Live interviews
Phone view: your phone as a remote
Pair your phone with the HintCall desktop app by QR code, read each answer in large text, and start, answer, shorten or redo answers from the phone.
Checked against HintCall desktop 0.2.0 and the web app on 8 November 2026
What Phone view does
The desktop app still listens to the interview and writes the answers. Your phone becomes its remote and a second, bigger screen for the answer.
- Nothing to install on the phone. It is a web page, hintcall.com/app/companion, in the phone's normal browser. You do not sign in on the phone.
- Any network. It works over the internet, so the phone does not need to be on the same Wi-Fi as your laptop. Mobile data works.
- One phone at a time. Each pairing is for one phone.
Want the overview first? See Phone view features.
What you need
| Item | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Phone | Any iPhone or Android phone. A camera for the QR code helps; without one, type the code instead. |
| Browser on the phone | The normal browser, such as Safari or Chrome. |
| Laptop | The HintCall desktop app on Mac or Windows, signed in. See Install the desktop app. |
| Desktop version | Pairing and the Start, Answer, Capture screen, Stop and End buttons work with every version. Confirming details on the phone, Key points, text size, Shorter, Another example, Regenerate, Type a question and Earlier answers need HintCall 0.2 and later. Check your version under ⋯ → Preferences → Help → About. |
| Network | Internet on both devices. They do not need to share a network. |
| Work, school or guest Wi-Fi | Some networks block live connections. If the phone cannot connect or keeps dropping, switch the phone to mobile data. |
| Phone screen | Keep the page open. On most phones it keeps the screen awake while connected. The page follows your phone's light or dark setting. |
Connect your phone
It takes under a minute. You can do it before the interview or while a session is running.
-
Open Phone view on your laptop
On the HintCall toolbar, open ⋯ (or press ⌘/CtrlK), choose Phone view, then click Connect a phone.
-
Scan the QR code with your phone
Point the phone's camera at the QR code and open the link. No camera? Open hintcall.com/app/companion on the phone, type the 10-character code shown next to the QR code (letters and numbers, like
ABCDE-12345) and tap Connect.The code works once and expires after 5 minutes. A timer next to it shows the time left.
⋯ → Phone view → Connect a phone. Scan the QR code, or type the code on the phone. No camera? Type the code at hintcall.com/app/companion. -
Choose what to do with the laptop window
The laptop shows Your phone is connected. Click Hide the app on this laptop to use only your phone, or Keep it visible to use both. A phone icon shows on the toolbar while the phone is connected; click it to see the status or disconnect.
Hide the app on this laptop, or keep it visible.
During the interview
Use the phone like the buttons in the app. Each tap runs the same action on your laptop.
| On your phone | What it does |
|---|---|
| Start session | Starts the interview session on your laptop, the same as starting it in the app. |
| Interviewer | A live line with what the interviewer is saying right now, above your buttons. |
| Answer | Asks for an answer to the question you just heard. It appears on the phone as it is written. |
| Capture screen | Captures your laptop screen, for a coding problem or written question, and answers what is on it. |
| Stop | Shows while an answer is being written. Tap it to stop that answer. |
| End session | Ends the interview on your laptop. Phone view ends with it. |
| Jump to latest | Scrolled up to reread? One tap takes you back to the newest answer. |
| Disconnect phone | Disconnects only the phone. The interview keeps running on your laptop. |
-
Start and confirm your details
Tap Start session when your interview begins. In HintCall 0.2 and later, the phone then shows Check your interview details: the Call prep details the AI will use. If they are right, tap the green Details are correct, Start button; you do not need to touch the laptop. To change a detail, use Call prep on the laptop.
Check the details, then tap Details are correct, Start. -
Listen and answer
The Interviewer line shows their words as they speak. When they finish a question, tap Answer. For a question on the laptop screen, tap Capture screen.
If something needs you at the laptop first, the phone says so, for example Add your résumé on your laptop to start. or You're out of credits. Add credits on your laptop. Do that on the laptop, then carry on from the phone. With older desktop versions the phone also asks you to confirm the interview details on the laptop.
Read and change the answer
These controls show on the phone with the answer, in HintCall 0.2 and later. With older versions the phone shows the answer and the buttons above, but not these.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Key points / Full answer | Key points shows one short line per part of the answer, for a quick glance. Full answer shows all of it. The phone remembers your choice. |
| − and + | Makes the answer text smaller or bigger. The phone remembers the size. |
| Shorter | A shorter version of the last answer. |
| Another example | A different take on the same question, such as another example or another solution. |
| Regenerate | Answers the same question again. |
| Type a question | Type a question you got in the chat or by email, up to 500 characters. The answer appears on the phone. |
| Earlier answers | The answers from this interview, kept on this phone only while the page is open. |
Shorter, Another example and Regenerate show under an answer once it is finished.
End the session
Tap End session. The interview ends on your laptop and Phone view ends with it. The phone shows Session ended. To connect again, show a new QR code on the laptop.
Privacy and security
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can someone else join? | No. Each code works once, so only one phone can join a pairing. A code that is not used expires after 5 minutes. |
| Is it encrypted? | Yes. Messages between your laptop and your phone are encrypted with a key made from the one-time code. HintCall's servers only pass the encrypted data along. |
| Is anything stored? | Phone view does not save questions or answers on a server. Earlier answers live only in the phone's open page and are gone when you close it. Your normal interview history works the same as without the phone. |
Troubleshooting
On the phone
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Laptop not responding | The phone has not heard from the laptop for about 2 minutes. Check that the HintCall app is still open and the laptop is awake. Shown in HintCall 0.2 and later. |
| Reconnecting to your laptop… your tap will go through | The phone lost the connection for a moment. A tap made now is sent when it is back, if that takes no more than about 10 seconds. Otherwise tap again. |
| You're out of credits. Add credits on your laptop. | Add credits from ⋯ → Credits and plan on the laptop, then tap Start session again. |
On the laptop
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| The code expired before it was used. Show a new one to try again. | Open ⋯ → Phone view and click Connect a phone again for a new code. |
| Phone not responding. Is its screen on? | The laptop has not heard from the phone for about 45 seconds. Wake the phone and keep the page open. |
| Phone disconnected because the interview ended. | Normal. Phone view ends with the interview. Connect again for the next one. |
| Phone view ended after 15 minutes without activity. | The laptop was asleep or the app was not responding for 15 minutes. Connect again. |
| Phone disconnected because you signed out. | Sign in to the desktop app again, then connect again. |
| Disconnected from the phone. | The phone left the page or tapped Disconnect phone. Connect again if you still need it. |
Other problems? See Troubleshooting.
Still stuck?
Open a ticket from Support in the web app, or email us. Tell us what you tried, which guide you were on, and whether you use a Mac or Windows. We usually reply within one working day.