Self-hosted services can be useful on a phone as well as a computer—but that depends on the tasks each interface handles, not on identical feature sets. The strongest mobile use cases include controlling a home setup and backing up phone photos. Only Home Assistant and Immich have mobile capabilities supported by the official documentation cited here; details for four additional services are not established, so this guide does not guess at them.
Two self-hosted services with documented mobile workflows
These examples have official documentation for their mobile experiences. They illustrate two different reasons to reach a self-hosted server from a phone: interacting with a service while away from a desk, and sending phone media to a personal library.
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1. Home Assistant: manage home automation from a phone
Home Assistant offers official companion apps for iOS and Android. Its Mobile App integration connects those apps to the Home Assistant server, and is enabled by default unless the default_config: line has been removed from the configuration. The project describes the integration’s IoT class as Local Push. Home Assistant’s Mobile App integration documentation is the place to check the current app and integration details.
A phone is useful when you want to interact with home automation without sitting at a computer. The companion app is an official part of the ecosystem, rather than an unrelated third-party client. The project reports that the Mobile App device is used by 86.2% of active installations; Home Assistant does not specify a year for that figure on the cited page, and it is a project-reported statistic, not an independent measurement.
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Practical caveat: using the app away from home requires a way for the phone to reach your server. The integration’s Local Push classification should not be read as proof that remote access is configured automatically.
2. Immich: back up and browse a personal photo library
Immich pairs a web app with a mobile app. On the phone, you can choose which albums to back up to your server; album synchronization is currently a mobile-only feature. See the mobile app documentation and album documentation for the documented workflows.
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The mobile and web interfaces serve different parts of the workflow: the phone can send selected albums to your server, while the web app provides another way to use the library. That is useful integration, not evidence that the two interfaces have identical features.
Understand Free Up Space before using it. Immich can remove local media that has already been backed up, but review the items it will remove first. After deletion from the phone, a photo may no longer appear in other apps, such as messaging apps; you may need to share it from Immich instead. On iPhone, deleting local media can also delete it from iCloud Photos and other signed-in devices. If you rely on iCloud as a secondary backup, Immich recommends using Optimize iPhone Storage instead.
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Back up the library’s files as well as its database. Immich’s database backup covers metadata and user information, not uploaded photos and videos. Back up the upload location separately; a database backup alone does not preserve the media. See Immich’s backup and restore documentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Make remote access part of the setup decision
A phone app cannot reach a server that is inaccessible from the phone’s network. Immich documents three ways to enable remote access: a VPN to your home network, Tailscale, or a reverse proxy. A reverse proxy can let Android and iPhone apps connect without installing a client-side VPN or Tailscale app, but Immich describes that configuration as complex. Depending on how it is configured, it can expose both the web interface and API to the internet. Review the security implications before making a service publicly reachable. The options and warnings are in Immich’s remote access guide.
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The right choice depends on your comfort with network configuration and how you want to connect. A VPN or Tailscale provides a private-network approach; a reverse proxy can avoid a separate client app but carries configuration and exposure risks. Remote access is not a feature to assume will work simply because a mobile app exists.
What hosting Immich requires
Immich requires Docker with the Compose plugin. Its documentation recommends at least 6 GB of RAM for a smooth experience and local SSD storage for the database. A mini PC or small home server is one possible host, not a required product category or a guarantee of performance. Check the current Immich system requirements before choosing hardware.
These requirements also have a maintenance implication: self-hosting means you are responsible for the server and its backups. In particular, include the uploaded media in your backup plan rather than assuming the database copy covers the whole library.
Why this is a two-service guide, not a list of six
The title asks for six services, but the available official documentation supports mobile workflows for only Home Assistant and Immich. Naming four more and describing their apps, desktop features, remote access, or backup behavior without current first-party evidence would risk misleading you. These two are concrete examples of useful phone-to-server workflows; the evidence does not support presenting an unverified six-service shortlist as fact.
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