Preview on your phone

Open your app in Expo Go with a QR code, and watch every edit fast-refresh.

Every project runs a live preview. In the browser it’s the Web tab of the preview panel. On your phone it opens in Expo Go, a free app from the App Store and Google Play that runs your project without installing a build.

Open it on your phone

1. Install Expo Go

   Install Expo Go on your phone and sign in to it. An Expo account is free.

2. Get the QR code

   In the preview panel, open the phone menu and choose Open on your phone.

3. Scan it

   iPhone: scan the QR code with the Camera app. Android: scan it from inside Expo Go.

The app loads straight from your project’s sandbox. While the agent works, its edits fast-refresh on your phone.

iPhone needs your Expo username

On a physical iPhone, Expo Go only opens a project that names the account it’s signed in to. The first time you open the phone menu, choose Add Expo username and enter the username you use in Expo Go. Android works without it.

Appnetic never asks for your Expo password or token, only the username.

Each viewer’s QR code carries their own username, so teammates on different Expo accounts can open the same preview at the same time.

When the preview is asleep

To save resources, a project’s sandbox sleeps after a while with nobody using it. The panel shows “Waking preview…” and starts it again on its own. Give it a few seconds.

iPhone and Android simulators

Running your app on a hosted iPhone or Android simulator right in the dashboard is coming soon.