How to Use an Android Tablet as a Raspberry Pi Display

What You Need to Use a Tablet Display With Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a great computer, but it’s not always the most convenient device to access. But what if you don’t have a suitable display? How will you use it? One solution is to use an old Android tablet as a Raspberry Pi display.

Are you looking for ways to use your Android device as a display for your Raspberry Pi? it is actually simpler than you would think.

All you need is:

1. A Raspberry Pi 3 or later (older versions will need a wireless networking dongle)
2. Both devices connected to the same network
3. A keyboard and mouse connected to the Raspberry Pi (USB, Bluetooth, or wireless)
4. A tablet stand or suitable case for your Android device to use it as a monitor

This works.

Sadly, directly connecting your tablet display to a Raspberry Pi is not possible. Neither the GPIO nor the DSI port is compatible with tablet displays. This means using an old tablet screen for a Raspberry Pi display is impossible. Even if you manage to connect the devices, there won’t be any pleasing images.

Using an Android Tablet as a Display Screen for A Raspberry Pi

Rather than connect the Raspberry Pi directly to your Android tablet, you can use remote desktop software.

Important: you’ll need to ensure that your Raspberry Pi and the Android tablet are on the same network. Also, this won’t work if you use the Android device as a wireless access point.

You can enable SSH in three ways:

1. Via the command line: use the raspi-config screen and select Interfacing Options > SSH > OK. Reboot when prompted.
2. Via the Raspbian desktop: go to Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration > Interfaces and select SSH. Click OK to confirm.
3. With your Pi-powered down, eject the SD card and open it in your desktop PC’s file browser. In the boot directory, create a new file called “ssh”, with no file extension. Safely remove the card and replace it in your Raspberry Pi. When you power it up, SSH will be enabled.

To use SSH, you’ll need to know the IP address of your Raspberry Pi, which you can find by entering

ifconfig wlan0

Make a note of the IP address, as you’ll need it later.

Connect Android to a Raspberry Pi via RDP

First, let’s try it with RDP. This is the better option, as you can do more with the remote device. Linux has its own RDP software, known as xrdp.

You’ll need:

1. RDP software installed on your Raspberry Pi
2. An RDP app on your Android device

Connect to your Raspberry Pi via SSH then enter the following to update the package list and install xrdp.

1. sudo apt update
2. sudo apt install xrdp

Tap Y when prompted.

Next, find an RDP app for Android. Microsoft Remote Desktop is a good option.

Download: Microsoft Remote Desktop for Android (Free)

To connect to Raspberry Pi over RDP from Android:

1. Launch Microsoft Remote Desktop
2. Tap the + button
3. Select Desktop
4. Input the hostname or IP address of your Raspberry Pi
5. Click Save
6. When you’re ready to start, tap the connection tile
7. Observe the warning that the remote PC cannot be verified, (this is due to your Pi’s Linux OS)
8. Click Connect