Open My phone
In the Preview of a phone app, choose My phone. Piye shows what to do for your kind of app and your phone. Your phone and your computer should be on the same Wi-Fi (or Piye can connect them over the internet, see below).
Expo apps (iPhone and Android)
Expo apps open on your phone in Expo Go, a free app from Expo.
On an iPhone:
- Install Expo Go from the App Store.
- Open the iPhone's Camera, point it at the code Piye shows, and tap Open in Expo Go.
On Android:
- Install Expo Go from Google Play.
- Open Expo Go and tap Scan QR code, then scan the code Piye shows.
After that, every change you save shows on the phone by itself. No need to scan again.
Native Android apps
Piye builds your app and your phone downloads it straight from your computer, over your Wi-Fi.
- Point the phone's camera at the code and open the link. The app downloads.
- Open the download. If Android asks, allow installing apps from this source (your browser).
- If Play Protect warns about an unknown app, tap More details, then Install anyway. It's your own app.
Pair once for one-click updates (Android 11 or newer): on the phone, turn on Developer options (Settings, About phone, tap Build number 7 times), then Settings, System, Developer options, Wireless debugging. Tap Pair device with QR code and scan the code in Piye. From then on, every new version installs with one click over the Wi-Fi. A phone plugged in by USB, with USB debugging on, works too.
Native iPhone apps
Apple doesn't allow installing apps from a QR code, so:
- Plug your iPhone into the Mac with a cable, once, and unlock it.
- On the iPhone, turn on Developer Mode: Settings, Privacy & Security, Developer Mode. (It appears there only after the iPhone was plugged into a Mac once.) The iPhone restarts; unlock it and tap Turn On.
- Running on your iPhone needs Xcode from the Mac App Store, signed in with your Apple account. Piye shows the step (Add your Apple account to Xcode) when it's needed.
After the first time, it works over the Wi-Fi.
Your phones
Phones you pair or plug in are listed under Your phones, with how they're connected (by cable or on Wi-Fi). Open your app on any of them with one click, or Forget this phone.
If the phone can't reach your computer
It's usually one of these, and Piye says which:
- The Wi-Fi blocks it. Guest, office, hotel and school Wi-Fi often stop devices reaching each other. Use your home Wi-Fi or your phone's hotspot, or connect over the internet.
- Your computer's firewall. On a Mac: System Settings, Network, Firewall, and allow incoming connections for Piye.
- The iPhone's Local Network setting. Settings, Privacy & Security, Local Network, then turn on Expo Go.
Or skip all of these and connect over the internet: Piye opens a secure link between your phone and your computer, so it works on any network.