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How to SSH into your game server from an iPhone

Open the terminal menu in the RCON app, choose SSH Connection, enter the Hostname or IP, port 22, your Username and Password, and tap the arrow. Once connected, each command you type runs on the server and the output streams straight back. It is password login only, there is no shortcut around that.

3 min read · Updated 2026-09-15

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When RCON just is not enough

RCON can only ever do what the game's own console lets it do. The moment the server process itself freezes, or you need to restart a service, check disk space, or read through a log file, you need an actual shell on the box. The SSH tool here gives you that without switching apps away from the one you already use for RCON.

Getting a session open

  1. On the Servers screen, tap the terminal button in the top bar and choose SSH Connection under Connections.
  2. Leave Auth set to Password, there is no other option that actually does anything.
  3. Type the server's Hostname or IP. The Port is 22 unless your server uses something else.
  4. Enter your Username (the form starts on root; swap it for your own account if you normally log in as someone else) and your Password.
  5. Tap the arrow button to connect, and a line confirming the session shows up in the terminal.
  6. Type a command into the input field and send it. Output arrives as it comes, errors included.

Commands to reach for most

Useful shell commands for game server hosts
CommandWhat it tells you
uptimeHow long the machine has been up and its load
df -hFree disk space on each drive
free -mMemory in use and available, in MB
tail -n 50 logs/latest.logLast 50 lines of a log file
sudo systemctl restart mygameRestarts a server set up as a service
ps aux | grep javaWhether the server process is running

Yours will have a different service name, folder and log path, obviously, so swap those in before you copy anything here.

What this terminal is not

Every line you send runs as its own separate command in a fresh shell, with the output streaming back to the screen. Good for quick checks and restarts, not so good as a full interactive terminal, and that shows up in three ways:

  • The working directory resets on every line, it does not carry over. Chain the commands instead: cd /srv/mc && ls.
  • Full-screen programs like nano, vim or top simply do not work here. Reach for cat, tail or top -b -n 1 instead.
  • Anything that waits for input, a password prompt, a yes or no question, will just hang. Use a flag like -y wherever the tool offers one.

Where this falls short of a real client

  • No key-based login yet. The Auth picker shows a Public Key option and the form even says Key auth not yet available, but the app logs in with the password regardless.
  • It never checks the server's host key fingerprint either, so stick to addresses you already know and trust.

When the connection refuses to open

  • Authentication failed often just means the server has password login turned off and accepts keys only. Re-enabling password login for your user in the SSH server settings works, but it is a real security trade-off, think it through before you flip it.
  • A timeout usually means port 22 is blocked somewhere or just wrong. Test it with Port Scanner (the Common Services preset already includes 22) or TCP Ping on port 22 directly.
  • Connection refused, flatly, means no SSH service is even running on that machine right now.

Questions and answers

Is the SSH client free?
Yes, it is. SSH sits entirely in the free version of RCON; Premium only touches save limits, themes, scheduled commands and the ads.
Can I SSH from my iPhone to a Linux server with a key?
No. This app logs in with a username and password, full stop, even when Public Key is the option selected on screen.
Can I use it to SSH into a Raspberry Pi or a home PC?
Yes, as long as that machine runs an SSH server that accepts password login and your iPhone can actually reach its address, same Wi-Fi network being the easy case.
Why does cd not seem to work?
Because each line runs on its own and the directory resets before the next one. Put the cd and the command together on one line, joined with &&.

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