The XDA piece on the self-hosted e-ink dashboard designer for ESP32 and Raspberry Pi projects landed at a good moment. Smart mirror and homelab dashboard builds are seeing a small revival, driven partly by the falling price of tiny e-ink displays and partly by MagicMirror hitting its tenth year with a healthy module ecosystem. The build itself (framed glass, one-way film, a display, a Pi) has not changed much. The apps you run on your phone to control it, though, have gotten a lot better.
Here are the seven best Android apps to pair with a DIY smart mirror or e-ink dashboard in 2026, tested against a MagicMirror running on a Pi 4 and a homebuilt ESP32 e-ink dashboard.
What to look for in a DIY smart mirror companion app
Six criteria that matter once the hardware is done:
- Runs a MagicMirror-compatible remote. Turning modules on and off, restarting the display, and rebooting the Pi from your phone.
- Home Assistant integration. Most dashboards eventually plug into a Home Assistant server; the phone app is where you manage it.
- Kiosk-mode display. If your dashboard is running on an old Android tablet instead of a Pi, you want lockdown.
- MQTT support. The dashboard, the phone, and the sensors all talk MQTT eventually.
- Node-RED editing on the phone. Fixing a broken flow at 11 p.m. from bed is a real use case.
- Third-party display integration. AWTRIX pixel clocks, e-ink price tags, and other add-ons that show up in the same house.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic Mirror | Direct control of a MagicMirror install | Android | Fully free | Free | 4.4 on Aptoide |
| MMM-Remote-Control Companion | Toggling modules on the go | Android, web | Fully free | Free | 4.3 on Aptoide |
| Home Assistant Companion | Turning your dashboard into a Home Assistant entity | Android | Fully free | Free (Nabu Casa optional) | 4.5 on Aptoide |
| Fully Kiosk Browser | Running the dashboard on an old tablet in kiosk mode | Android | Fully free | €7.90 for Plus | 4.6 on Aptoide |
| Node-RED Mobile | Editing dashboard automations from your phone | Android | Fully free | Free | 4.2 on Aptoide |
| MQTT Dash | Building a manual MQTT control panel | Android | Fully free with limits | $3.99 for Pro | 4.5 on Aptoide |
| AWTRIX 3 Companion | Configuring pixel-clock displays that live near the mirror | Android | Fully free | Free | 4.3 on Aptoide |
The apps
1. Magic Mirror (Android app) — Best direct MagicMirror remote
Magic Mirror by Sensory Guru is the Android app that talks directly to a running MagicMirror instance. Add the mirror by IP, and you can restart the display, refresh modules, view logs, and see current CPU and memory usage on the Pi. The app is a straight companion to the open-source MagicMirror project.
Where it falls short: Assumes MagicMirror is on the same LAN. VPN reachability works but takes setup. UI is functional rather than polished.
Pricing:
- Free: full app
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Install this the moment MagicMirror is running on your Pi. It removes the need to SSH in for every small change.
2. MMM-Remote-Control Companion — Best for module toggling on the go
MMM-Remote-Control Companion wraps the popular MMM-Remote-Control module in an Android UI. Toggle individual modules on and off from your lock screen, schedule wake and sleep, and push messages to the alert module. It is the app you actually reach for at breakfast when the weather module has gotten stuck on yesterday’s forecast.
Where it falls short: Requires you to install MMM-Remote-Control on the mirror side first. Push notifications from the mirror to your phone are best-effort.
Pricing:
- Free: full app
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android, web.
Download: Aptoide · Sideload the APK from the module maintainer’s GitHub if not on Aptoide.
Bottom line: Pair this with the MMM-Remote-Control module for the smoothest daily remote experience.
3. Home Assistant Companion — Best for tying the mirror into your smart home
Home Assistant Companion is the official Nabu Casa app. Once your MagicMirror or ESP32 dashboard is a Home Assistant entity (a sensor, a media player, or an entire dashboard route), this app becomes the control point. You can present the mirror as a device that turns on when someone walks up, and use the phone’s location as a trigger.
Where it falls short: You need Home Assistant running somewhere already. Setup is involved. Not the pick if the mirror is a standalone project.
Pricing:
- Free: full app
- Paid: Nabu Casa Cloud subscription optional for remote access
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Install this if the smart mirror is part of a broader Home Assistant setup rather than a standalone project.
