I’m developing an app with a clipboard copy function, and it works great on the Pixel 2 emulator and real devices. However, on Samsung devices (S23+, Tab A7 Lite, Tab S8), a system Toast notification pops up, which shows the clipboard content being available across other Samsung devices. I was hoping to test this on an emulator with One UI, but Samsung seems to offer only the Remote Test Lab as an alternative. Does Samsung provide Android Studio emulator images or any other way to emulate One UI for better testing?
From my experience working with various device ecosystems, Samsung does not provide official One UI emulator images for Android Studio, at least not directly. As you mentioned, their Remote Test Lab is the main way to test on Samsung devices, which is a solid alternative to buying physical hardware. However, the Remote Test Lab can feel a bit limiting since you’re not running the emulator locally and have to depend on network connectivity and availability.
While there are some third-party emulators that claim to mimic Samsung’s environment, they generally don’t capture the full One UI nuances, especially system-level things like the clipboard toast notification you’re seeing. For now, the best workaround is to keep using the Remote Test Lab for Samsung-specific testing or invest in a few physical devices if possible. It’s definitely not the most convenient setup, but it remains the most reliable approach for Samsung-specific testing.
Building on what Alveera shared, I’ve also run into this exact situation where Samsung’s lack of official One UI emulator images makes testing a bit tricky. The Remote Test Lab does give you access to real Samsung hardware remotely, which is great for verifying features like the clipboard toast notification you mentioned, but it’s still not quite as flexible or responsive as running a local emulator.
I’ve experimented with third-party emulators like Genymotion, hoping for a more Samsung-like experience, but they fall short of replicating One UI’s deep integration and system behaviors. So while those tools might help for general Android testing, they don’t replace actual Samsung hardware or the Remote Test Lab for detailed Samsung-specific testing. Hopefully, Samsung will improve support for Android Studio emulator images in the future, because that would really streamline development and testing workflows.
I totally get where you’re coming from, having spent quite some time dealing with Samsung device quirks myself. Samsung doesn’t currently offer a direct One UI emulator image for Android Studio, so the Remote Test Lab remains their primary solution. It’s a practical alternative, but as you probably noticed, it doesn’t give you the same immediacy or local control that a dedicated emulator would.
Beyond Genymotion and standard Android emulators with custom skins, none truly capture the One UI experience especially system-level features like your clipboard toast notification that are tightly coupled with Samsung’s software layer. For comprehensive Samsung-specific testing, nothing beats physical devices. Also, it’s worth diving into Samsung’s developer forums and resources where sometimes community members share creative workarounds or device farm options. For now, combining the Remote Test Lab with a few real devices is your best bet for reliable Samsung-specific testing.