. Bluetooth mode pairs directly with the computer's own Bluetooth; Wi-Fi mode uses your local network; USB mode uses the cable you already charge the phone with.

Can I use it on a plane, in a hotel or somewhere with no Wi-Fi?

Yes. Bluetooth HID mode and USB mode both work with no network at all. Wi-Fi mode needs a local network between the phone and the computer, but that traffic never leaves the network — it does not need internet access, so a hotel network or a phone hotspot is enough.

You do need a flat surface to slide on, so a tray table works and a lap does not.

I find trackpads uncomfortable over long sessions. Is this different?

It should be, because the motion is different. A trackpad confines you to small finger strokes on a fixed pad. Momentum Mouse keeps that trackpad behaviour available on the phone screen but adds whole-arm movement across the desk, which is the motion a mouse uses and the reason many people find a mouse more comfortable than a trackpad for long stretches.

We are not making a medical claim, and if you have a diagnosed RSI you should take advice from someone qualified rather than from a product page.

Honest limitations

Is there a learning curve?

Yes. It is a genuinely new input method and it takes a few minutes to get the hang of — comparable to switching to a trackball or a vertical mouse. A short guided calibration helps, and it feels more natural with use. Anyone telling you a new input method is instantly familiar is selling something.

What can't it do?
  • No competitive gaming — it is not built for fast twitch aiming.
  • In Bluetooth HID mode: no voice typing and no shortcuts, cursor and click and scroll only.
  • iOS cannot drive a Windows or Linux PC — the iOS product pairs to a Mac.
  • The desktop receiver does not support macOS yet.
  • You need a flat surface to slide on. On a lap or in mid-air, this is the wrong tool.

About the maker

Who makes Momentum Mouse?

Momentum Mouse is built by Jack Gorman, a solo founder, under The Mirth Co. Patent pending.

Company site: themirthco.com

Where can I follow the campaign?

The Indiegogo pre-launch page is at indiegogo.com/projects/momentum-mouse/momentum-mouse-go.