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Introduction to EAS Simulator

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Run and control remote iOS Simulators and Android Emulators on EAS infrastructure from the CLI, REST API, an AI agent, or a browser.


EAS Simulator runs a remote iOS Simulator or Android Emulator on EAS infrastructure. You can install an app, inspect its user interface, and interact with it. You can also collect screenshots and recordings or share an iOS browser preview without running the device locally.

EAS Simulator is built for agentic development. It gives coding agents a real device runtime for verifying agent-written code. Agents can fix issues they observe and return evidence from the running app.

EAS Simulator is especially useful when:

  • A background or cloud coding agent needs device access that is not available in its sandbox
  • An AI agent needs to verify a change in a running app instead of only inspecting source code
  • You want a temporary, shareable iOS browser preview
  • You need to offload simulator compute or test on a remote platform

EAS Simulator does not replace local Xcode or Android Studio workflows when you already have the required local device runtime. Use it when you need remote or shareable access.

Use EAS Simulator with a coding agent

For agentic development, start with the official EAS Simulator skill. Ask your coding agent to use the skill instead of giving it individual EAS CLI and controller commands. The skill covers the access check, build preparation, session naming and limits, remote session, controller workflow, evidence collection, and cleanup.

eas-simulator

Run and control a user's app on a remote iOS/Android simulator hosted on EAS cloud.

The agent can then complete the runtime loop:

  1. Implement or fix the code.
  2. Check EAS Simulator access and prepare a compatible app build.
  3. Start a remote device and drive the app through agent-device or Argent.
  4. Inspect the result and iterate if needed.
  5. Return screenshots, recordings, logs, or other evidence and stop the session.

Typical setup: a Cursor cloud agent

A common setup is a Cursor cloud agent or another background coding agent working in a cloud project checkout. The environment can edit and build the project, but it cannot launch a local iOS Simulator. With the EAS Simulator skill, the agent starts a remote device on EAS and controls it through agent-device or Argent. It then returns the result to the task or pull request, while your computer does not need to host the simulator.

How it works

An EAS Simulator workflow has four stages:

  1. Start a session with EAS CLI, the REST API, or an authenticated create session link. Give the session a descriptive name, choose a remote device and session type, and optionally set automatic duration or idle limits.
  2. Install your app. Pass an EAS Build, application archive URL, or Expo Go to the start command, or install a local build through the controller after the session starts. A session without an application source starts with a blank device.
  3. Drive the device. Use agent-device, Argent, or Appium for programmatic control. Supported iOS sessions also include a web preview.
  4. Stop the session. Stop it explicitly when you finish. An unattended non-interactive session continues consuming usage until it stops or reaches a configured limit.

EAS CLI manages the session lifecycle and connection configuration. Use the REST API to manage sessions from your own HTTP client. The controller provides device actions such as opening an app, pressing a button, entering text, inspecting the accessibility tree, and capturing a screenshot.

Available surfaces

CapabilityAvailability
Remote iOS Simulator
Remote Android Emulator
Programmatic control with agent-device
Programmatic control with Argent
Programmatic control with Appium
Live browser preview for iOS
Live browser preview for AndroidComing soon
Physical device access
Fast Refresh with Metro using Expo Go or a development build

Use EAS Build to create installable builds, and use local device tooling for physical devices.

Next steps

Get started

Check access, start your first session, and open the dashboard and browser preview.

Run and control your app

Install a local or EAS build, interact with the app, and capture evidence.

Create session links

Construct a URL that starts a browser preview from an EAS Build or application archive.

CLI reference

Review the experimental simulator commands, flags, output, and managed environment file.

REST API

Create, inspect, connect to, and stop sessions from CI or your own HTTP client.

Troubleshooting

Recover from unavailable accounts, stale sessions, dropped tunnels, and incorrect builds.