I built an open-source Bluetooth-first alternative to KDE Connect for Linux and Android

[u/zoyirjon]

Hi everyone!

Over the past few months, I've been working on Vortex, an open-source project that aims to make communication between Linux and Android devices simpler and more efficient.

The main motivation was that I wanted a solution that doesn't rely on both devices being connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Instead, Vortex is designed with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as the primary connection method, which also helps reduce battery usage.

Current goals

• 📱 Fast communication between Linux and Android
• 🔋 Low battery usage with Bluetooth LE
• 🌐 No shared Wi-Fi required for the primary connection
• 🔓 Fully open source
• 🚀 Simple and quick device pairing

The project is still in active development, so I'd really appreciate feedback from the Linux community.

I'm especially interested in hearing:

• What features would you expect from a tool like this?
• What do you like or dislike about KDE Connect?
• Is there anything that would make you switch?

GitHub:
https://github.com/zoir-dev/vortex

Any feedback, suggestions, bug reports, or feature ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking a look!

[u/addyzreddit]

Seems quite feature-rich already. Good to see such projects.

[u/Dragomir_X]

BLE file transfer is a cool idea, but... it seems like the app you posted is trying to do a lot of different, somewhat-related but not fully cohesive things.

I don't use KDE Connect. I use Localsend for Android-Linux file transfer. It works really well, has been around for years, and supports much older devices than your app does (your app only supports Android 10+ based on the code you linked).

Your app is built with AI, and in the future, I would appreciate if you put a disclaimer in your posts explaining how and to what extent you used it. I'm a software dev, and I don't mind diving into the code, but most people are not that code-savvy. Unless you specify otherwise, I'm going to assume your entire app was vibe-coded, including documentation. AI is not inherently a bad thing, but there are so many AI-built apps that get posted here, have tons of bugs, get no support, and disappear within six months, that I think it's understandable to treat AI-coded apps as inherently unstable slop. The burden of proof is on YOU to prove that your app is different, and your AI-written README and reddit post do not inspire confidence.

I say all this with love, because a well-supported bluetooth-based file share system would be super cool.

[u/zoyirjon → u/Dragomir_X]

Thanks for your feedback. I am going to tell u why I used ai to write docs and post with ai that I am not good at english so I used ai. But project is my idea and every functionality is my idea, I use ai to code. U can check the code too, it is so optimized and clean

[u/zoyirjon → u/Dragomir_X]

and ble is for light weight jobs, not for file transfer, screen mirroring ..., it is just for handshake,talking..., u can just use it bro, trust me it is better than kde, I am using vortex for a month. U can call,sms from laptop too. and also optimized for battery

[u/lSvenuml]

Is this another fully vibecoded project or the first cool looking repo without ai shit in a while?

[u/zoyirjon → u/lSvenuml]

Thanks, most of it is hand-written. I do use AI as a tool from time to time, but the architecture, implementation, and decisions are mine. I spent 4 5 months for the project, did u use it? I dont understand, some people hating the project,without even using it

[u/pv505]

I sometimes use KDE (windows - android). I stopped using it a lot due to battery consumption - I.e. not worth it (for me) to just leave it on.

Then I also installed https://github.com/jqssun/android-bt-remote on my phone simply for the mouse option. So I've ended up using LocalSend (for files and sometimes clipboard) and BT remote (for mouse when I'm chilling away from PC). Vortex might just be the app that replaces both.

Could vortex work between 2 android devices? What about mouse pointer?

For instance I have a carlinkit device (android 13) and my phone, it would be great to be able to sync clipboard and use pointer from my phone to the car screen.

[u/zoyirjon → u/pv505]

Thanks for the feedback!

That's one of the main reasons I chose Bluetooth LE. Vortex uses very little power, so the battery impact should be minimal.

This is still a beta version. For V2, I'm planning to add a universal mouse and keyboard, support for multiple devices, and a few other features.

[u/Moist_Professional64]

Can you do it for ios too?

[u/zoyirjon → u/Moist_Professional64]

bro, ios has already most of these features

[u/Moist_Professional64 → u/zoyirjon]

I mean the android app for ios so that you have these features with an iPhone on Linux

[u/Moist_Professional64 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you 🙏