The @claudeai post announcing mobile work tools hit 20,000 likes in 24 hours. The Cowork launch post? 139,000 likes. And yet — go search for a tutorial on how to actually use these features on your phone.
You won’t find one. Not a blog post, not a step-by-step guide. Just news articles saying “Anthropic does thing” and YouTube videos that are mostly reaction clips.
So let’s fix that. Here’s exactly what Claude’s mobile work tools can do, how to set them up, and — because nobody else seems to mention this — where they fall short.
What Claude Mobile Work Tools Actually Are
Claude’s mobile app (iOS and Android) can now interact with your work tools directly. Not “AI summarizes a screenshot” — actually connects to your Figma files, your Canva projects, your Amplitude dashboards, and pulls live data into the conversation.
Three features work together:
Work Tools — Figma, Canva, and Amplitude integrations that run inside the Claude mobile app. You type natural language, Claude interacts with the tool, results appear inline in your chat.
Connectors — 38+ third-party app connections (Slack, Asana, Jira, Notion, Google Docs, HubSpot, and more). Set them up on desktop, use them on your phone.
Dispatch — A bridge between your phone and your desktop computer. You send a task from your phone, Claude executes it on your Mac using local files and apps, then sends results back to your phone.
The combination is what makes it interesting. One early user described the experience: “Pull live Amplitude dashboards, edit Figma boards, build Canva decks — from your phone. In one chat thread. You can ask it why sales dropped last week and it pulls the data, finds the root cause, builds a comparison chart, and generates a client-ready presentation.”
That’s not hype. That’s a real workflow someone shared two days ago.
How to Set It Up (5 Minutes)
Step 1: Get the App and Subscription
Download Claude from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android). You need Claude Pro ($20/month) for work tools, connectors, and Dispatch. The free tier is basic chat only.
Step 2: Connect Your Tools (On Desktop First)
Here’s the part that trips people up: you can’t add connectors from your phone. You have to set them up on claude.ai or the Claude desktop app first.
- Go to claude.ai on your computer
- Click Cowork in the left sidebar
- Browse the connector directory (organized by category)
- Click Connect on the tools you use
- Authorize each one (standard OAuth — takes 30 seconds per tool)
Once connected, they’re automatically available on your mobile app. No extra setup.
Step 3: Start Using Them on Mobile
Open Claude on your phone and just… ask for things:
“Summarize my unread Slack messages from the last 12 hours”
“Open my Figma file ‘Homepage Redesign’ and check if the hero section spacing follows our 8px grid”
“Create a 4-slide Canva presentation with this week’s sales numbers”
“What’s our daily active users trend from Amplitude for the past week?”
Claude connects to the tool, pulls the data, and responds. No app switching.
What Each Tool Can Do on Mobile
Figma
You can review designs, check properties (spacing, colors, fonts), and get specific feedback — all through conversation. Say “check if the CTA button uses our brand blue #2563EB” and Claude opens the file and tells you.
Best for: Design review triage on the go. Catch the big issues from your phone, save detailed reviews for desktop.
Can’t do: Make direct edits to Figma files or review interactive prototypes.
Canva
Create presentations from text descriptions. “Create a 5-slide team update with these bullet points” and Claude generates it in Canva. You can modify slides, change colors, and reorder — all through conversation.
Best for: Last-minute presentations before meetings. Internal decks, status updates, quick data summaries.
Known limitation: Multi-page content sometimes doesn’t populate beyond the first page. Workaround: generate 2-3 slides at a time instead of the whole deck at once.
Amplitude (Analytics)
Query your analytics in plain English. Instead of navigating Amplitude’s dashboard UI on a tiny screen, you ask: “What’s our conversion rate this week compared to last week, and where’s the biggest funnel drop-off?”
Claude translates your question into the right data query and returns formatted results.
Best for: Quick metric checks when your manager asks “how are the numbers?” Always ask for comparisons — raw numbers without context are meaningless.
Important: Verify surprising numbers on desktop before sharing with leadership. Data connectors can occasionally produce misleading results from date range mismatches or filter issues.
38+ Other Connectors
Beyond the big three, Claude connects to:
| Category | Tools |
|---|---|
| Communication | Slack |
| Project Management | Jira, Asana, Linear, Monday, ClickUp |
| Documentation | Notion, Google Docs, Box |
| Data | Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks |
| CRM & Sales | HubSpot, Close, Clay, ZoomInfo |
| Productivity | Microsoft 365 |
| Customer Support | Intercom |
The same pattern works for all of them: connect on desktop, use on mobile through conversation.
Dispatch: Your Desktop’s Remote Control
Dispatch is the most powerful mobile feature and the hardest to believe until you try it.
How it works: You type a task on your phone. Claude does it on your computer. You get a push notification when it’s done.
