QConnect
Overview
QConnect lets you connect a device you have reserved on pCloudy to the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) on your own computer, over a secure tunnel. Once connected, the cloud device behaves like a locally attached device: you can run any adb command against it — install builds, read logcat, run a shell, and point your local Appium/automation at it — without the device being physically on your desk.
It is secured by session ownership and IP allowlisting: the QConnect CLI validates your pCloudy access key, confirms the device reservation is yours, and allowlists your machine’s IP for that session before opening the tunnel.
Pre-requisite
- A registered pCloudy account with access to Functional Experience (Real Devices).
- ADB installed on your machine
- The Android SDK platform-tools, and adb available on your system PATH (check with adb version).
- Network access from your machine to the pCloudy tunnel host (so the allowlisted ADB-over-TCP connection can be made).
Important - First time you connect, accept the RSA prompt on the device. When the QConnect tunnel starts, the device shows an “Allow USB debugging?” prompt with the computer’s RSA key fingerprint. In the pCloudy live view, tick “Always allow from this computer” and tap Allow. If this prompt isn’t accepted, the connect command fails with a “failed to authenticate” error — this is the most common first-time issue.
How it works
Four things happen end-to-end:
- You reserve a device and establish the QConnect tunnel from the session (this starts ADB-over-TCP for that device).
- You download the small QConnect CLI for your operating system and run the connect command it gives you.
- Note:QConnect CLI file appears based on user using OS
- The CLI authenticates with your access key, checks the reservation, allowlists your IP, and runs adb connect
<host:port>for you. - Your local adb now talks to the cloud device through the tunnel host and port, so normal adb commands work.
Step-by-step guide
Step 1 — Connect a device
Log in to pCloudy, go to Functional Experience → Real Devices, select an Android device, and start the session so the device opens in the device view.
Step 2 — Open the QConnect tab and establish the tunnel
In the right-hand panel of the session, open the QConnect tab (next to Logs and ADB). Click Establish QConnect Tunnel. This starts ADB over TCP for the device; the live stream may refresh briefly while the device switches mode. When it is ready the button shows QConnect Tunnel Established and the Connection status reads active.
Note - As the tunnel comes up, watch the device stream for the “Allow USB debugging?” RSA prompt and accept it — tick “Always allow from this computer”, then tap Allow. If you skip it, the connect command in Step 5 returns “failed to authenticate”.
Step 3 — Download the CLI
Under Download CLI, pick the build for your operating system (for example Windows x64) and download it. Note where it saves — typically your Downloads folder.
The Download CLI panel detects the operating system of the machine you are browsing from and lists only the matching build(s), so you always see the right download for your platform:
- Windows — shows a single Windows x64 build (see the screenshot in Step 2).
- MacOS — shows two builds, macOS Apple Silicon and macOS Intel — pick the one matching your Mac's chip.
- Linux — shows a single Linux x64 build.
Step 4 — Open a terminal in the CLI’s folder
Open a terminal (Command Prompt / PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS or Linux) and change to the folder where the CLI was downloaded, e.g.:
cd C:\Users\<you>\Downloads
Step 5 — Copy and run the connect command
In the Copy And Run This Command box, click the copy icon and paste the command into your terminal, then press Enter. The displayed access key is masked as **, but Copy uses your real key, so you do not need to type it.
The command has this shape:
QConnect-windows-amd64.exe connect <SESSION_ID> \
--email="<your-pcloudy-email>" \
--access-key="<your-access-key>" \
--cloud-url="https://<your-cloud>.pcloudy.com"
The CLI then connects ADB to the device for you:
adb connect tunnel-stg.pcloudy.com:5518
connected to tunnel-stg.pcloudy.com:5518
Important - Your access key is a secret.
Step 6 — Verify the connection
Confirm the device is attached with:
adb devices -l
The tunneled device appears with state device (online). You may also see a second offline entry on a different port for the same device if you have not disconnected the device in earlier session.
Step 7 — Use ADB / install apps / run automation
You can now drive the device with normal adb commands — install builds, capture logs, open a shell, or point your local Appium server at it.
Connection details (reference)
The QConnect panel shows everything you need for the command and for targeting the device:
| Field | Example | What is it |
|---|---|---|
| Session | 2346022 | Your reservation / session id — the value after connect in the command. |
| Host | tunnel-stg.pcloudy.com | The tunnel host your ADB connects through. |
| Port | 5518 | The tunnel port assigned to this device. |
| ADB Address | tunnel-stg.pcloudy.com:5518 | Host:port to use with adb -s <address> to target this device. |
Command reference
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
connect <SESSION_ID> | The session/reservation id from the Connection panel (e.g. 2346022). |
| Your pCloudy login email. | |
| Your pCloudy API access key (from your profile; masked in the UI, real key used on Copy). | |
| Your pCloudy cloud URL, e.g. https://ios-stg.pcloudy.com (use your account’s cloud). |
Note - The CLI file name depends on your OS (for example QConnect-windows-amd64.exe). Prefer the in-app Copy command, which already matches your platform and fills in your details.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause & fix |
|---|---|
| adb install / shell fails with “more than one device/emulator” | More than one adb entry is connected (often the online device plus an offline tunnel entry). Target the device explicitly: adb -s tunnel-stg.pcloudy.com:5518 install app.apk. Alternatively run adb kill-server and reconnect. |
| An “offline” device appears alongside the online one | You have not disconnected the device from the earlier session |
| The live stream refreshes when establishing the tunnel | Expected — the device briefly switches into ADB-over-TCP mode. |
| Connection fails or is unauthorized | Make sure the session is still active (not released or idle-timed out) and that you are on the same network/IP that was allowlisted; if your IP changed, re-establish the tunnel. |
| “adb’ is not recognized” | Install the Android SDK platform-tools and add adb to your system PATH, then reopen the terminal. |
Notes & tips
- The tunnel is tied to your reservation and your IP; releasing the device or the session ending closes it. Re-establish QConnect if you reconnect or your IP changes.
- Keep your access key private. The portal masks it as ******** and Copy injects the real value — avoid pasting it into shared places.
- Target the device with
-s <ADB address>whenever an extra (offline) entry is present, to avoid the “more than one device” error. - QConnect uses ADB, so it applies to Android devices.
Limitations
- Once you start QConnect, you cannot use the Object Spy and Wildnet features. This is because of network constraints
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