Use an iPhone and Android in the Same Teleprompter Session

The problem with matching-hardware assumptions

A two-person shoot is usually one person on camera and one running things. There is no reason those two people own the same brand of phone, and quite often they do not. The same applies to a presenter reading from an iPad while a producer holds an Android, or a Mac driving a session with a phone as the remote.

Voice Sync AI's sessions work across every platform it ships on — iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android — in any combination. An iPhone can host while an Android joins, or the reverse. There is no primary platform and no reduced role for the odd device out.

The three roles

Every device in a session takes one of three roles, and the useful mental model is that they are about what the device does, not what kind of device it is:

Host. Owns the script and the session. Voice tracking runs here, so this is normally the device nearest the person speaking.
Prompt display. A clean full-screen view of the script, following the host. This is the screen the presenter actually reads, often on a rig or a second phone closer to the lens.
Controller. A remote. Pause, resume, jump, adjust — without touching the reading screen. This is the producer's device.

Any platform can take any role. The producer's Android is a perfectly good controller for a session hosted on an iPhone.

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Setting it up

Put every device on the same wifi. This is the only real requirement. The network does not need to reach the internet — a venue router with a dead uplink is fine — but the devices do need to see each other.
Start the session on whichever device will host. Normally the one closest to the speaker, since that is where voice tracking runs.
Join from the others and pick a role. Prompt display for anything the presenter reads, controller for anything the crew holds.
Add as many screens as the shoot needs. There is no two-device ceiling.

Setups this actually enables

Presenter and producer, mixed phones. The most common case, and the one that matching-hardware apps cannot do at all.
Two-camera interview. A prompt display near each lens so the subject reads correctly whichever camera is live.
Mac hosting, phone prompting. Script editing on a real keyboard, reading from a phone on the rig.
Presenter with a silent remote. You read; someone off-camera holds the pause button. No reaching for your own screen mid-take.
Rehearsal with a director. They follow along on their own device and stop you where it needs work.

What is free and what is not

Straight answer, because it is the question that follows: Voice Sync AI is free to download and use with no account, and every feature is free to try except multi-device remote control, which is the paid upgrade. Language packs are all free. Single-device prompting — voice scrolling, mirror mode, camera, offline languages — costs nothing and needs no sign-up.

A free account exists but it is only for syncing scripts between your own devices. You do not need one to use the app.

Practical notes from real shoots

Host on the device nearest the speaker. Voice tracking is only as good as the microphone hearing you.
Mirror mode belongs on the prompt display, not the host. Set it on the screen behind the glass. There is more in the rundown of mirror mode and rig setups.
Check battery before the take, not during. Three screens is three batteries, and the prompt display is usually at full brightness.
Venue wifi with a captive portal is the usual failure. If devices cannot see each other, that login page is why. A phone hotspot with no internet works fine as a substitute.

Frequently asked questions

Can an iPhone and an Android phone work together in the same teleprompter session?

Yes. Voice Sync AI sessions work across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android in any combination. An iPhone can host the session while an Android joins as a full-screen prompt display or as a remote controller, and the reverse works too. All devices connect over the same wifi, and you can add as many screens as the shoot needs.

Do the devices need an internet connection?

They need to be on the same local network, but that network does not have to reach the internet. A venue router with a dead uplink works, and so does a phone hotspot with no data. Single-device prompting needs no network at all and works in airplane mode.

What are the three device roles?

Host owns the script and runs voice tracking, so it should be the device nearest the speaker. Prompt display shows a clean full-screen script following the host, and is what the presenter reads. Controller acts as a remote for pausing, resuming and jumping. Any platform can take any role.

Is multi-device free?

Voice Sync AI is free to download and use with no account, and every feature is free to try except multi-device remote control, which is the paid upgrade. All language packs are free. Single-device voice scrolling, mirror mode, camera tools and offline languages cost nothing.

How many devices can join one session?

There is no two-device limit. Add as many prompt displays and controllers as the shoot needs, on any mix of platforms.

Why can my devices not find each other?

Almost always a captive portal: venue wifi that requires a login page before it will pass local traffic. Sign in on every device, or use a phone hotspot instead, which works even with no internet on it.

Use an iPhone and an Android in the Same Teleprompter Session