How to Use the SSH Terminal on iPhone: Keys, Gestures, Themes and Settings

TL;DR

The terminal is free. It adds an on-screen key row (Ctrl, Tab, Esc, arrows and more, which you can reorder), touch gestures, themes (including imports from iTerm2 and Windows Terminal), font and cursor options, and keeps long-running sessions alive.

The problem

A phone keyboard has no Ctrl, Esc, Tab or arrow keys, which are the keys a terminal lives on. Without them you can’t interrupt a command, complete a path, page through history or leave vim. On top of that, text is small, colours may be unreadable and every mistyped character is hard to fix. Many phone terminals feel like a compromise.

What ServerPanel gives you

  • A real terminal (xterm-style emulation), not a text box.
  • An on-screen key row above the keyboard with the keys iOS lacks (Ctrl, Esc, Tab, arrows and more). You can customise and reorder the keys.
  • Touch gestures to move around and select; pinch to zoom the text if you turn it on.
  • Long-press selection by line or by text.
  • Themes and fonts: pick a built-in theme, change font and size, choose cursor style and blinking, and import colour schemes from iTerm2 or Windows Terminal via clipboard, file or QR code.
  • Scrollback you can set, 5,000 lines by default.
  • Keyboard options: Option as Meta for Emacs and shell shortcuts, and a Space Bar Cursor option so you can slide your finger across the space bar to move the cursor.
  • Prevent sleeping while a session is open.

Getting started

  1. Open a server and tap the terminal icon.
  2. Use the key row for Ctrl-C, Tab completion and arrows.
  3. Open Settings to set the font, theme and cursor to taste.
  4. Want to keep the session alive on a bad connection? See staying connected.

Tips for working on a phone

  • Use tmux for anything long-running, so a dropped connection doesn’t kill it. ServerPanel has a tmux switcher.
  • Type long commands in the compose bar rather than directly. It has autocomplete and a safety check. See compose bar.
  • Save repeated commands as snippets.
  • Pick a theme with strong contrast if you use the phone outdoors.

FAQ

Is the terminal free? Yes, the full terminal is included on the free plan.

Can I use my iTerm2 colour scheme? Yes. You can import a theme from the clipboard, a file or a QR code. iTerm2 (.itermcolors) and Windows Terminal/xterm formats are supported.

What does “Option as Meta” do? It sends Option-key combinations as Esc-prefixed sequences, for Emacs and shell keybindings.

How do I move the cursor with the space bar? Turn on Space Bar Cursor in the keyboard settings, then long-press the space bar and slide.

The app ServerPanel →