Remote Control
Open the device viewer
Step into your devices list and open a floating viewer window to start controlling the cloud phone you rented.
4 min read
After you rent a device, you open a "viewer" — the window that shows your cloud phone's screen — to start using it. This page walks you through the basics.
Step 1 — Go to My Devices
Sign in to the dashboard and open the My Devices section (path app.xcloudphone.com/dashboard/devices). Every cloud phone you have rented appears here.
Bookmark app.xcloudphone.com/dashboard/devices in your browser so you can jump back in with one click.
Step 2 — Find the device you want
Each device shows up as a card with the key info:
- Session name — you can rename it; the copy button next to the name copies the Session ID.
- Status — either an Online badge (ready to use) or Offline badge (not connected). The card only distinguishes those two states.
- Model / Android — the device model and Android version.
- Package / Group — the rental package and the group you assigned the device to.
- Time remaining — a countdown until your rental expires. The badge turns amber when less than 3 days remain and red when less than 1 day remains.
- Note / Proxy — visible only if the session has a note or a bound proxy.
You may have several devices at once. Scroll the list or use the search bar to find the one you need.
Step 3 — Click the Eye icon to open the viewer
The action row at the bottom of each card has 5 buttons, each doing one specific thing:
- Eye icon — opens the viewer. Tooltip: Control device. This is the only button that launches the viewer.
- Pencil icon — Edit the session name, note, group, or proxy.
- Clock icon — Extend the rental time.
- Power icon — Reboot the device remotely.
- Share icon — Share the session: opens a menu with Share Link and Shared Sessions.
Click the Eye icon on the device card you want. A floating overlay opens on top of your current dashboard view; you are not redirected to another page.
Clicking the body of the card only selects / deselects that card (used for bulk actions such as rebooting or extending several devices at once). To open the viewer you must click the Eye icon specifically. When the device is offline, the Eye icon is dimmed and unclickable; the tooltip changes to "Device offline cannot be viewed".
When the viewer opens, the video area shows a "Connecting" overlay while the system shakes hands with the cloud phone. During this wait, randomized tips cycle through to keep you informed. After a few seconds, the phone's screen appears and you can hover your mouse over it to start interacting.
When does a device show as "offline" or stuck on "connecting"?
An offline badge on the card, or a "Connecting" overlay that never reaches the home screen, can happen because:
- The device is rebooting after a reset.
- It was just created and isn't fully ready yet.
- A short backend hiccup.
The fastest fix is right on the device card:
On the affected card, click the Power icon — it sits between the Clock (Extend) icon and the Share icon. The tooltip for this button is Reboot.
A confirmation modal appears: "Restart device remotely. Use when experiencing connection issues or device offline. If the problem persists, please contact admin." Click Confirm.
Wait 1–2 minutes for the reboot. Once the status badge flips back to Online, click the Eye icon again to open the viewer.
After the reboot a result modal lists each device with one of three outcomes: success, invalid session, or server error.
To reboot several devices in one go, tick multiple cards → open the Actions menu → choose Reboot. The system fires reboots in parallel and reports the per-device outcome in the same result modal.
If a device stays offline for more than 5 minutes after a reboot, see Troubleshoot viewer connection or contact support with the Session ID (use the copy button next to the session name on the card).
Quick-start tips
- Use the latest Chrome or Firefox for the smoothest viewer.
- Aim for at least 10 Mbps download; wired connections are more stable than Wi-Fi.
- Close heavy tabs (4K video, browser games, torrents) to free bandwidth for the viewer.
- Disable any VPN or proxy on your computer if the stream feels slow — VPNs add latency.