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Get started with Expo Simulators
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Check whether Expo Simulators is available, start a remote device session, and connect to it.
Expo Simulators is a limited-access preview. It is not included with paid or free plans and is currently available only to select partners. Join the waitlist if you are interested in trying it.
3 requirements
3 requirements
1.
Expo Simulators access is granted directly to select partners. Check the current project's account before starting a session.
2.
Run these commands from the project directory. If the project does not have an EAS project ID,
run eas init first.
3.
The simulator:* commands are experimental. Install or update EAS CLI before using
them. Since the preview changes quickly, use eas simulator:start --help to check the flags
supported by your installed version.
Expo Skills for AI agents
If you use an AI agent, install Expo Skills and ask it to use the Expo Simulators skill. The skill can perform the session workflow below, drive the app, and collect evidence for you. Use this page when you want to understand or run the commands manually.
Run and control a user's app on a remote iOS/Android simulator hosted on EAS cloud.
Start a session manually
The steps below use EAS CLI. To manage sessions directly from your own HTTP client, see the REST API reference. To start a browser-preview-only session when someone opens an authenticated expo.dev URL, see Start a session from a link.
1
Authenticate and verify the project
On an interactive machine, log in and confirm the current user:
In CI or a headless agent environment, provide an Expo access token in EXPO_TOKEN instead of starting an interactive login.
If the project is not linked to EAS, initialize it:
2
Check account availability
The availability check is read-only. It does not start a device or consume simulator usage. The --json flag is optional, but it makes the result easy for an agent or script to inspect:
An enabled account returns:
{ "available": true, "accountName": "my-account" }
If available is false, do not call simulator:start. Use a local simulator or emulator, or join the waitlist for access.
3
4
Choose a session type and start a remote device
Choose the controller you plan to use for installation and device actions. Each controller-backed session also includes a browser preview. If you only need the browser preview, use web-preview-only without a controller. Pass the session type explicitly when you start the session.
See agent-device and Expo for controller setup and commands.
See Argent and Expo for controller setup and commands.
Use an Appium client when you already have Appium tests or automation. EAS CLI writes the remote server URL and capabilities to the session configuration.
Use the browser preview without provisioning a programmatic controller.
Give each session a short name that describes its purpose. The name appears in simulator:list, simulator:get, and on expo.dev, which makes parallel and historical sessions easier to identify.
Use --platform android for an Android Emulator. The session page on expo.dev shows an Open preview button that opens the browser preview in a new tab. Android support is still in development, so some features that work on iOS may not work on Android yet.
Use --device to select an Android virtual device hardware profile, or a specific iOS Simulator name or unique device identifier (UDID). If you omit the flag, the remote runner uses medium_phone on Android and iPhone 17 on iOS. See Expo Simulators devices.
For an unattended or shareable session, use --max-duration-minutes to set an automatic stop time. Any plan can set a value up to the account limit. The limit is 40 minutes on the Free plan and 115 minutes on paid plans. A value above the limit returns an error. Without the flag, the maximum duration is the account limit. You can also use --max-idle-time-minutes to stop after a period without session activity.
When --platform is omitted in an interactive terminal, EAS CLI asks which platform to use. Non-interactive runs require the flag.
The start command waits for the session to become ready, then writes .env.eas-simulator. It also prints:
- A direct simulator session page on expo.dev
- A temporary browser preview URL
- The command pattern for controlling the device
To install and launch an app before the session becomes ready, pass exactly one of --build-id, --build-fingerprint, --application-archive-url, or --expo-go. You can also pass launch arguments and an Expo or development-client URL. See Install an app on a remote Android Emulator or iOS Simulator for complete examples.
--non-interactivedoes not automatically stop the session. The command returns when the session is ready, and the remote device remains active.
5
6
Open the web surfaces
The start command links to a session page with this shape:
https://expo.dev/accounts/<account>/projects/<project>/simulator-sessions/<session-id>
The project-level session list is:
https://expo.dev/accounts/<account>/projects/<project>/simulator-sessions
Open the browser preview URL in a desktop browser to view the live device. On iOS, you can also interact with it. In --json output, the URL is remoteConfig.webPreviewUrl, or remoteConfig.previewUrl for a web-preview-only session. The preview URL is not an application deep link. Do not pass it to a controller command that opens apps or URLs.