--- title: "Test surveys on mobile devices with device emulation" description: "SurveyTester tests the mobile version of a survey by emulating phones and tablets in Chrome. Choose a device and orientation in Test Survey, then test as usual." url: https://www.surveytester.com/academy/en/test-surveys/testing-surveys-on-mobile-devices/ language: en type: how-to audiences: ["Project Managers", "Survey Authors"] published: 2026-10-09 updated: 2026-10-09 tags: ["mobile", "emulation", "devices", "smartphone", "tablet", "responsive", "orientation"] --- # Test surveys on mobile devices with device emulation _Test Surveys · SurveyTester Academy_ SurveyTester tests the mobile version of a survey with device emulation: you pick a phone or tablet in the **Test Survey** dialog, and the SurveyTester browser extension opens the survey in Chrome's mobile emulation of that device – screen size, touch input and user agent included. Tests on physical phones are not supported, and for day-to-day survey QA they are not needed. ## Why SurveyTester emulates devices instead of using real phones SurveyTester's testing tools – issue reporting, screenshots, the recording of every test run – live in the [SurveyTester browser extension](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/en/general-queries/browser-extension). Chrome on phones and tablets does not support browser extensions, so a test with SurveyTester cannot run on a physical mobile device. Device emulation turns this constraint into an advantage for QA teams: - **No device lab.** Every tester can test as an iPhone, an Android phone or a tablet from their normal computer, and switch between devices in seconds. - **Everything in one place.** Mobile test runs, their issues and screenshots land in the same project as your desktop tests, with the device recorded on every run. - **Reproducible.** An emulated device always has the same screen size and settings, so a colleague can repeat exactly the test you ran. ## When emulation is enough – and when it is not Chrome sets the viewport, pixel density, touch input and user agent of the selected device. The survey therefore behaves as it does on a phone: it delivers its mobile version, uses its responsive layout and reacts to touch. This covers what survey QA usually needs to check on mobile: - the layout of every page at phone and tablet widths - the mobile variants of question types, such as grids that collapse into one question per row - text that wraps, truncates or overflows on a narrow screen - answer options and buttons that are large enough to tap - routing, validation and the navigation between pages It is not a real device: the page is still rendered by Chrome on your computer. iOS form controls, Safari-specific behaviour and device fonts are not reproduced. Special question components – custom sliders, drag-and-drop or card-sorting widgets, embedded media players – may behave differently on real hardware. The developers of such components test them with their own tools and devices; SurveyTester's job is the survey as a whole. If a survey relies on such a component or on a complex screen layout, run an additional check on a real device for that part. ## Run a manual test on an emulated device 1. Open the project and click **Test Survey**. 2. Select **Manual Testing**. 3. Under **Devices for Tests**, click **Mobile**. 4. In **Mobile Device**, select the device to emulate. Each entry shows the device name and its screen size in pixels, for example `iPhone 15 (393x852)`. SurveyTester maintains this list and updates it regularly to reflect the devices in use in the market. 5. Under **Start orientation**, choose **Portrait** or **Landscape**. 6. Click **Start Testing**. ![The Test Survey dialog in Manual Testing mode with Mobile selected under Devices for Tests, a device chosen in Mobile Device and Portrait as the start orientation](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/_img/test-surveys/testing-surveys-on-mobile-devices/en/test-survey-mobile-device.png "w=34rem") The extension opens a separate window, **SurveyTester · Mobile view**, with the survey inside a device frame of the exact screen size. The SurveyTester toolbar works as in a desktop test: you answer the survey, report issues and take screenshots in the usual way. ![The Mobile view window with a survey page in portrait orientation; the bar at the top shows device name, screen size and operating system](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/_img/test-surveys/testing-surveys-on-mobile-devices/en/mobile-view-portrait.png) > [!NOTE] > If **Devices for Tests** does not appear in the Manual Testing section, your browser extension cannot emulate devices yet. Update the [SurveyTester extension](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/en/general-queries/installing-the-surveytester-extension) to the latest version and make sure you are testing in Chrome. ### Rotate the device during the test Click **Rotate** in the bar at the top of the Mobile view to switch between portrait and landscape at any time. The bar always shows the current state: device name, width × height in pixels and the operating system (iOS or Android). If the device is taller than your window, the view is scaled down and the bar shows the zoom level – the survey itself still sees the full device size. ## Where you see the device of a test - **Test runs list.** The columns **Browser**, **Operating system** and **Device** show how each run was executed. For an emulated device, **Device** shows its name and screen size, for example `iPhone 15 (393x852)`; desktop runs show `Desktop` and the browser window size. Show the column if it is hidden in your list. - **Issues list.** Issues reported from a test run carry the same **Browser**, **Operating system** and **Device** information, with the screen size of the page on which the issue was reported. Issues entered manually have no device. - **During the test.** The bar at the top of the Mobile view shows the device name, the current width × height and the operating system. ![The test runs list with the Device column, showing an emulated phone with its screen size next to desktop runs](https://www.surveytester.com/academy/_img/test-surveys/testing-surveys-on-mobile-devices/en/test-runs-device-column.png) The same device list is available for SurveyBots: choose **Mobile** under **Devices for Tests** when you start automatic tests, and the bots run the survey on the emulated device. ## Tips and limitations > [!TIP] > **Screenshots follow the orientation.** Screenshots are captured in the orientation the device has at that moment. If you need all screenshots of a test run in portrait, start the test in **Portrait** and do not rotate. If you need both orientations, run the test twice. > [!IMPORTANT] > **Surveys that break out of frames.** The Mobile view runs the survey inside a frame. A survey that uses a mechanism to break out of frames or to open itself in a new window will probably not work in the Mobile view. In that case, contact SurveyTester support – we will look at the survey with you. ## Key takeaways - SurveyTester tests mobile layouts by emulating phones and tablets in Chrome; physical devices are not supported because mobile browsers do not run extensions. - Emulation covers what survey QA needs: responsive layout, mobile question variants, touch-friendly controls and routing. Special custom components are the exception. - Start a mobile test in **Test Survey** → **Manual Testing** → **Devices for Tests: Mobile**, pick a device and a start orientation, then click **Start Testing**. - The device of every test run and issue is recorded and shown in the **Device** column. - Screenshots are taken in the current orientation, and surveys that break out of frames need a look from support.