The category

A real phone for AI agents.

Physical hardware in a data centre that an agent drives over an API. Genuine device identity, its own SIM, its own network route, and state that survives between sessions. Everything a person's phone has, without a person holding it.

The short version

Most agent work is mobile-only. Banking, delivery, messaging, marketplace and social apps either have no web version or ship a reduced one, and the important flows sit behind a phone number.

So the agent needs a phone, not a browser. A real one, because anything simulated gets refused by the checks those apps already run.

Anatomy

Four layers, and a gap in any one shows.

01

The device

Real Android and iOS hardware we own and operate in the US and EU. No emulator, no VM, no jailbreak, no root. Integrity checks pass because there is nothing to spoof.

See the devices →

02

The identity

One phone, one consistent identity: hardware identifiers, build, locale, timezone and app state that stay the same between sessions instead of being regenerated per run.

Real-device identity →

03

The network

A route out that matches the device. Dedicated residential IPs on our own network across the US, Europe and Asia, or your own proxy if you already have one.

mobilerun Connect →

04

The number

A real eSIM, reachable over the API, so the agent reads its own one-time code instead of stopping at the verification screen and waiting for a human.

eSIM and OTP →

Versus

What else an agent could run on.

Runs on	Real phone	Virtual cloud phone	Emulator	Browser agent
Hardware identity	Genuine	Generated	None	No device
Passes Play Integrity & App Attest	Yes	Varies	No	Not applicable
iOS available	Real iPhones	Android only	Simulator only	No
Real phone number	eSIM, OTP over API	No	No	No
Drives native apps	Any app	Android apps	Android apps	Web only
Cost profile	$0.03/min or from $5/mo	Cheapest per instance	Free, self-hosted	Cheapest overall

Detail per provider: best Android phones · vs GeeLark · vs BrowserStack · all comparisons

When you need a real one

The app checks device integrity before it lets you in
The flow sends a code to a phone number
There is no web version, or the web version is missing the step
The account has to look the same next week as it did today
You need iOS, which no virtual provider offers

When something cheaper is fine

The target has a real web app and a real API
You are testing your own app and control the build
Android only, no integrity checks, no phone number
Throwaway sessions where identity does not have to hold
Start free on your own device with pip install mobilerun

Go deeper: the open framework · AndroidWorld results · the network · eSIM and OTP · pricing