Shift gears in MyWhoosh with an Android phone
By mattapps · Published 12 October 2026 · Last checked 12 October 2026
To shift gears in MyWhoosh from an Android phone, install GearPad (Android 9 or newer), pair it with your Mac or Windows PC over Bluetooth, and keep the MyWhoosh window in front. The free MyWhoosh layout then sends I to shift up and K to shift down each time you tap.
What you need
Three things: a phone running Android 9 or newer, a Mac or Windows PC that runs MyWhoosh, and Bluetooth on that computer. GearPad and its MyWhoosh layout are free, so this setup costs nothing.
- An Android phone with GearPad. The phone acts as a Bluetooth keyboard.
- A Mac or Windows PC with Bluetooth. You pair with the computer's own Bluetooth. Nothing is installed on the computer.
- MyWhoosh already running with your trainer connected the way you normally do it.
Check one thing early. A few phone makers turn off the Bluetooth feature that lets an app pose as a keyboard, and GearPad warns you on first launch if yours is one of them.
How do you set it up, step by step?
Pair the phone with your computer once, pick the MyWhoosh layout, then start a ride and tap. Pairing is the only fiddly part, and after the first time the phone reconnects by itself.
- Open GearPad on the phone and allow the Nearby devices Bluetooth permission when asked.
- With GearPad open on its main screen, go to the computer. On a Mac, open System Settings > Bluetooth. On Windows, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices.
- Choose your phone in the list and confirm the code on both screens. If the phone does not show up, tap Make phone visible in the app. It stays discoverable for 5 minutes.
- Check that the status pill in GearPad shows your computer's name. That means the phone is connected.
- Select the MyWhoosh layout in GearPad.
- Start MyWhoosh, begin a ride, and click inside the game window so it is the active one. Tap the gear buttons on the phone.
The Bluetooth side, including reconnecting and the keyboard prompt a Mac may show, has its own walkthrough: using an Android phone as a Bluetooth keyboard on Mac and Windows.
What do the buttons in the MyWhoosh layout do?
The free MyWhoosh layout has four buttons, each sending one key that MyWhoosh listens to. GearPad uses the game's default keys, so there is nothing to configure inside MyWhoosh.
| Button | Key sent | What it does in MyWhoosh |
|---|---|---|
| Gear down | K | Shifts to an easier gear (official) |
| Gear up | I | Shifts to a harder gear (official) |
| Wave | 2 | Emote key 2, which GearPad labels Wave (reported) |
| UI toggle | U | Switches the minimal UI on or off (reported) |
Keys fire the moment your finger touches the screen, so a shift happens on touch-down, not on release. Most riders will live on the two gear buttons. Wave and UI toggle are extras.
The keys marked reported come from a fan-run list of shortcuts, so confirm them in the game if they do not react. Every key we know of, with its source, is in MyWhoosh keyboard shortcuts.
What should you expect once you are riding?
Each tap arrives in MyWhoosh as a normal key press, so the game reacts as if you had pressed K or I on a keyboard. What the shift actually does is decided by MyWhoosh and your trainer connection, not by the phone.
That distinction matters. GearPad never talks to your trainer, sends no power data and does not stand in for a smart trainer. The gears belong to MyShift, MyWhoosh's own virtual shifting, which our MyShift explainer covers in detail.
Rides start in gear 15, so watch the gear number on screen after your first tap to confirm the shift arrived.
Because the phone is a touchscreen, mount it within easy reach and try a few taps before you start a hard effort.
What are the limits of shifting from a phone?
The main limits are that GearPad is an Android app, and that keys go to whichever window is active on the computer. If MyWhoosh is not in front, the taps land somewhere else or do nothing.
- Android phones only. The computer side can be a Mac or a Windows PC.
- The game window must be in front. Click it before you ride, and avoid switching to other apps on the computer mid-ride.
- No physical click. It is a screen, so you get no tactile feedback the way you would from a hardware shifter.
- Default keys on the free tier. The free layout sticks to MyWhoosh's default keys. Editing buttons or adding your own is part of the optional one-time Pro unlock on Google Play.
GearPad is made by mattapps and is not affiliated with MyWhoosh. If a tap does nothing, click the game window first, then check that the status pill still shows your computer's name. Still stuck? Go through why a phone keyboard stops working in a cycling sim.
Quick answers
Which computers does this work with?
A Mac or Windows PC with Bluetooth. At the time of writing MyWhoosh lists Windows 10 or newer and macOS 14.5 or newer, so check its current requirements before you start.
Can I change which keys the buttons send?
Yes, with the Pro unlock, a one-time purchase on Google Play. It lets you edit the built-in layouts, so you can change a button's key, label, icon and color.
Does GearPad connect to the MyWhoosh Link app?
No. They are separate routes to the same shift: GearPad presses I and K on the computer like a keyboard, while MyWhoosh Link uses MyWhoosh's own MyShift controls.
