Google is shutting Firebase Test Lab down. Its deprecation FAQ says test executions are supported until 30 September 2027, and that after that date nothing runs: the console and the API are shut down. If you send builds to Test Lab from CI today, that pipeline needs a new home before then.
VibeView is that home for teams who want more than a results page. Your app runs on iOS, Android, Apple TV and Android TV simulators and emulators, and on physical Roku devices, live in a browser tab you can tap, type into and share. Tests are plain-language steps you record or describe, and once they pass they replay without AI. They run from your CI with a GitHub check, a video of every run and the app’s log beside each step. Where Test Lab had Robo, VibeView has Explore (beta): the AI uses your app for a few minutes and reports what looks broken.
Run one of your Test Lab apps first
Upload the APK or simulator build you send to Test Lab today and open it on a live device in your browser. The free tier gives you 2 sessions at once, 30 streaming minutes and $1 of usage credit a month, with no card.
Firebase Test Lab alternatives: how VibeView compares
| What you are deciding | VibeView | Firebase Test Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Will it still run in October 2027? | Yes — VibeView has no shutdown planned and runs today on every plan, including the free one | No — it shuts down on 30 September 2027; Google points customers to the Developer Device Platform, in preview as of October 2026 |
| Can you test TV apps? | Yes — Apple TV and Android TV beside phone and tablet, and Roku on physical devices, with the same tests and the same CI | Android and iOS; no TV platform is listed |
| Is there an automatic explorer like Robo? | Yes — Explore (beta) uses your app for 5, 10 or 20 minutes on iOS, Android and TV, lists what looks broken, and any finding can be saved as a test | Robo test on Android, in beta on iOS; Google’s replacement lists Android instrumentation and iOS XCTest for its preview, and Robo is not on that list |
| Can you watch and drive the device live? | Yes — every iOS, Android and TV device streams live to the browser, for you, a teammate in the same session, or anyone you send a link to, even without an account | Tests run unattended and report in the Firebase console when they finish; Google’s Device Streaming connects to remote physical Android devices |
| Who can write a test? | Anyone on the team — record it in the browser, describe it in plain language for the AI (beta) to draft, or import Maestro flows; tests run in three modes: Smart, No AI and AI only | Test code — instrumentation or XCTest — or a Robo script; Robo itself needs no pre-written test |
| Virtual iOS devices? | Yes — iPhone, iPad and Apple TV simulators across iOS and tvOS versions | Test Lab names virtual Android test devices only; its replacement, Device Run, lists physical and virtual Android devices and physical iOS devices |
| What does a device minute cost? | Priced per organization: Solo is $19/mo with 1,000 streaming minutes, Business $249/mo with 20,000; then $0.02/min, and overage can be switched off | $1 an hour per virtual device, $5 an hour per physical device on Blaze, after a daily no-cost allowance; the Developer Device Platform matches those rates until 30 April 2027, then lists $0.06/min for emulators and $0.20/min for physical devices |
| Can you start without billing? | Yes — a free tier with no card: 2 concurrent sessions and 30 streaming minutes a month, in 5-minute sessions | Test Lab’s Spark plan allows 10 virtual and 5 physical test runs a day; Google says the Developer Device Platform requires billing to be enabled |
| Physical phones? | No — simulators and emulators; Roku is the only physical hardware | Yes — real, production devices in a Google data center, plus virtual Android devices |
The first four rows are the reasons to pick VibeView over another device farm: it keeps running after 2027, it covers your TV apps, it explores your app on its own, and you can watch and drive the device live.
What VibeView doesn’t offer: physical phones, uploaded instrumentation, Espresso or XCTest bundles, or Game Loop tests.
What you get with VibeView
Tests that get cheaper as they pass
Smart replays recorded steps and uses AI (beta) only where the screen changed. When a run passes, each step the AI did is saved as a learned path, and the next run replays it without AI. No AI replays recordings and learned paths only and uses no usage credit.
A run you can watch back
A run keeps a video, the app’s log beside each step, and a screenshot check against each step’s baseline. Click a step’s time and the video plays from there.
CI that answers in the pull request
Run test groups from GitHub Actions or any CI with the CLI or the API, get JUnit or JSON back, and see each group as a GitHub check. On paid plans, schedules run them every day or on every new build.
