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Echo Overview

Echo is a fast, modern SSH client for iOS and iPadOS. It lets you connect to and manage remote servers from your iPhone or iPad, with full terminal emulation powered by Ghostty.

System requirements

Echo requires iOS 26 or later and is a Universal app that runs natively on both iPhone and iPad.

Getting started

When you first open Echo you'll see an empty server list. Tap the add button to create your first connection.

Adding a server

  1. Tap the + button
  2. Enter your connection details in the format user@hostname or user@hostname:port
  3. Optionally set a nickname (defaults to the hostname if left empty)
  4. Choose an authentication method — either a password or an SSH key
  5. Tap the checkmark to save
You can also paste a full ssh user@hostname string — Echo will strip the ssh prefix automatically.

Connecting

Tap any server in the list to connect. Echo will establish an SSH connection and open the terminal view. If the connection fails, you'll see an error message with details about what went wrong.

The default connection timeout is 30 seconds. If your server is on a slow network you may need to wait a moment.

Authentication

Echo supports two authentication methods:

  • Password — Enter your password when adding the server. It's stored securely in the iOS Keychain.
  • SSH Key — Select from your imported keys. See the SSH Keys guide for setup instructions.

Using the terminal

Echo provides a full terminal with xterm-256color support. A toolbar above the keyboard gives you quick access to special keys like Esc, Ctrl, Tab, and common characters like ~, |, /, and -.

You can pinch to zoom the terminal font size, and long-press keys for key repeat. On iPad, external keyboard shortcuts are fully supported.

To disconnect, tap the menu button and choose Disconnect.

Customisation

Echo ships with over 390 terminal colour themes, three font choices, and customisable cursor styles. See the Themes guide for more.

You can also adjust key repeat rate and delay, or sync with your system keyboard settings.

Security

Passwords and SSH keys are stored in the iOS Keychain, encrypted at rest by the operating system. You can optionally enable Face ID or Touch ID to lock the app, and protect individual SSH keys with biometric authentication.

For more information, see Troubleshooting.