Which apps and frameworks work with Expo Simulators

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Expo Simulators runs any app built for the Android Emulator or the iOS Simulator, including Expo, React Native, native, Flutter, and Unity apps. React Native features work only in React Native apps.

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.

Expo Simulators works with any app that is built for the Android Emulator or the iOS Simulator. The remote device is a stock Android Emulator or iOS Simulator. The device has no Expo or React Native requirement. The toolchain that made the app changes only two things: how you get the app onto the device, and which controller features work.

Compatibility

Toolchain	Application sources	Device-level control	React Native features
Expo and React Native	EAS Build ID, fingerprint, archive URL, local build	Yes	Yes
Expo Go	`--expo-go`	Yes	Yes
Native Android and iOS	Archive URL, local build, EAS Build ID for EAS Build artifacts	Yes	No
Flutter	Archive URL, local build	Yes	No
Unity and hybrid	Archive URL, local build	Yes	No

Device-level control acts through the operating system. It includes opening apps, reading the accessibility tree, pressing elements, entering text, screenshots, and recordings. Accessibility-based actions need an app that exposes an accessibility tree, which Unity apps do not do by default.

React Native features need a React Native app and a running Metro server. They include Fast Refresh, React component inspection, and React render profiling.

Test frameworks

Framework	How it connects
Appium	An `appium` session gives your Appium client a server URL and capabilities.
Maestro	agent-device can run supported Maestro YAML.
e2e	The `@e2e-dev/eas` integration starts one session for each e2e worker.

Build requirements for every toolchain

Platform	Required build	Fails to install
Android	An .apk whose native libraries, if any, include an emulator application binary interface (ABI), such as `x86_64`	An .aab
iOS	A .app built against the `iphonesimulator` SDK. For an archive URL, a .tar.gz or .tgz of the .app.	An .ipa device build, a .zip archive

See Which build to install on Expo Simulators.

Common questions

Does my app need the expo package?

No. The device runs any simulator or emulator build. EAS CLI needs a project directory with package.json and an app config that contains the EAS project ID. The REST API needs only the project ID.

Which features do I lose with an app that is not React Native?

Fast Refresh, Metro, React DevTools, component inspection, and React render profiling do not work. See Expo Simulators limitations.