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How to Make a Minecraft Server Your Friends Can Join From Their Phones

Let friends on Android and iPhone (Minecraft Bedrock, once Pocket Edition) join your server for free. Set up the server on your PC, add it on the phone step by step, and fix “Unable to connect to world”.

Most of your friends play Minecraft on their phones? You can still have your own server. You run it on a PC, and friends join from the Minecraft app on Android or iPhone (the Bedrock edition, once called Pocket Edition). PC players can join too.

How it works

VoxelPort runs a Java server with two free add-ons: Geyser, which lets the phone version talk to a Java server, and Floodgate, which lets phone players log in with just their Microsoft account. The relay carries the phone traffic too, so you don’t forward any ports.

You need a PC to host (Windows 10/11 or Linux), and it must stay on while people play. The phones only play.

Set up the server on your PC

Get VoxelPort from the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 and 11), download the Windows installer directly (if Windows warns, click More info → Run anyway), or get the Linux build from GitHub. It's free, open source, and needs no account.

  1. Click + Add Server and choose the Java + Bedrock template. Geyser and Floodgate are installed for you.
  2. Agree to the EULA and click Install & start.
  3. When it’s Online, click Make public.
  4. Find the Bedrock line. It shows a server address and a port, for example play.voxelport.in and 26137. Send both to your friends.

Add the server on the phone

  1. Open Minecraft on the phone and tap Play.
  2. Open the Servers tab and scroll to the bottom.
  3. Tap Add Server.
  4. Server Name: anything, for example “Our SMP”.
  5. Server Address: the address from the Bedrock line, without the port.
  6. Port: the number from the Bedrock line, in place of the default 19132.
  7. Tap Save, then tap the server to join.

Players may be asked to sign in to their Microsoft account the first time. Phone players show up with a dot before their name, like .Steve.

“Unable to connect to world” and other problems

ProblemFix
Unable to connect to worldCheck that the port is the one on VoxelPort’s Bedrock line, not 19132, and that the server is public.
“Outdated server” or “Outdated client”Update Minecraft on the phone. If the phone is newer than Geyser, turn Let Bedrock players join off and on in Settings to get the latest Geyser.
It worked yesterday, not todayA Minecraft update probably came out. Update Geyser as above.
Works on Wi-Fi but not mobile data (or the other way round)Restart the Minecraft app, and turn off any VPN or data saver on the phone.
“You are not whitelisted”Phone players need the dot: whitelist add .Steve.

Tips for phone-heavy servers

Questions

Can I host the server on my phone?

Not with VoxelPort. The server runs on a Windows or Linux PC. Your friends, and you, can then play on phones.

Do phone players need Minecraft Java?

No. They play the normal Minecraft app on their phone. The server uses Geyser and Floodgate to let them in, and Floodgate means they only need their Microsoft (Xbox) account.

Does the host need to buy Minecraft Java Edition?

No. Running the server doesn’t require owning Java Edition. You only need it if you also want to play Java on the PC.

Why does my phone say “Unable to connect to world”?

Usually the port is wrong or missing, the server isn’t public yet, or Geyser needs an update for a new Minecraft version. The fixes are in this guide.

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