# Quickstart with the dashboard

> Sign in with Google, start a phone, watch it live, run a plain-English task and drag in an APK, all from the browser.

Source: https://akaphone-docs.pages.dev/quickstart/dashboard/

The dashboard at [https://akaphone.abhgnx-417.workers.dev](https://akaphone.abhgnx-417.workers.dev) does everything the API does, with a live screen. You do not need to install anything.

## 1. Sign in

Open [https://akaphone.abhgnx-417.workers.dev](https://akaphone.abhgnx-417.workers.dev) and choose **Continue with Google**. Google sign-in is the only sign-in method. The first time you sign in, your account is created with **60 free credit minutes** and the Free plan (one device at a time).

Your session lasts 30 days. **Sign out** in the account menu ends it.

## 2. Start a device

1. On **Devices**, click **New device**.
2. Optionally give it a name, such as `onboarding-test`.
3. Leave the profile on **Pixel 8** and Android on **14**.
4. Click **Start device**.

The device appears as **Starting device** and then **Live**, usually within seconds when a warm slot is available. If every slot is busy it shows **Waiting for capacity** until one frees up (up to 10 minutes; waiting is free).

Billing starts when the device is running: 1 credit per started minute. The balance in the sidebar updates as you go.

## 3. Watch and control it

Open the device to see its screen, streamed live at 2 to 5 frames per second depending on your plan.

| You do | The phone gets |
|---|---|
| Click | a tap at that point |
| Click and drag, or scroll | a swipe |
| Type | text input |
| Enter, Backspace, Escape | `ENTER`, `DEL`, `BACK` |
| The Back and Home buttons under the screen | `BACK`, `HOME` |

While the screen is open the device counts as active, so it will not be stopped for being idle.

## 4. Run a task

In **Run a task**:

1. Choose a **Model provider** (Gemini, Anthropic or OpenAI) and paste your **Model API key**. The key is kept in this browser's local storage and sent with each task; AkaPhone never stores it. **Forget key** removes it from the browser. See [Model keys](https://akaphone-docs.pages.dev/guides/model-keys/).
2. Pick **Flash** for short, simple actions or **Pro** for multi-step work.
3. Describe the task in plain English, for example:

   > Open Settings, go to Display, turn on Dark theme, then go back to the home screen.

4. Click **Run**.

Steps appear as the agent works, and the screen shows what it is doing. When the task ends you get a status (**Passed** or **Failed**), the agent's result, and **Artifacts**: a screen recording, before and after screenshots, an ARTEMIS trace and a log. Download links are valid for 15 minutes; open the task again for fresh ones.

Only one task runs on a device at a time. **Cancel task** stops the current one.

## 5. Install an APK

Drag an `.apk` file anywhere onto the device page while it is running. The dashboard:

1. uploads it straight to storage (you see a progress bar),
2. verifies the upload,
3. installs it on the device with runtime permissions granted,
4. shows **Installed com.example.app** when the device reports back.

Files can be up to 300 MB. The [Install an APK guide](https://akaphone-docs.pages.dev/guides/install-apk/) covers the same flow over the API.

## 6. Snapshot and stop

- **Snapshot** saves the device's disk (apps, logins, settings). Start new devices from it on **Snapshots** or with **Start from snapshot** in the new-device sheet. See [Snapshots](https://akaphone-docs.pages.dev/concepts/snapshots/).
- **Stop** ends the device and its billing. A device you forget is stopped after 30 minutes without activity.

## Elsewhere in the dashboard

- **Tasks**: every task across your devices, with filters, steps and artifacts.
- **API keys**: create and revoke `ak_live_…` keys for the [MCP server](https://akaphone-docs.pages.dev/quickstart/claude-code/) and the [REST API](https://akaphone-docs.pages.dev/api/rest/).
- **Usage**: minutes per day and per device.
- **Billing**: balance, credit packs and the credit ledger. See [Billing](https://akaphone-docs.pages.dev/guides/billing/).