# Momentum Mouse — Frequently Asked Questions

> Plain-text mirror of https://momentummouse.com/faq.html — same content, no markup.
> Momentum Mouse turns an Android phone into a real computer mouse. It reads 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.
> In Bluetooth HID mode it needs no software installed on the computer at all.

Status: pre-launch. Indiegogo campaign launches 22 September 2026.
Last updated: 2026-09-01

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## 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. 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 not a trackpad app that
merely emulates a mouse. A voice keyboard and one-tap keyboard shortcuts are built in.

## How does Momentum Mouse actually work?

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 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 without
moving anything on screen.

## Is Momentum Mouse just a virtual trackpad app?

It is more than one. The screen genuinely does work as a trackpad, but that is only half
of what is happening. Most phone-as-mouse apps use a single input: the screen as a
virtual trackpad, so you stroke the glass and the cursor moves like a laptop touchpad,
and your phone becomes 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. You get the reach and physical feel of real mouse movement with
trackpad precision available inside the same gesture, which a single-input app cannot
reproduce.

## 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 touch the screen while
sliding it, so the screen must be accessible.

## How do I click, right-click and scroll with Momentum Mouse?

Touch gestures on the phone's screen handle click, right-click and scroll while the
phone is acting as the mouse. The surface you are already touching is the button.

## Do I need extra hardware to use Momentum Mouse?

No extra hardware. You need the phone you already own and a computer. Momentum Mouse
uses motion sensors already built into the phone — nothing to buy, nothing to carry, and
no dongle to lose. Depending on the transport you may run a free receiver application on
your computer.

## How do the phone and computer connect?

Three transports. Wi-Fi (primary) and USB both use the PC receiver and give the full
feature set: cursor, click, scroll, voice typing and shortcuts. Bluetooth HID needs no
PC receiver at all and gives cursor, click and scroll only, because voice typing and
shortcuts require the receiver.

## Can Momentum Mouse work with no software installed on my computer?

Yes. In Bluetooth HID mode the phone registers with the 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 Momentum Mouse?

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

## Does Momentum Mouse need an internet connection?

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

## Which phones does Momentum Mouse work on?

Android, version 11 or newer.

## Is there an iPhone version of Momentum Mouse?

iOS is in development and is 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. To drive a Windows or Linux machine you need the Android app.

## Which computers does Momentum Mouse work with?

The desktop receiver supports Windows and Linux today, with macOS 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.

## What is Momentum Mouse voice typing?

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. 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 fired 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 Momentum Mouse 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. Fast twitch aiming is outside what it is for.

## Will sliding my phone scratch it?

You are sliding the phone on its back across a desk, 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 Momentum Mouse 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. The
core product does not depend on it — the app works using the phone's existing sensors.

## How is Momentum Mouse different from other phone-as-mouse apps?

Almost every other app in this category uses one input: the phone screen as a virtual
trackpad you stroke, making your phone a smaller version of the touchpad you already
have. Momentum Mouse uses two inputs simultaneously — the screen as a trackpad under
your finger, and the physical motion of the phone across the desk. The two combine to
drive the cursor, so you get real mouse reach and feel plus trackpad precision in one
gesture. Lifting your finger re-centres it the way lifting a real mouse does, and in
Bluetooth HID mode it presents as a genuine mouse device needing no software on the
host.

## Why use Momentum Mouse instead of buying a mouse?

Because you always have your phone and you do not always have your mouse. The case for
Momentum Mouse is the moment a mouse is missing, impractical or one object too many:
working away from 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 sit at a
permanent desk with a good mouse already on it, a dedicated mouse is a fine tool. The
value is in not needing to carry a second object.

## Why use Momentum Mouse instead of a laptop trackpad?

Because a trackpad gives you one input and Momentum Mouse gives you two. A trackpad asks
your fingers to make small strokes on a fixed surface. Momentum Mouse keeps that
trackpad behaviour on the phone screen and adds whole-hand motion across the desk on top
of it, which is the motion a mouse uses. People who find trackpads uncomfortable or
imprecise over long sessions are the clearest fit.

## What data leaves my devices when using Momentum Mouse?

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 Momentum Mouse 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: the website does load Cloudflare Web Analytics, which is
cookieless. The app has nothing of the sort.

## Does Momentum Mouse collect my location?

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

## Does Momentum Mouse need camera permission for 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.

## Can I download Momentum Mouse 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 Momentum Mouse launch?

The Indiegogo campaign launches on 22 September 2026.

## How much does Momentum Mouse cost?

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

## Is Momentum Mouse a one-time purchase or a subscription?

Both, depending on when you buy. 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 tied to the
campaign window rather than being a permanent tier that is merely discounted now.

## Is there a free trial of Momentum Mouse?

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

## Is there a learning curve to Momentum Mouse?

Yes. It is a genuinely new input method and 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.

## What can't Momentum Mouse do?

No competitive gaming, as it is not built for fast twitch aiming. In Bluetooth HID mode
there is no voice typing and no shortcuts, only cursor, click and scroll. iOS cannot
drive a Windows or Linux PC because the iOS product pairs to a Mac. The desktop receiver
does not support macOS yet. You need a flat surface to slide on, so a lap or mid-air is
the wrong context.

## Who makes Momentum Mouse?

Momentum Mouse is built by Jack Gorman, a solo founder, under The Mirth Co. Patent
pending. Company site: themirthco.com

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

Yes, and it is the one thing most apps in this category cannot do. In Bluetooth HID mode
the phone pairs as an ordinary Bluetooth mouse, so the computer sees a standard mouse
device with no driver, no server application and no install — just normal Bluetooth
pairing. The widely used alternatives work differently: Remote Mouse, Unified Remote and
WiFi Mouse each require a server application installed on the PC first. 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. The phone presents as a standard mouse rather than as
software, so 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 blocks 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: 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 for the Wi-Fi or USB modes which 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, and 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 phone and computer but never sends that traffic to the internet,
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 differs. A trackpad confines you to small finger
strokes on a fixed pad. Momentum Mouse keeps 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 over long
stretches. This is not a medical claim; anyone with a diagnosed RSI should take
qualified advice rather than rely on a product page.

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Maker: The Mirth Co. (Jack Gorman, solo founder). Patent pending.
Company: https://themirthco.com
Campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/momentum-mouse/momentum-mouse-go