Preview on your phone
Run the real app on a real iPhone or Android device using Expo Go, by tap or QR code.
This is the closest thing to the finished app that does not require installing anything. It runs your actual app on your actual phone, with your data and your sign-in.
It works on both iPhone and Android, and it is free.
Install Expo Go
Expo Go is a free app from Expo that runs apps like yours without installing them individually.
- iPhone: App Store
- Android: Google Play
Start the preview
Open the project in the dashboard, go to the App tab, and press Start preview.
Starting takes a moment. The preview is only handed to you once it is genuinely ready, so you are not sent to a screen that is still warming up.
Open it
- On the same phone: tap Open preview
- From a computer: scan the QR code with your phone's camera
The link opens Expo Go, which loads your app. First open is the slowest; after that it is quick.
What works in a preview
- Every screen, all navigation, and all state
- Sign-in and accounts
- Your real data, through your app's own services
- Camera, photos, location, and local notifications
- Changes you make while you are iterating
What needs a real installed build
- Remote push notifications sent to the device
- Links from outside the app opening a specific screen
- Payments
- Anything that behaves differently in a release build
For those, build and install an Android release.
Sharing the preview
The preview link works for anyone with Expo Go installed. It is meant for testing and showing work in progress, not for handing out as your product. For real testers, an Android build is better: it installs as a proper app and does not depend on a preview session staying alive.
When something goes wrong
Previewing from a local project
If you are working on the project from an AI editor, you can start the same preview from the project folder:
npx -y mistflow-ai previewIt prints a QR code and registers the preview in your dashboard, the same one you would get from the App tab.