So I’ve been using Firebase Studio (IDX) — the new all-in-one cloud dev environment from Google — and while it’s super smooth on desktop, I’ve gotta say: on mobile and tablet, it’s a whole different story.
It’s supposed to work “on any device, in the browser.” But… does it really?
Here’s what I’ve personally run into (on Android, can’t speak for iOS):
Mobile Experience – Pretty Much Broken
- UI isn’t responsive at all:
Sure, you can see the code editor — but the preview pane? It’s shoved to the far right and completely off-screen.
You can’t scroll sideways to access it, so it’s just… gone.
- Terminal works — kind of:
It shows output, but you can’t scroll through it normally.
Want to copy something from it? Good luck — standard long-press doesn’t work.
You have to tap the three dots > “Selection” and then awkwardly use those buttons to select/copy text.
- Code editor isn’t mobile-friendly:
You can’t hold-to-select like you would with any other text area on Android.
Also, pasting code directly from your clipboard causes weird indentation glitches — more lines = more unwanted spaces.
Oddly, if you use the “Paste” option that shows up from the right-click menu, the issue disappears. Still, it’s a real problem.
Tablet Experience – Better Layout, Same Problems
On a bigger screen, layout-wise, it looks okay.
But all the same functional issues are still there: broken text selection, terminal limitations, etc.
It honestly feels like Firebase Studio is being developed with only desktop users in mind, and mobile/tablet support is an afterthought — even though the whole pitch is that it’s “universal” and browser-based.
Would love to know if anyone else is seeing these issues — or has found workarounds?
Just wanted to bring this up in case the team isn’t aware. This tool has huge potential, but it needs some serious love on non-desktop devices.