Pairing and trust

Pairing turns one phone into a device the host recognizes. The host asks you to confirm the phone before it stores that trust.

The pairing record

During pairing, the phone presents a device identity and a display name. The host keeps a paired-device record with that identity, name, and pairing time. Later connections must prove the same device identity before Pix accepts requests.

QR offer and confirmation

For remote pairing, pix device pair --remote creates a short-lived QR offer through the configured relay. The offer and its typable join code expire after two minutes. Local pairing uses the nearby host discovered on the local network.

After the phone joins the pairing flow, both sides show a six-digit confirmation code. Compare the codes, then approve the request on the host. The host does not persist trust until that approval succeeds.

What survives pairing

An approved device can reconnect later over the local network or the configured relay using its stored identity. The two-minute expiry applies to an in-flight pairing offer, not to an approved device record.

Revocation and re-pairing

Use pix device revoke <device-id> to remove a device's record. Pix closes its live connections and rejects later reconnects for that identity. Pair the phone again to create a new approved record.

Pairing controls access to the Pix host. Workspace authorization still limits which local folders a paired device can use.

For the user flow, see Pair your iPhone. For transport and relay boundaries, see Security and privacy.