iPad As A Graphics Tablet For Windows 10

Among other interesting applications for using an Android phone or tablet, one can single out the use of a mobile device as a graphic tablet for drawing on a computer, and this will be discussed in this article. See also: Unusual ways to use Android.

Most interesting of all, such an opportunity looks for Samsung Galaxy Note phones and other devices with support for a pressure sensitive pen. But, if you wish, you can take advantage of such opportunities on other Android devices: the only thing is, the accuracy of drawing on a regular touch screen will not be too good.

Galaxy Note 9, Note 8 and other devices with S-Pen as a graphic tablet

The most interesting in the context of this topic are Galaxy Note smartphones and Samsung tablets, supporting the S-Pen, pressure-sensitive and equipped with a Wacom digitizer. We can take advantage of all these advantages and turn a mobile device into an almost full-fledged graphic tablet:

  1. On your phone or tablet, download the VirtualTablet Lite (S-Pen) application, available for free on the Play Store: https://play.Google.com/store/apps/details?Id=com.Sunnysidesoft.Virtualtablet.Lite (there is also a paid one version without ads).
  2. Download and install VirtualTablet Server on your computer, available at http://www.Sunnysidesoft.com/virtualtablet/download/
  3. Launch VirtualTablet Server on the computer after installation. If you plan to connect via Bluetooth, then when prompted by the program, allow the search, in my example I connect via Wi-Fi (the computer and the smartphone must be connected to the same network). Wait until Ready appears in the Status field of the program. Note that it should not be blocked by a firewall.
    iPad As A Graphics Tablet For Windows 10
  4. After starting the server, launch the VirtualTablet application on your phone or tablet, and then select the type of connection: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB (for the last item you will need to enable USB debugging on Android).
  5. When using a Wi-Fi connection, if both devices are connected to the same network, you will see a list of servers in the application (or you can manually enter the IP address). Select the desired server and click the “Connect” button in the application.

Done, the virtual graphics tablet is running on your mobile device and can be used in graphics programs.

For example, to draw in Photoshop, using all the additional brush functions, and if Windows 10 is installed on your computer, the Windows Ink Workspace functions will become available (the icon usually appears automatically in the notification area), it will also be convenient to use the free Microsoft Fresh Paint application (available in Windows Store 10).

If necessary, in the VirtualTablet Server program on the computer, you can change the sensitivity of pressing and moving the pen. Also, pay attention to the following moment: if more than one monitor is used on your computer, the graphic tablet will work only for that monitor, which is located under number 1 in Windows.

Android tablet without pen

If your Android device does not support input using a pen, you still have the opportunity to use it to draw on your computer, but with your finger. Unfortunately, in this case the accuracy will be insufficient, and the pen may “jump”, which is due to the way capacitive touch screens work.

You can implement this using the VirtualTablet application already described above, but you will need to go to the application settings on the phone and set “Finger Touch / Capacitive stylus” in the “Input Mode” item.

I recommend using this particular application, but there are other similar utilities in the Play Store:

  • Graphics Tablet. Supports the same features as VirtualTablet (input with a pen and finger, pressing force) and also requires installing the driver on the computer. Wi-Fi connection only. That’s just the driver I could not find, but there is no information about it on the official page.
  • Wifi Drawing Tablet. Without the support of a pen and pressing force, a kind of mouse emulator using a phone or tablet. The link to the server application for the computer is in the description of the application in the Play Store.
  • Tablet stylus. Paid, did not test, but the on the official page is very similar to the previous version, except that it supports USB connection. A link to the server application is at the end of the application description in the Play Store.