It's five minutes before your presentation. You don't have a clicker. Maybe you forgot it, maybe the venue's remote is missing, or maybe you never owned one. Here are five ways to advance slides without a physical presentation remote — ranked from worst to best.
The obvious fallback. Just press the right arrow key or spacebar on your laptop after each slide.
Pros: No setup. Always works.
Cons: You're chained to the podium. Every slide change breaks your eye contact and flow. In a large room, walking back to the laptop after making a point kills the energy. This is what clickers were invented to avoid.
Verdict: Emergency-only. If you present regularly, you need a better solution.
The "next slide, please" approach. A colleague sits at the laptop and presses the arrow key when you give a verbal cue.
Pros: No equipment needed.
Cons: Timing is always off. You say "next slide" and there's a 1-3 second delay that feels like an eternity. Your assistant may mishear and skip two slides. You lose the ability to go back smoothly. It's distracting for both of you.
Verdict: Tolerable for informal settings. Unprofessional for anything high-stakes.
If you use Keynote, Apple's built-in remote feature lets you control slides from your iPhone over the same Wi-Fi network. Google offers a similar feature for Slides via the browser.
Pros: Free. Built into the platform.
Cons: Locked to one app (Keynote or Google Slides). Requires Wi-Fi — which is often unreliable, restricted, or requires sign-in at conference venues and hotels. Google's requires internet access. Neither works with PowerPoint.
Verdict: Fine if you only use one platform and trust the venue's Wi-Fi. Too fragile for anything else.
Various apps in the App Store let you control your computer over Wi-Fi. They typically run a server on your laptop and connect from your phone.
Pros: Works with most apps. Some are free.
Cons: Requires both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Many venues block device-to-device communication on their networks. Setup is more complex (install server, ensure firewall allows connection). Latency can be noticeable. Some are ad-supported with unreliable free tiers.
Verdict: Works at home or in your own office. Unreliable in the field.
The best approach for reliability: an app that uses Bluetooth Low Energy to send arrow keystrokes directly to your computer. No Wi-Fi, no network, no server to install — just a lightweight companion app that receives BLE commands and presses arrow keys.
Pros: Works everywhere (no Wi-Fi needed). Works with every presentation app (Keynote, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Figma, etc.). Connects automatically. Low latency. Negligible battery impact. Haptic feedback confirms each press.
Cons: Requires installing a companion app on your computer (30 seconds). Costs a few dollars.
Verdict: The best balance of reliability, convenience, and cost.
| Method | Reliability | Convenience | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk to laptop | High | Low | Free |
| Ask someone | Medium | Low | Free |
| Built-in remote | Medium | Medium | Free |
| Wi-Fi app | Low-Medium | Medium | Free-$5 |
| Bluetooth app | High | High | $5 |
eClicker uses method 5 — Bluetooth Low Energy with automatic connection, haptic feedback, and universal compatibility. $4.99, no subscription, companion apps free.