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To stream PC games to an Android phone with this setup, run Apollo on your gaming PC and Artemis on your phone. Pair them while both devices are on your home network, then improve the connection by using strong 5 GHz Wi-Fi for the phone and, if practical, Ethernet for the PC.
What Apollo and Artemis do
Apollo is the host software on the gaming PC; Artemis is the Android client that connects to it. The Apollo project describes itself as “a self-hosted desktop stream host for Artemis(Moonlight Noir)” (Apollo project repository).
Apollo also describes a Windows virtual-display feature that can match the resolution and frame rate requested by the client. The display is created for a stream and removed when the app session ends. This can help when the phone’s screen differs from the PC monitor, but the documented behavior applies to Apollo’s Windows virtual-display integration.
Set up the first connection at home
- Install Apollo on the gaming PC and Artemis on the Android phone. Artemis is currently listed by the Apollo project as Android-only, so iPhone users should not assume the client is available for iOS (Apollo project repository).
- Connect both devices to your home network. The Moonlight setup guide recommends pairing locally before configuring streaming over the Internet (Moonlight setup guide).
- Find or add the PC in Artemis, then complete pairing with the PIN. Follow the client’s pairing prompt to link the phone and host.
- Check permissions if a game or input does not work. Apollo says newly paired clients may initially have limited permissions. In Apollo’s client-permission settings, check that the paired phone is allowed to launch apps and send mouse or keyboard input when those functions are needed (Apollo project repository).
Improve the home-network connection
For local play, Moonlight recommends a strong 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection for the phone and a good connection between the PC and router; Ethernet for the PC is strongly recommended. These are setup recommendations, not measured guarantees of latency, image quality, or a particular frame rate (Moonlight setup guide).
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- Use 5 GHz Wi-Fi for the phone when available and the signal is strong where you play.
- Connect the gaming PC to the router by Ethernet if practical.
- Get local pairing and streaming working before changing the setup for Internet access.
Choose how to control games
Touchscreen controls
Touch controls are an option when you want to play without carrying extra hardware. Their suitability depends on the game: titles designed around a controller or keyboard and mouse may be less comfortable to operate on a touchscreen.
Android game controller
A compatible Android gamepad can provide physical buttons and sticks for games that benefit from them. Moonlight’s Android setup guide documents standard Android button mapping and support for some popular controllers, while noting that latency or disconnection problems can vary by controller and device. The guide was last edited in 2015, so confirm that a particular controller works with your phone rather than treating general support as a compatibility guarantee (Moonlight Android setup guide).
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Use Apollo’s virtual display carefully
A virtual display can adapt the stream to the phone’s requested resolution and frame rate without relying on the PC monitor’s display mode. Apollo describes this as a Windows feature that exists for the stream session and is removed when that session ends (Apollo project repository).
If troubleshooting display problems, avoid adding multiple virtual-display solutions at once. Apollo’s documentation warns that overlapping drivers can make setup issues harder to diagnose. Its published requirements table is explicitly a work in progress and cautions readers not to buy hardware based on it, so it should not be treated as firm purchasing guidance (Apollo project repository).
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