Getting Started on Mobile

Your UpServe agents keep working even when you’re not looking at the screen. Sign in on your phone with the same account and you can chat with them from anywhere and receive results as push notifications.

UpServe ships both an iOS app and an Android app. They share the same account, the same agents, and the same credits, and the core features are identical. Anything that differs by platform is called out below.

1. Install the app

iPhone / iPad: install from the App Store .
Android: install from Google Play .
On the web, Settings → Notifications has buttons for both stores, so you can jump straight there.

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

The mobile apps use 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.

3. Allow push notifications

On first launch, the operating system shows a system prompt asking for notification permission. Tap Allow — the device is automatically linked to your UpServe account, no extra setup required.

iOS: if you declined, re-enable it from Settings → Notifications → UpServe on iOS. (The app won’t ask again on its own.)
Android: if you declined, re-enable it from Settings → Apps → UpServe → Notifications. (On Android 12 and older there is no permission prompt — notifications are on by default.)

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. This works the same on iOS and Android.

Typing part of a name narrows the list to matching teammates.
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 on both iOS and Android.

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 the environment is active.
The preview is automatically fit to your phone’s screen.
Tap the rotate button to switch to landscape mode and get a wider work area.
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 mobile as on the web.

Chat: real-time replies, 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.
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.
Schedules: add, edit, and delete an agent’s schedules from the app.

7. Following progress after you close the app

Send a message, put the app away, and you can still follow along while the agent works — though the way progress is displayed differs by platform.

iOS — Lock Screen and Dynamic Island

A Live Activity starts automatically the moment the app goes to the background.
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.

Android — ongoing notification

Android has no Live Activity or Dynamic Island. Instead, an “in progress” notification appears in the notification shade while the agent works, and it disappears on its own when the run finishes.
When the agent needs your approval or answer, use the Approve / Deny buttons on the notification, or type a reply directly into the notification.
While you have the app open in the foreground, the ongoing notification is suppressed — progress is already visible on screen.

8. Marketplace — install and publish agents

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

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: an AI coach walks you through preparing the preset, then you finalize it on the review screen and publish to the marketplace. You reach it from the share button at the top of the chat screen on iOS, or from the agent settings screen on Android.

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

On iOS, use the share button at the top of the chat screen → Snapshot Sharing. On Android, open the agent settings screen → Share / Snapshots.
Anyone with the link can talk to the agent without an account.

10. Where do I pay?

iOS app: subscribe directly inside the app under Settings → Subscription (Apple in-app purchase).
Android app: there is no checkout inside the app — Settings → Subscription only shows your current plan. Subscribe and top up credits on the web (upserve.app ); the result shows up in the app immediately.
See Credits & Billing for details.

Platform differences at a glance

Feature	iOS	Android
Chat · Canvas · attachments · approvals	✅	✅
Push notifications	✅	✅
Approve / answer straight from a notification	✅ (lock screen)	✅ (notification buttons and inline reply)
Mention palette · desktop preview	✅	✅
Marketplace install & publish · snapshot sharing · schedule editing	✅	✅
Live progress while running	Lock Screen Live Activity · Dynamic Island	Ongoing notification in the shade
In-app subscription checkout	✅ (Apple)	❌ (pay on the web)

Advanced

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

When push notifications don’t arrive

Is notification permission granted on the device? On iOS open Settings → Notifications → UpServe; on Android open Settings → Apps → UpServe → Notifications. If you declined the first prompt, the app won’t ask again — you have to enable it here.
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.
Are you inside Do Not Disturb hours? Double-check the start and end times and make sure your phone’s time zone is correct.
Is the agent muted? Unmute it from the Muted agents section in your notification settings.
Are you already viewing that agent’s chat? Push is intentionally suppressed while you’re on the same screen.
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 apps scale the remote desktop to fit your screen 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 an iPad or tablet, landscape mode gets you a layout very close to the desktop experience.

Haptic conventions (iOS)

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.

Action	What you feel
Sending a message or reply	Light tap
Stopping a run	Heavy thump
Approving a tool	Medium, decisive impact
Denying a tool / destructive swipe	Short warning
Task success / reply complete	Success notification
Error toast	Error notification
Picking a palette item, toggling, adding or removing an attachment	Selection change
Generic swipe-action confirmation	Medium impact

If the system’s Haptic Feedback setting is off, none of these fire. The Android app does not use this haptic vocabulary; it follows the system defaults.

App update prompts

When a new version is available, an update sheet appears on launch. This works the same on iOS and Android.

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

Supported platforms and requirements

iOS 26 or later is required.
Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later is required.
Push is delivered on both iOS (APNs) and Android (FCM). Web browser push is not supported — the web uses in-app notifications only.
If you sign in on multiple devices with the same account, all of them receive push.