Understanding the device offline state on Private Devices

Learn about the device offline state, including why it happens and our step-by-step process for bringing devices back online using BrowserStack Private Devices.

An Offline device can disrupt your testing schedule. This guide explains why devices go offline and our process for bringing them back online.

Why do devices go offline?

Mobile devices are designed for personal use, not the 24/7 demands of a cloud testing environment. We’ve engineered a sophisticated software layer to ensure device connectivity, session management, and data cleanup for large-scale remote testing.

Occasionally, a device may go offline for one of the following reasons:

• Failed cleanup process: If the automated cleanup process after a session fails, the device is marked as offline to prevent you from starting a session on a non-pristine device.
• Software malfunction: The complex software that allows the device to operate in the cloud can sometimes encounter an error, causing the device to lose connectivity.
• Hardware malfunction: Like any physical electronic device, a mobile phone or tablet can experience a hardware fault that requires manual intervention in our data center.

Our systems are designed to immediately detect when a device goes offline and to trigger a recovery process automatically.

What happens when a device goes offline?

When a device goes offline, we initiate a multi-phase recovery process. You can track the recovery status directly on your Device Management Dashboard.

Phase 1: Automated recovery

As soon as a device goes offline, our automated self-healing system takes over. This system attempts to reboot the device, reset its connection, and resolve common software issues without human intervention.

Phase 2: Manual recovery

If automated self-healing fails, the issue is escalated for manual recovery. Our operations team is alerted to diagnose and resolve the problem, which may require complex software fixes or physical intervention in our data center.

Phase 3: Extended investigation

In rare cases, a device may have a complex or unknown issue that is not resolved within the standard timeframe for manual recovery. When this happens, the issue is escalated with the highest priority to our core engineering teams for in-depth investigation.

Reliability measures

We manage the potential for mobile hardware downtime through the following measures:

1. Increased visibility: We provide clear ETAs and status messages on the product dashboard to keep you informed. We also send you an Email once your device is back online and ready for testing.
2. Continuous improvement: We constantly refine our self-healing software and hardware processes to reduce the frequency and duration of offline events.

These measures are part of our commitment to providing a reliable and stable testing infrastructure.