Device Bridge

The Device Bridge connects your own iOS simulators and physical iOS and Android devices to Reelspect, so you can run tests on them from the web app. It runs on a computer you control: simulators run on that Mac, and physical devices are connected to it. This page covers the Reelspect desktop app for macOS, physical devices, and sharing a bridge.

The app lives in the macOS menu bar. Closing its window does not stop it: its devices stay available until you quit the app from its menu-bar icon or with ⌘Q.

Requirements

Everything else the app needs to control simulators is bundled inside the app. You do not install any other tools.

Startup checks

Every time the app starts, it checks the Mac (the requirements above plus its own bundled components) before you can sign in. When a check fails, the app lists what to do, with a button for the Xcode fixes. After fixing the problem, select Check again. If your Xcode needs a newer macOS, update macOS or install an older Xcode. If security software on the Mac blocks the app, ask your IT team to allow it. If a check keeps failing, select Copy diagnostics and send the copied text to your Codemodity contact.

Signing in

Sign in opens the Reelspect web app in your browser; if you are already signed in there, the app is authorized straight away. The app waits up to 5 minutes for the browser, and stays signed in across restarts.

Adding simulators

Select Add simulators (the + next to Simulators) and choose a model, an iOS runtime and a count (1 to 10).

• Only models supported by an installed iOS 17 or later runtime are listed.
• Each model can use one runtime: if you already have simulators of that model, pick the same runtime or remove them first.
• The form shows how many simulators this Mac runs well. Going above that slows every simulator down; the hard limit is twice the recommended number.

Remove deletes the simulator and its data from the Mac. Removing a simulator that is In use ends the test running on it. A simulator shown as Missing no longer exists on this Mac.

Physical devices

Physical iPhones, iPads and Android phones and tablets are connected to the bridge computer with a USB cable. Tests on iOS devices run in Safari, and tests on Android devices run in Chrome. A device is ready for tests when:

• It is connected by USB and unlocked, and it trusts the bridge computer (iOS) or has allowed USB debugging from it (Android).
• Developer Mode is turned on (iOS) or Developer Options with USB debugging are turned on (Android).
• It stays connected and powered while tests run on it. Use devices that are dedicated to testing.

The Codemodity team helps set up bridges for physical devices; contact your Codemodity contact to get started.

Where your devices appear

The first time a bridge connects, it registers as a private bridge in the organization you joined first: only you can run tests on it. Its physical devices appear under Your Devices and its simulators under Your Simulators in the Device Preset picker, in projects of that organization.

The desktop app has no organization or sharing settings. Use My Bridges in the web app (user menu) to make the bridge public, so every member of the organization can launch tests on it, or to move it to another organization you belong to. See Private and shared devices.

Online and offline

While the app runs, the bridge reports to Reelspect about every 30 seconds:

• The bridge card shows it online while it has reported within the last 90 seconds.
• When you quit the app, its devices leave the device picker straight away. Quitting the app also stops its simulators.
• When the Mac loses its connection or goes to sleep, its devices leave the device picker after 5 minutes without a report.

The bridge keeps its organization and its public or private setting while it is offline and when the app starts again.

Keeping the Mac awake

While the app runs, it stops the Mac from going to sleep on its own, so its devices stay reachable. The display can still turn off.

Network and location

Simulators use the Mac’s own internet connection, including any VPN the Mac is connected to. The site under test therefore sees the Mac’s location. To test a site as a visitor from a specific country, connect the Mac to a VPN in that country. A VPN applies to the whole Mac, so it affects every simulator on it.

Physical devices use their own connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data), so the site under test sees the device’s location. A VPN set up on the device itself applies to that device.

Removing a bridge

On My Bridges, select Remove this bridge. Its devices stop being available to the organization immediately. Sessions waiting for its devices stay in the queue until the bridge registers again or you cancel them.

To bring the bridge back, quit the app on that Mac and open it again. It registers again as a new private bridge in the organization you joined first.