Phone use
Phone use is an AI agent using the apps on a phone to finish tasks, opening the same apps a person would. AGI, Inc. brings phone use to a person's own Android phone, where their apps and accounts are already signed in, through the AGI app and the AGI MCP.
Not to be confused with AI phone agents, which answer and make phone calls.
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Related terms
Mobile use
Mobile use is an AI agent's ability to operate the apps on a phone or tablet and finish tasks for a person.
Agentic commerce
Agentic commerce is shopping that an AI agent completes for a person, from finding the item to checkout, with the person approving the payment.
Accessibility service (Android)
An accessibility service is an Android feature that lets an app you approve read the screen and act in other apps on your behalf.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants and agents connect to outside tools and data.
Also called | Phone-use agents. Closely related to mobile use |
|---|---|
Where it runs | The person's own phone, a cloud phone or an emulator |
AGI's approach | The person's own Android phone, with their apps and accounts already signed in |
User control | Acts only on tasks the user starts and confirms before anything financial |
For developers | The AGI MCP connects an MCP client to the apps on a phone |
Try it | The AGI app on Google Play |
What can phone use do?
Phone use helps most when a task lives inside an app rather than on a website. Tasks people hand to a phone-use agent include:
Ordering dinner, booking a ride or sending a message in the apps already on the phone
Finishing a task that spans two apps, such as finding a playlist in Messages and playing it on Spotify
Working in apps that have no API, such as insurance or airline apps
Shopping up to checkout, then waiting for the person to confirm the payment
Testing an app on a real phone during development, through the AGI MCP
Where does a phone-use agent run?
There are three common setups. On the person's own phone, the agent uses the apps and accounts that are already signed in, and the person's notifications arrive on the same device. A cloud phone is a dedicated device in a data center that the agent controls on its own, and it starts with no accounts. An emulator is a virtual phone on a computer, useful during development, though some apps block emulators and some bugs only show up on real hardware.
Your own phone | Cloud phone | Emulator | |
|---|---|---|---|
Apps and accounts | Already installed and signed in | Set up for the agent | Set up for the agent |
Phone alerts | The person's own | The cloud phone's only | The emulator's only |
Real-device behavior | Yes | Yes | Partly, some apps block emulators |
Best for | Personal tasks on the person's accounts | Agents that run apart from a person's phone | Testing apps during development |
How do you stay in control of an agent on your phone?
The AGI app acts only on tasks the user starts, and touching the screen pauses it right away. Android asks the user to allow the app's accessibility service, and the user can turn it off at any time in settings. There is always a confirmation step before anything financial goes through. The app does not record calls and does not change settings without permission.
How do developers give an agent phone use?
Through MCP. The AGI MCP connects an MCP client such as Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to a real Android phone, and the agent can then use any app installed on it. There are no integrations to build and nothing to configure per app. Setup takes about a minute at platform.agi.tech, and one client can connect to several phones.
FAQ
Is phone use the same as mobile use?
They overlap. Mobile use is the broader category for agents that operate phones and tablets. Phone use usually means an agent working on a specific phone, often the person's own, where their apps and accounts are already signed in.
Does a phone-use agent need its own phone?
No. An agent can work on the person's own phone, where their apps and accounts are already in place. Some setups give each agent a dedicated cloud phone instead, which starts with no accounts and needs its own logins.
Can the agent pay for something without asking?
Not with the AGI app. It always asks for confirmation before anything financial goes through, and it acts only on tasks the user starts.
How do I stop the agent?
Touch the screen to pause it right away. You can also turn off its accessibility service at any time in Android settings, which stops the agent from acting on the phone.
Is phone use the same as an AI phone agent?
No. An AI phone agent answers or makes phone calls, usually for a business. Phone use means an AI agent that operates the apps on a phone to finish a task.
