Every iOS and Android developer using an AI coding workflow knows the rhythm: write code in your editor, flip to the terminal to run the build, watch the logs scroll in a separate window, wait for the simulator to come up, flip back to look at the result, then flip back again to your AI agent. At any given moment you're managing four or five windows to do something that's logically one thing.

That friction compounds when you're iterating fast with an AI agent. You ask the agent to fix a layout bug, it makes a change, and now you need to verify the fix on device. Each verification cycle costs you a context switch.

Build and Run Without Leaving the Workspace

You no longer have to switch to Xcode or Android Studio to build and run your app on a simulator. A new Build panel lives in the Mobile section of 1DevTool — the same panel where the simulator mirror runs. Click Build, watch the log, and the updated app appears on the mirrored device without you going anywhere.

The full loop — write, build, see — happens in one window.

How It Works in Practice

iOS: from source to running simulator

The Build modal scans your project for .xcodeproj and .xcworkspace files, picks a sensible default scheme, and fills in the destination as the simulator currently mirrored in 1DevTool. Hit Build and xcodebuild runs. The Logs tab streams the output in real time: compiler steps, signing, install, launch. When it finishes, the simulator mirror shows the updated app.

You can override scheme, configuration (Debug/Release), destination, derived data path, and project root before building. For most projects the defaults are right and you just click Build.

Android: Gradle build + emulator in one shot

The Android Build modal works the same way. It detects JAVA_HOME from Android Studio's bundled JBR (or your system Java), runs your assembleDebug task, installs the APK onto the selected emulator, and launches the activity by name. If the emulator isn't running, 1DevTool boots it first so you don't have to remember to start the device before building.

Override Gradle project path, package name, assemble task, install task, and activity name if you need to. Sensible defaults are inferred from the project structure so most Android projects need zero configuration.

The build log lives next to the simulator

Build output streams into the Logs tab as it runs. A successful build shows Built MyApp (Debug); failures surface inline with the error message. You don't chase errors in a separate Xcode window or terminal — the log is right there, next to the running app, and you can paste it directly into an AI terminal to ask for help.

Screenshot to AI closes the loop

Once the updated app is running, hit the screenshot button on the simulator mirror and the PNG opens in the Send to AI dialog with device metadata pre-filled. Ask your AI agent whether the layout fix looks right, paste the screenshot as evidence of a bug, or describe what you see and let the agent suggest the next change. The whole cycle stays in 1DevTool.

Before vs After

Step	Before	After
Build iOS app	Cmd+Tab to Xcode, hit Cmd+R, watch Xcode build pane	Build modal in 1DevTool, log in Logs tab
See result on simulator	Simulator window opens separately	Simulator mirror in the same panel
Build Android app	Switch to Android Studio or run Gradle in terminal	Build modal, auto-boots emulator
Send screenshot to AI agent	Screenshot, save file, attach manually	Screenshot button → opens in Send to AI
Check build errors	Read Xcode/Gradle output in separate window	Logs tab, inline in the same panel

Who Benefits Most

Solo mobile developers working with AI agents — You're already using an AI to write or fix code. The build-and-run loop is the bottleneck. Keeping it in the same window means your AI agent and your running app are always one glance apart.

React Native and Flutter developers — Both frameworks require running the app frequently to see changes. The shorter the feedback loop, the faster you can iterate.

Anyone context-switching between Xcode and their dev setup — If you've ever lost your train of thought because you had to go into Xcode and come back, this removes that switch from the workflow.

Try It

Open a mobile project in 1DevTool, click the Mobile tab, and look for the Build button in the simulator panel. The modal will pre-fill your project's scheme and simulator. Hit Build, watch the log, and see your app update in the mirror — without leaving the window you're already in.