Android → macOS Codex Remote stopped connecting for ~12 hours despite latest apps and online host

Summary

Codex Remote from the ChatGPT Android app to a macOS Codex host has stopped connecting and has remained unavailable for approximately 12 hours.

This was previously working. Both the Android ChatGPT app and the macOS Codex app have been updated to the newest versions currently available. The Mac is powered on, Codex is running, and both devices have good network connectivity, but the Android client still cannot connect to the Mac host.

The failure began around the evening of 2026-08-20 (UK/BST) and was still present on the morning of 2026-08-21.

Environment

• Mobile client: ChatGPT app on Android
• Host: macOS running Codex Desktop
• Both apps: latest available versions as of 2026-08-21
• Mac: powered on and Codex running
• Network: good signal/connectivity on both sides
• Duration: approximately 12 hours continuously

What is happening

The Android Codex Remote connection does not connect to the macOS host even though the host is online and available locally.

This appears to be a regression or service-side Remote Control issue rather than a simple device-offline/network problem, especially because similar Remote Control failures have been reported by other users around the same time.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open Codex Desktop on the Mac.
2. Confirm the Mac is awake, online, and Codex is running.
3. Open the ChatGPT app on Android.
4. Open Codex Remote / the connected Mac host.
5. Attempt to connect.
6. Connection fails / host remains unavailable despite both devices being online.
7. Retry over many hours; issue persists.

Expected behavior

The Android ChatGPT app should connect to the paired macOS Codex host and allow existing Codex sessions to be opened and controlled remotely.

Actual behavior

The remote connection remains unavailable even though the Mac host and Android device are both online and fully updated.

Related reports

Potentially related current/recent reports:

• #39815 — Android Remote pairs with a Windows host but task/conversation retrieval fails with backend 503s.
• #26854 — Android ChatGPT Codex Remote unable to connect to a macOS host while the desktop daemon is connected.
• #22773 — broader mobile/macOS Remote Control offline/stale-state failures.
• #24179 — Remote Control can show a macOS host offline while the desktop-side connection remains active.

This report is specifically for a current Android → macOS failure lasting roughly 12 hours on fully updated apps.

Additional information

No destructive resets have been attempted yet because previous Remote Control incidents have sometimes recovered service-side, and clearing pairing/app data can make recovery harder.

Happy to provide exact app build numbers, screenshots, or sanitized Mac logs if maintainers identify which diagnostics would be most useful.

Start by comparing related reports #39815, #26854, #22773, and #24179, then gather the exact Android and macOS build numbers and sanitized Mac logs requested in this report. Done means confirming the Android-to-macOS Remote failure and restoring access to the paired host and existing sessions.