On August 11, Tencent's WorkBuddy launched its multi-device sync feature: tasks, conversations, and outputs now sync in real time across the PC client, the mobile app, and the WeChat mini-program, and you can remotely approve or stop desktop tasks from your phone. Put simply — when an AI task on your computer gets stuck waiting for your confirmation while you're away, you used to have to wait until you got back. Now you pull out your phone, tap once, and it keeps going.
This update solves a real pain point, but it also raises a question worth thinking about: why does all of this convenience depend on "your computer must stay on"? That premise is exactly the problem a different kind of product — a local agent computer like the KAIHE AIBOX — is designed to solve.
Here's what this update actually does, three things people get wrong about it, what you can do from your phone, and a clear comparison with the KAIHE AIBOX at the end.
What This Update Actually Adds
📖 Glossary
AI Box (also known as Agent Computer / Agent PC), is a dedicated local hardware device that runs AI Agents. Pre-installed with an AI agent management system, plug-and-play, running 24/7. Users can remotely command AI to work via Discord, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, and more.
Before this update, WorkBuddy's mobile side could only send instructions and view results. Tasks started on the desktop were invisible while you were on the road, and if a task got stuck waiting for human confirmation, you had no choice but to wait until you were back at the computer.
Multi-device sync changes that. Three things now sync to your phone in real time: tasks, conversation history, and work outputs. The desktop's "Tasks" and "Workspace" grouping structure syncs over too — if you have several projects open on your PC, you see them in the same grouped layout on your phone, and you can jump into any conversation.
More importantly, remote approval and remote stop are here. When a task stalls halfway — say it wants to overwrite an existing file or perform a sensitive operation — you can see exactly which files the agent is reading and what it plans to do next, confirm on your phone, and the task continues. If a task goes off the rails or you gave it a bad instruction, you can stop it immediately from your phone and re-issue the instruction, instead of waiting until you're back at your desk.
There's also lock-screen remote access: after you enable "allow lock-screen remote" on the desktop, the computer won't auto-sleep or turn off its screen, so the remote connection stays alive even when your phone's screen is locked. Convenient — but note the premise: the computer has to stay on.
Three Things People Get Wrong
First, multi-device sync is not "re-sending the task from your phone." It syncs the entire task state — tasks, conversations, outputs, and workspace groups — so your phone acts as a remote control and monitor for desktop tasks, not a second entry point.
Second, what syncs isn't just text records; it's the agent's execution state. On the road, you can see which files the agent is reading and what it's about to do, not just a dry "task in progress."
Third — and this is the one people get wrong most often — it's not "the AI works even when your computer is off." Lock-screen remote just stops the computer from sleeping and keeps the connection alive; the computer still has to be on. That's easy to understand once you know how it works: the WorkBuddy agent itself runs on your computer. Your phone and the WeChat mini-program are just remote controls. The compute, the files, and the execution all live on your local machine — turn off the computer and the agent stops. Every capability of multi-device sync is built on the computer being on and online. And that premise is exactly what another kind of product sets out to solve.
One Sentence to Sum It Up
WorkBuddy's multi-device sync turns "the agent on your computer" into "the agent that follows you around." The task runs on your PC; the control sits in your pocket.
Before, once you left your desk, the agent went dark. You had no idea what it was doing, where it was stuck, or whether it needed your decision. Now you can see all of it in real time, and anywhere a decision is needed, one reply from your phone settles it.
What You Can Actually Do from Your Phone
Remote approval: when a task waits on human confirmation, reply directly from your phone and the agent keeps going. Handle it on the road instead of rushing back to the office. For example, a sales report PPT gets halfway through and pops an overwrite confirmation — you tap "allow" on the train, and by the time you arrive, the finished file is already in your workspace.
Remote stop: if a task goes off track or you gave it a bad instruction, stop it immediately from your phone, adjust, and re-deploy. Before, you could only watch a wrong task run to completion; now you can hit the brakes at any time.
Cross-device workflows: take a photo of an invoice with your phone and upload it — the agent on your computer handles recognition, classification, archiving, and spreadsheet entry automatically. No more shuffling files between devices. Your phone captures, your computer processes.
Multi-machine management: one phone can connect to multiple computers, and you can switch between them to check the tasks and workspaces on each. One at home, one at the office — both visible on the road.
Getting started is easy: update the app to 1.2.0 or later and the PC client to 5.3.8 or later, sign in with the same account on both, and the connection is enabled by default — no QR-code pairing needed. Once connected, a green dot appears in the device area, meaning the agent is actively working.
How It Compares with the KAIHE AIBOX
By now you've probably noticed: WorkBuddy solves "stay in control when you leave your computer" — but its solution rests on the computer being on and the cloud being reachable. A local agent computer like the KAIHE AIBOX takes a different approach.
| Dimension | WorkBuddy Multi-Device Sync | KAIHE AIBOX Local Agent Computer |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite | Computer on + online | Standalone device; runs with the PC off |
| Task model | Initiated while you're present; stuck steps need your approval | Set it up once; runs 24/7 automatically; results pushed to WeChat |
| Where data lives | Processed in the cloud | Stored locally; never leaves your home |
| Power | Entire PC running | ~5W; electricity cost is negligible |
| Best for | Heavy desktop workloads | Always-on tasks + privacy-sensitive users |
One extends control to your phone; the other frees execution from your computer entirely. If your work genuinely needs the heavy compute of a PC, this update makes WorkBuddy a much better experience — no more helpless waiting when you're away. If the work is light but continuous, and privacy matters, the KAIHE AIBOX is the more worry-free choice. It ships with Hermes for scheduled automation: tell it "send me a digest of industry news at 9 AM every day" before you leave, and it handles it on its own — running whether you're home or not, keeping all data in your house, and answering you on WeChat anytime.
Further Reading
- WorkBuddy 1.2.0: Tap Your Phone, and AI Gets to Work on Your Desktop — the previous generation of mobile capability, starting desktop tasks from your phone
- Others Work While You Sleep: The Difference Is This Hermes Feature — set up Hermes automation once, and it runs 24/7
- Why Local AI Beats Software Installed on Your PC — the fundamental difference between a local agent computer and PC software
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