Play & Preview
Two buttons in the header let you experience your app the way users will: Play runs the app fully in the browser, and Run on Phone gives you a QR code to open it as a PWA or in Expo Go on a real device.
Video Tutorial
How Preview Works
RapidNative's browser preview is powered by browser-metro, an open-source client-side bundler for Expo projects that runs entirely in your browser, with no Node.js required. It's the same technology behind the reactnative.run playground, where you can experiment with React Native code directly in the browser.
Play
Click the Play button in the header to open your app in a new tab at a shareable URL (e.g. rapidnative.com/project/share/<id>?adapter=pocketbase). The app runs as a fully interactive build connected to a real PocketBase backend, so reads, writes, and auth all behave the way they will in production.
- Tap, scroll, and navigate like a real app
- Sign up, sign in, and persist data across sessions
- Share the URL with teammates so anyone with the link can interact with the same live build
Run on Phone
Next to Play, click Run on Phone to open a QR menu with two options:
- Run as web app. Scan the QR with your phone camera to open the app as a Progressive Web App. From there, Add to Home Screen for a native-feeling icon, no App Store needed.
- Run as Android/iOS app. Install Expo Go on your phone, scan the QR, and the project runs as a real React Native build on your device. A Reload Preview button under the QR refreshes the bundle after edits.
Why it matters
- Validate flows the way users will actually experience them
- Catch design and navigation issues before exporting code
- Share a working demo URL with stakeholders without deploying anything
- Test on a real device with no build pipeline or App Store setup
How to use it
Build or refine your screens on the canvas
Click Play to open the app in a new tab as a fully interactive build
Or click Run on Phone, choose Web app or Android/iOS, and scan the QR with your phone
Use the app like a real user, navigate, log in, and create data
Return to the canvas to keep editing
Example workflow
- You've created login, feed, and profile screens.
- Click Play to open the live app, sign up a test user, and post your first item.
- Click Run on Phone and pick Run as Android/iOS app to scan the QR with Expo Go and check the same flow on your phone.
- Spot a layout issue on mobile, edit on the canvas, hit Reload Preview, and see the fix on the device.