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
LG webOS TV	Community client (sideloaded .ipk)
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 is validated on NVIDIA and Intel GPUs; its HDR path is complete but still pending on-glass validation. 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)

LG webOS TV (community)

Community project. pf-webos is built and maintained by dyptan-io, not the punktfunk team — file issues and bugs on its own repo.

LG's webOS doesn't allow apps outside the LG Content Store without sideloading, so install needs Developer Mode and the Homebrew Channel once:

1. Enable Developer Mode on the TV and install the Homebrew Channel — follow its install guide if you haven't done this before.
2. Grab the latest .ipk from the pf-webos releases page.
3. Install it: either sideload with ares-install / the project's task deploy TV_HOST=root@<tv-ip> (see the repo's README), or side-copy the .ipk onto the TV and install it from the Homebrew Channel's app.
4. Launch Punktfunk from the TV's launcher, discover your host over LAN (or add it by IP), and pair with a PIN.

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.