Getting Started on iOS

Your UpServe agents keep working even when you’re not looking at the screen. By signing in to the iOS app with the same account, you can chat with them from anywhere and receive results as push notifications.

This page walks first-time iOS users through setup and the mobile-only screens you’ll meet along the way (mention palette, desktop preview, and so on).

1. Install the app

• Fastest path: on the web, open Settings → Notifications and tap Download iOS app — it opens the UpServe page on the App Store.
• You can also search for “UpServe” in the App Store and install it from there.

After installing, opening the app brings you to the sign-in screen.

2. Sign in

The iOS app uses the same account as the web. Sign in with the same email or social login and you’ll see the same agents, chat history, and credits.

• Email, Google, and Apple sign-in are all supported.
• If you just signed up, you’ll be asked to pick a nickname once.
• If your account is still pending approval, you’ll see the waiting screen.

3. Allow push notifications

On first launch, iOS shows a system prompt asking for notification permission.

1. Tap Allow — the device is automatically linked to your UpServe account, no extra setup required.
2. If you declined, you’ll need to re-enable it from Settings → Notifications → UpServe on iOS. (The app won’t ask again on its own.)

For what kinds of notifications you receive and how to set Do Not Disturb hours, see Notifications.

4. Mention palette — call teammates with @

When chatting with a team of multiple agents, type @ in the input field to bring up a teammate autocomplete palette.

• Typing part of a name narrows the list to matching teammates.
• Each agent row shows the team name below the agent’s name.
• Tapping a row inserts @AgentName into the input automatically.

Send a message that includes the mention, and the called-out agent picks it up as a task and responds. You can also send mentions as simple notifications when no reply is needed.

5. Desktop preview — peek into the agent’s screen

If you’ve given an agent the “computer use” or “browser” tool, it actually opens a real browser or terminal inside an isolated environment to do its work. You can watch that screen from your phone.

• Tap the desktop computer icon at the top of the chat screen to open the preview sheet. A small green dot appears on the icon when an active environment URL is available.
• The preview is automatically fit to your phone’s screen — no more seeing only the left half cut off at desktop width.
• Tap the rotate button in the bottom-right corner to switch to landscape mode. The top bar hides and you get a wider work area. Tap it again to return to portrait.
• Tapping the keyboard icon lets you type into the agent’s desktop directly, or send special keys like Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and arrow keys.

When you close the preview, the environment’s computing stops automatically after a short delay.

6. Chat, Canvas, and files — same as desktop

The core features behave the same on iOS as on the web.

• Chat: real-time replies, partial text selection and copy — all identical to the desktop experience.
• Canvas: markdown and code documents your agent produces open directly in the app, and you can edit them too.
• File attachments: attach photos and files from the chat input. Attachments show up as thumbnails before you send.
• Approval prompts: when an agent needs your okay before running a risky tool, the same approval card appears. Approve or deny right from the card and the agent continues.

7. Lock Screen and Dynamic Island — follow progress in the background

After sending a message and putting the app in the background, a Live Activity starts automatically to show what the agent is doing.

• The lock screen shows the agent’s name, avatar, and current progress in real time.
• When the agent needs your approval or answer, you can respond right from the lock screen.
• When the agent finishes, a summary of the response appears on the lock screen briefly before the activity ends.
• Live Activities can start via server push even when the app is fully closed.

8. Marketplace — install and publish agents

The marketplace lets you install preset agents made by others, or share your own.

• Install: select a preset and an interview sheet opens to configure the agent’s name and purpose. The new agent appears in your list when done.
• Publish: tap the share button (icon) at the top of the chat screen and choose Agent Preset. An AI coach walks you through preparing the preset. When the coach signals it’s ready, you move to the review screen where you can finalize and publish to the marketplace.

9. Snapshot sharing — share your agent with others

You can generate a share link so others can chat with your agent without signing in.

• Tap the share button (icon) at the top of the chat screen and choose Snapshot Sharing to generate and manage links.
• Anyone with the link can talk to the agent without an account.

Advanced

You don’t need this section for normal use. Read it only if you’re troubleshooting missing push notifications or want to understand iOS-specific behavior in detail.

When push notifications don’t arrive

1. Is notification permission granted on iOS? Open Settings → Notifications → UpServe and make sure “Allow Notifications” is on. If you declined the first prompt, the app won’t ask again — you have to enable it here.
2. Is push enabled inside UpServe? On the web, Settings → Notifications has a master push toggle at the top plus per-category toggles. Both must be on for the categories you care about.
3. Are you inside Do Not Disturb hours? Double-check the start and end times and make sure your phone’s time zone is correct.
4. Is the agent muted? Unmute it from the Muted agents section in your notification settings.
5. Are you already viewing that agent’s chat? Push is intentionally suppressed while you’re on the same screen.
6. Is the same account signed in? Logging in with a different account re-links the device to that account; the previous account stops receiving push on this device. Signing out also disables push for that account.

The full troubleshooting list lives in Notifications.

Desktop preview looks cropped or tiny

The iOS app scales the remote desktop to fit your phone’s width automatically. If something still looks off, try this:

• Rotate to landscape — gives you a wider work area.
• Close and reopen the preview — the paused environment restarts and the resolution is reset.

On iPad, landscape mode gets you a layout very close to the desktop experience.

Haptic conventions

The iOS app uses a single, consistent haptic vocabulary so the same kind of action always produces the same vibration. Once you learn the pattern, you can tell what happened without looking at the screen.

If the system’s Haptic Feedback setting is off, none of these fire. Turning it back on restores every vibration.

App update prompts

When a new version is available, an update sheet appears on launch.

• Optional update: you can dismiss the sheet and update later from the App Store.
• Mandatory update: if your version is no longer supported, the sheet cannot be dismissed — you must install the latest version from the App Store to continue.

Supported platforms

Mobile push is currently delivered on iOS only. Android and web push are not supported; the web uses in-app notifications. If you sign in on multiple iOS devices, all of them receive push.

The app requires iOS 26 or later.