Preview sessions

A session is an Android emulator running your app. A viewer is a browser connection to that session. Reopening a live session reconnects you to its current state; it does not necessarily create a new device.

Open and control a device

Upload an APK or open a blank device from the dashboard. For a GitHub build, follow the Ramus comment or open the preview from the PR page. Opening a PR preview without a share link requires a signed-in account with access to the repository.

Use the viewer to tap, swipe, scroll, type and paste, capture screenshots, and read device logs. Fullscreen is available where the browser supports it.

Leave, restart, or end

• Back or close the tab: disconnects the viewer. The session stays available on the dashboard until you end it or its idle timeout reclaims it.
• Restart device: replaces the session with a fresh device running the same app. Device state from the previous session is lost.
• End device: releases the device. This does not revoke its share links.

The viewer shows the session's idle window. Timeouts vary by session type, and an open browser tab does not keep a device running indefinitely. Closing or merging a PR also ends its build's preview sessions.

Share a session

Use Share to send the running app to someone else. They open it in their browser without signing in. Share a running app covers permissions, which build a link opens, expiry, how many people can join and revoking a link.

A PR preview's share link also depends on its creator's access to the repository. It stops working, for viewing as well as relaunching, once the creator can no longer read the repository, the repository is removed from the GitHub App, or the installation is suspended or uninstalled.