Builds in the same place
Cloud builds compile your iOS, Android, Apple TV and Android TV app, sign the release and submit it to TestFlight, Google Play or the Amazon Appstore. The simulator build opens straight on a cloud device. 30 build minutes a month are included on the free tier.
One test, every platform
A test recorded on Android replays on iOS, and a TV test on Apple TV and Android TV. Link your apps as one product and they share test data and notes.
Your coding agent at the wheel
Let Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or another agent drive the device through the CLI or MCP, and point it at your React Native app for a live development loop.
When Firebase Test Lab shuts down: the timeline
- Now: Test Lab still runs, and its docs mark it as deprecated. Google’s replacement, Device Run on the Developer Device Platform, is in preview.
- 30 April 2027: the Developer Device Platform stops matching Test Lab’s rates and moves to its own pricing, per minute or per device slot.
- 30 September 2027: Test Lab shuts down: the console and the API go offline, and no tests run after that date.
How to migrate from Firebase Test Lab
- Upload the build you test today. Upload the same APK, or an iOS simulator build, from the dashboard or with
vibeview upload-app. Open it on a live device first and check it starts. - Replace Robo with Explore. Where you ran a Robo test, start an Explore (beta) run with a 5-, 10- or 20-minute budget and, if you like, a goal. Save the findings you care about as tests.
- Turn Robo scripts and key journeys into tests. Record each journey once in the browser, or describe it in plain language. Logins and other values go in test data, with secrets masked from the AI. Flows you already wrote for Maestro import directly; the import itself uses no AI and costs nothing.
- Pick your test matrix. Choose up to 10 devices for a run. Upload your iOS build too. When its bundle id matches your Android package name, or once you link the two apps as one product, the Run dialog offers iPhones and iPads next to your Android devices, and the Android test runs there as well.
- Swap the CI step. Replace the Test Lab call in your pipeline with
vibeview run-suites --tag <tag> --output junit, or the GitHub Actions template, and turn on GitHub checks for the pull request. - Decide on the rest. VibeView doesn’t run tests that only make sense as instrumentation or XCTest code, or tests that need a specific physical handset; plan for those separately.
Frequently asked questions
Is Firebase Test Lab shutting down?
Yes. Google’s deprecation FAQ says test executions are supported until 30 September 2027, and that after that date no workflows will run: the Test Lab console and API will be shut down. Google is replacing it with the Developer Device Platform on Google Cloud.
What is replacing Firebase Test Lab?
Google’s own replacement is the Developer Device Platform (Device Run for uploaded tests, plus Device Streaming), in preview as of October 2026. Its migration guide lists Android instrumentation and iOS XCTest for the preview; Robo and Game Loop are not on it. VibeView is an alternative for teams who want Robo-style exploration, tests anyone on the team can read and edit, and Apple TV, Android TV and Roku next to Android and iOS.
Is there a replacement for Robo test?
Yes — Explore (beta). The AI uses your app on a live device for 5, 10 or 20 minutes, with an optional goal, and lists crashes, error screens and broken controls, each with a screenshot and the moment in the run’s video. Any finding can be saved as a test, so a bug found once becomes a check on every build.
Can I run my Espresso, instrumentation or XCTest tests on VibeView?
No. VibeView doesn’t run uploaded test bundles. Its tests are plain-language steps you record in the browser, describe for the AI to draft, or import from Maestro flows, and a recorded test replays on iOS and Android alike (a TV test on Apple TV and Android TV).
Does VibeView use physical devices?
VibeView runs iOS, Android, Apple TV and Android TV simulators and emulators, and streams physical Roku devices. It has no physical phones, so it isn’t the right fit for tests that depend on a specific handset’s hardware.
What does it cost compared with Test Lab?
VibeView is priced per organization, not per device hour. Solo is $19 a month with 1,000 streaming minutes and Business is $249 with 20,000; after the included minutes, paid plans are billed $0.02 a minute, and you can switch overage off. Test Lab bills $1 an hour per virtual device and $5 an hour per physical device on Blaze, and the Developer Device Platform’s standard rates from April 2027 are $0.06 a minute for emulators and $0.20 a minute for physical devices.
One run tells you whether it fits
Upload the build you send to Test Lab, record its main journey once, and run it on an Android emulator and an iPhone simulator side by side. Then compare that with your last Test Lab matrix.
Published 23 October 2026 · Firebase Test Lab and Developer Device Platform pages verified 23 October 2026