4. Fully Kiosk Browser — Best if the dashboard runs on an old tablet
Fully Kiosk Browser turns any Android tablet into a permanent wall display. If your smart mirror or dashboard is a spare Fire tablet mounted behind glass rather than a Pi, this is the app that keeps the browser locked on your dashboard URL, handles motion-triggered wake, and exposes MQTT and REST APIs so Home Assistant can read the tablet’s own sensors.
Where it falls short: The Plus licence is where MQTT and full API live; the free tier hides them behind a small watermark. Not needed if the mirror runs a Pi instead of a tablet.
Pricing:
- Free: full kiosk mode
- Paid: Plus licence around €7.90 per device, one-time
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Fully Kiosk Browser if the dashboard runs on Android rather than a Pi. Different problem, but this is the answer.
5. Node-RED Mobile — Best for on-the-go automation editing
Node-RED Mobile is a wrapper around your Node-RED web editor with authentication and a native Android shell. When a flow that reads a sensor and pushes it to the mirror breaks at midnight, opening this app is faster than SSHing in.
Where it falls short: Editing flows on a phone screen is genuinely awkward for anything complex. Meant for tweaks, not initial builds. Requires your Node-RED instance to be reachable.
Pricing:
- Free: full app
- Paid: none
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Search “Node-RED” on the Play Store for the current community wrapper.
Bottom line: Install this if Node-RED is part of your dashboard stack. Skip it if you use pure MagicMirror modules.
6. MQTT Dash — Best for a manual MQTT control panel
MQTT Dash by Routit lets you build a custom control panel of switches, sliders, and gauges that talk directly to any MQTT broker. Useful when your DIY dashboard has custom sensors (a Pi-based air quality monitor, an ESP32 humidity probe) that do not have their own app.
Where it falls short: Requires you to set up the topics manually. No auto-discovery. The free tier caps the number of topics.
Pricing:
- Free: full app with topic cap
- Paid: Pro around $3.99, one-time
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Install this when the DIY dashboard is really a mesh of custom MQTT sensors and you want a phone-side view.
7. AWTRIX 3 Companion — Best for the pixel-clock next to the mirror
AWTRIX 3 Companion is the Android app for AWTRIX pixel clocks, the 32x8 LED matrix displays that sit next to a lot of smart mirror builds. Configure the always-on notification apps (weather, next calendar event, message count), send custom text, and toggle brightness on a schedule. AWTRIX 3 is the current major version.
Where it falls short: Only useful if you have an AWTRIX display. Setup docs assume some ESP32 comfort.
Pricing:
- Free: full app
- Paid: none (buy the AWTRIX hardware separately)
Platforms: Android.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Install this if the mirror project grew into a full ambient information wall with AWTRIX along for the ride.
How to pick the right one
- If MagicMirror is your dashboard: Magic Mirror app + MMM-Remote-Control Companion. Two apps, done.
- If Home Assistant is the hub: Home Assistant Companion is table-stakes.
- If the display is an old tablet, not a Pi: Fully Kiosk Browser.
- If Node-RED runs your flows: Node-RED Mobile.
- If the build includes custom MQTT sensors: MQTT Dash for the phone-side view.
- If AWTRIX joins the setup: AWTRIX 3 Companion.
FAQ
Do I need a phone app to run a DIY smart mirror?
Not strictly. MagicMirror runs headless. A companion app is the difference between “SSH in every time something breaks” and “swipe on my phone.”
Can I run MagicMirror on an Android tablet instead of a Pi?
Yes. Fully Kiosk Browser plus the MagicMirror server running on a Pi or another host works well. Some newer forks run MagicMirror-like dashboards directly on Android; support is patchy.
Is Home Assistant required for a smart mirror?
No. A pure MagicMirror install can pull weather, calendar, and news modules directly. Home Assistant becomes worth it when the mirror is one of several devices in a broader smart home.
What is the difference between MagicMirror and a general dashboard tool?
MagicMirror is built for the smart mirror form factor: dark background, monospace layout, no interaction assumed. General dashboard tools (Home Assistant Lovelace, Grafana, custom Node-RED UIs) assume touch interaction. Both are fine.
Can I control multiple smart mirrors from one phone?
Yes. Both the Magic Mirror app and MMM-Remote-Control Companion support multiple mirror endpoints. Home Assistant Companion handles many entities natively.
