punktfunk/docs-site/content/docs/install-client.md

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Install a Client	Install the punktfunk client for the device you're streaming to — Linux, Steam Deck, Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android.

This page is the install path for each client device. For what each client is and which to pick, see Clients; to install the host, see Install the Host. Whichever client you install, the first connection needs a one-time pairing.

The links below are the stable channel (moves on vX.Y.Z releases). For the latest main build, use the canary channel — TestFlight / Play Internal, the …Canary.flatpakref, or the canary/ download URLs. See Release Channels.

Pick your device

Device	Install
Linux desktop / laptop	Flatpak (any distro) or native apt/rpm/Arch packages
Steam Deck	Decky plugin for Gaming Mode, or Flatpak in Desktop Mode
Windows	Signed MSIX from the package registry
macOS	Notarized .dmg from the releases page
iPhone / iPad / Apple TV	TestFlight beta
Android / Android TV	Beta — request access
Anything else (browser, old phone, TV)	Moonlight

Linux desktop (Flatpak)

The recommended path on any Flatpak distro — install once, then flatpak update tracks new builds. One command adds the signed unom remote, pulls the GNOME runtime from Flathub automatically, and installs the client:

flatpak install --user https://flatpak.unom.io/io.unom.Punktfunk.flatpakref
flatpak run io.unom.Punktfunk

Updates, from then on — without sudo (this is a --user install; sudo flatpak update only touches the system scope and silently skips it):

flatpak update                       # or: flatpak update --user io.unom.Punktfunk

Prefer your native package manager? The client also ships as real packages (add the repo once — see the linked guide — then it tracks updates with your normal apt upgrade / rpm-ostree upgrade):

Distro	Install	Guide
Ubuntu / Debian	sudo apt install punktfunk-client	packaging/debian
Fedora / Bazzite	rpm-ostree install punktfunk-client	packaging/rpm
Arch	sudo pacman -Sy punktfunk-client (signed binary repo)	Arch Linux

Then launch it, pick your host from the list, and stream. For scripting, skip the picker:

punktfunk-client --connect <host>:9777

Steam Deck

Most Deck users want Gaming Mode: install the Decky plugin and a punktfunk panel lands in the Quick Access Menu, so you can discover hosts, pair with a PIN, and stream without dropping to the desktop. Follow the Steam Deck (Decky) guide — it walks through Decky Loader, the plugin, and the one-time client install.

The plugin doesn't decode video itself — it launches the Flatpak client below. The Decky guide covers installing both, so start there: a Flatpak on its own won't add the Gaming Mode panel.

For Desktop Mode (or to add the client to Game Mode as a non-Steam app yourself), install the Flatpak exactly as above — it carries its own libadwaita + SDL3 and survives SteamOS updates:

flatpak install --user https://flatpak.unom.io/io.unom.Punktfunk.flatpakref

See packaging/flatpak.

Windows

The Windows client ships as a signed MSIX in the package registry. Builds use a self-signed certificate, so you import that certificate once before Windows will install the package.

1. Open the packages page (generic group), find punktfunk-client-windows, and download the newest .msix and its matching .cer.

2. Trust the publisher certificate, then install. The MSIX won't install until the certificate is trusted — but it's the same certificate for every release, so this is genuinely one-time and later updates need nothing. In an admin PowerShell:

   Import-Certificate -FilePath .\punktfunk-client-windows.cer `
     -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\TrustedPeople
   Add-AppxPackage .\punktfunk-client-windows.msix
   

   If Windows reports a missing dependency, install the Windows App Runtime 2.x (the MSIX depends on Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.2), then re-run Add-AppxPackage.

3. Launch Punktfunk from the Start menu and pick your host.

The Windows client's hardware-decode (D3D11VA) and HDR paths are complete but still pending validation on real GPU hardware. If anything misbehaves, Moonlight is a solid alternative for Windows.

macOS

Download the notarized disk image from the releases page — Punktfunk-<version>.dmg. It's Developer-ID signed, notarized, and stapled, so Gatekeeper opens it without warnings:

1. Open Punktfunk-<version>.dmg and drag Punktfunk to Applications.
2. Launch it, pick your host from On this network, and pair.

The Mac app is also in the TestFlight beta; the DMG is the no-account path.

iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV

The Apple app is in TestFlight beta — one universal build covers iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and the Mac. Install Apple's TestFlight app, then join:

Join the punktfunk beta on TestFlight →

Open the app, and your hosts appear automatically under On this network.

Android

The Android client (phone + Android TV) is in Google Play Internal Testing. To try it, request a tester invite on our Discord and we'll add your Google account to the test track:

Request access on Discord →

Once you're added, install it from Google Play, then open the app and pick your host:

Get punktfunk on Google Play → (only resolves once your account is on the tester list)

Anything else — Moonlight

Any device with a Moonlight client (browser, old phone, smart TV) connects over GameStream with no punktfunk-specific software. See Connect with Moonlight.