Setup (one time):
- Install the Claude desktop app on your Mac or Windows PC
- Open Cowork → Dispatch → “Get started”
- Toggle file access and keep-awake settings
- Scan QR code with your phone
Real tasks people have Dispatched:
- “Find the three Excel files in Documents/Q1-Reports and combine them into a summary spreadsheet”
- “Run the test suite in my project folder and tell me which tests are failing”
- “Draft responses to my three most recent unread emails — show me the drafts before sending”
- “Build an HTML dashboard from the data in my reports folder”
- “Move all PDFs from Downloads into dated folders in Documents”
One product person described it as “one conversation thread on your phone orchestrating multiple AI agents running competitor research, writing PRDs — all simultaneously.” That’s the vision.
The Honest Truth About Dispatch
It’s in research preview. And it shows.
The good: When it works, it’s genuinely impressive. Texting your computer to build a report while you’re commuting and getting a push notification when it’s done is the kind of thing that feels like the future.
The frustrating: Some users report tasks that start but then “do nothing” — Claude acknowledges the instruction but doesn’t execute. File handoff between sessions can be glitchy. Computer Use (when Claude controls your mouse and keyboard) has noticeable latency — one user called it “slow and the latency stacking feels painful.”
The requirement: Your Mac must stay awake with the Claude app open. If your laptop sleeps, Dispatch stops. Enable the “Keep Awake” toggle in settings. Some people use a menubar utility to keep their Mac running with the lid closed.
The Usage Limit Reality
This is the thing nobody in the launch coverage mentions. And it’s the #1 complaint from actual users.
Claude Pro has weekly usage limits. Work tools and Dispatch burn through them fast — much faster than regular chat. Here’s what real users reported:
- One Pro user lost 50% of their usage in 2 minutes during a Cowork session
- A Max 20 user burned 25% of their weekly limit in 24 hours using Cowork
- Multiple users hit weekly limits “without changing anything” from their normal usage
To be fair, one user reported heavy Pro usage and “haven’t even used 5%” — so enforcement seems inconsistent. But plan for it. If you’re doing serious work through mobile tools, you might need the Max plan ($100-200/month) instead of Pro ($20/month).
Tips to manage limits:
- Batch related requests into single messages (one prompt asking 5 things instead of 5 separate messages)
- Be specific upfront to avoid follow-up messages
- Use Dispatch for heavy processing (runs on your computer, different from chat limits)
What’s Coming: Claude Orbit
There’s a feature called Orbit that’s been spotted in Claude’s code but not officially announced. It would give Claude deeper control over your actual phone — creating calendar events, composing messages, making calls, navigating apps.
Think of it as Computer Use, but for your phone instead of your desktop. Right now Claude’s mobile tools work through conversation and connectors. Orbit would let Claude interact directly with your phone’s apps and features.
No release date. But the mobile work tools launch feels like a stepping stone toward it.
Claude Mobile vs ChatGPT Mobile
Quick comparison since everyone asks:
| Feature | Claude Mobile | ChatGPT Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Work tool integrations (Figma, Canva, etc.) | Yes (38+ connectors) | Limited |
| Desktop remote control (Dispatch) | Yes | No |
| Voice conversations | No (text only) | Yes (Advanced Voice) |
| Image generation | No | Yes (DALL-E) |
| File upload and analysis | Yes | Yes |
| Computer Use (via Dispatch) | Yes (Mac only) | No |
Claude wins on: Work tool integrations, desktop remote control, enterprise connectors ChatGPT wins on: Voice mode, image generation, broader feature set for casual use
If you want an AI that does things in your work tools, Claude. If you want an AI you can talk to and ask to draw pictures, ChatGPT.
Who Should Use Claude Mobile Work Tools
It’s built for you if:
- You already pay for Claude Pro (work tools are included, no extra cost)
- You check Slack, analytics, or design tools throughout the day
- You frequently need quick data pulls or status updates between meetings
- You have a Mac that can run Dispatch
It’s not the right fit if:
- You mostly use AI for casual chat or writing (stick with the free tier)
- You need voice conversations (ChatGPT does this better)
- You want image generation (Claude doesn’t do this)
- You don’t use any of the 38+ supported tools
The Bottom Line
Claude’s mobile work tools are the most ambitious mobile AI feature anyone has shipped. Pulling live Amplitude data, reviewing Figma designs, creating Canva presentations, and controlling your desktop — all from one chat thread on your phone.
But it’s early. Usage limits bite hard. Dispatch is inconsistent. The mobile connector library requires desktop setup first. These aren’t dealbreakers — they’re the rough edges of a product that launched 48 hours ago.
If you’re already paying for Claude Pro and you use any of the supported tools, spend 5 minutes connecting them. The worst case is you waste 5 minutes. The best case is you never wait until you’re at your desk to check a dashboard or review a design again.
Sources:
- Claude Mobile Work Tools Announcement — @claudeai on X
- Claude Cowork Launch — @claudeai on X (139K likes)
- Dispatch and Computer Use — Anthropic Blog
- Claude Cowork Product Page — claude.com
- Use Connectors to Extend Claude — Claude Help Center
- Assign Tasks with Dispatch — Claude Help Center
- Claude Mobile Work Tools — Product Hunt
- I Sent Claude a Task from My Phone — Tom’s Guide
- Claude Reaches 11 Million Daily Users — Android Headlines