Functionality Overview for Shared Devices
Access to Shared Devices is determined by your master region. For instance:
If your Dedicated Devices are hosted in our US data center, you will have access to Shared Devices hosted in the US.
If you have Dedicated Devices in multiple regions (e.g., US and UK), Shared Devices will be available only for the master region.
Currently supported data center locations for Shared Devices: US, UK, and Germany.
Refer to the Getting Started with Shared Devices section to learn how to access a shared device session.
Shared Devices provide a range of features that make them a valuable addition to your testing strategy. Some of the key features and benefits include:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Network & VPN Integration | A Shared Device automatically connects to the same Wi-Fi network as your Dedicated Device while the session is active. This ensures you can test non-production applications in the same way you would on a Dedicated Device, without needing to worry about network configurations. Refer to Network Virtualization Configuration to learn more |
| Long Running Automated Tests | When running Automated Appium Tests, particularly for large test suites, you may break the tests down into smaller pieces. Typically, after each test, a driver.quit() call is made, which releases the session completely. However, with Shared Devices, you can keep the session active across multiple tests, allowing you to run subsequent tests without the need to clean up the device. Refer to Running Automated Tests on Shared Devices |
| Global & Project Restrictions | The restrictions set at the global or project level for Dedicated Devices will also apply to sessions using Shared Devices, allowing you to maintain consistent control over the state of the shared devices.For more information on restrictions, refer to the following resources: Global Restrictions Project Management Project Resources |
In addition to the key features, most functionalities available for Dedicated Devices are also supported on Shared Devices. To learn more about a specific feature, visit the Mobile Studio section.
If a feature is not supported or behaves differently on Shared Devices, a note will be included on the respective documentation pages.