Build Device Preview
Select and control local iOS, Android, and macOS app targets from Ansight Studio Build, with live input, annotations, device buttons, and frame-rate controls.
Build keeps the selected local app target in the center of the workspace. The preview is interactive, so reproduction and verification can happen beside the coding-agent task and live Ansight evidence.
Host Availability
Device preview and direct control are currently available in Ansight Studio for macOS. Studio guides macOS users through the required screen-capture and Accessibility permissions; a permission change can require restarting Studio.
Target Discovery and Selection
The selector can surface:
- booted iOS simulators
- stopped iOS simulators that Studio can start
- running Android emulators
- installed Android virtual devices that Studio can start
- active macOS apps connected through the Ansight SDK
Use the selector to search by simulator, emulator, app, platform, or runtime. Refresh re-runs discovery. Rows separate selecting an active target from starting a stopped target, and starting a device uses a visible progress state.
For a selected target, Build shows the runtime summary and can copy device details. An iOS simulator can also be focused in the native Simulator app.
Live Preview
The preview:
- scales the selected target to the available Build area
- supports 30 FPS and 60 FPS modes
- reconnects without changing the selected device
- reports connection failures with a recovery action
- detects a locked simulator and exposes the Lock control to wake it
- keeps its aspect ratio while the agent or live-tool panes are resized
Frame rate controls affect the host preview, not the app’s own FPS telemetry channel.
Pointer and Keyboard Input
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| Click or drag | Sends normal pointer input to the target. |
| Right-click | Queries the live visual tree at that point and opens element inspection or annotation choices. |
| Option-modified input | Sends multi-touch input when the selected platform supports it. |
| Command-V or Paste | Sends host clipboard text into the selected target. |
| Keyboard input | Forwards supported key events to the target. |
Device Controls
The bottom control strip includes controls when the selected target supports them:
- Home
- Android Back
- Lock or wake
- volume down and volume up
- paste into the device
- show the native iOS Simulator
- reconnect the preview
- select 30 FPS or 60 FPS
Controls that do not apply to the current platform are hidden or disabled.
Screen Annotations
Build provides free-draw, rectangle, and circle/ellipse tools. Select a shape, then hold Shift and drag across the preview. The resulting annotation is tied to the connected session and the captured app frame. Right-click inspection can instead target a visual-tree element.
Open Annotations for timestamp, geometry, source, and handoff behavior.
Mobile App Access
Build includes an explicit access policy for the coming-soon companion app:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Off | Does not accept companion access. |
| This session | Allows access for the current Studio run, then returns to Off. |
| Always | Persists access for the signed-in owner until changed. |
The phone icon shows how many companion devices are connected. Keep access Off unless the mobile workflow is actively needed.