One fix, checked on both phones
Codex's two plugins work differently on iOS and Android. Argent gives the agent the same tools on the iOS simulator and the Android emulator, so checking one fix stays one conversation.
Argent vs. Codex iOS and Android plugins
You added OpenAI's Build iOS Apps and Test Android Apps plugins to Codex. It now runs and debugs your app on the iOS simulator and taps through it on an Android emulator. Then a screen comes back empty, and nobody knows if the request even succeeded.
Argent runs inside Codex too, with one set of tools for iOS and Android. It also reads your app's network requests on iOS, drives real phones and saves tests.
Based on OpenAI's Codex documentation, the openai/plugins repository and Argent's documentation, checked October 20, 2026.
What OpenAI's plugins already do well
If you work in Codex, both plugins install from its plugin list at no cost, and a few of their skills have no Argent equivalent.
- SwiftUI craft, not only testing
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Build iOS Apps has skills for SwiftUI patterns, view refactoring, Liquid Glass adoption and App Intents. They help Codex write the app, not just check it.
- Live previews inside Codex
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Edit a view in a Swift package and the preview hot-reloads in a simulator mirrored in Codex's in-app browser.
- Nothing else to install
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Both plugins come from Codex's own plugin list. For basic simulator and emulator checks on a native app, that can be a better fit than adding another tool.
One toolkit or two plugins: Argent and Codex compared
OpenAI splits mobile work into two plugins: Build iOS Apps and Test Android Apps. Where they differ, the right column says which plugin does what.
| Feature | Argent | Codex iOS and Android plugins |
|---|---|---|
| Coding agents | Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and any agent that runs shell commands | Codex CLI and the ChatGPT desktop app. The IDE extension does not support plugins |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Electron and Chromium apps | iOS (Build iOS Apps) and Android (Test Android Apps) |
| Devices | iOS simulators, physical iPhones over USB, Android emulators and phones | The iOS Simulator and Android emulators. No physical iPhones |
| Driving the app | The same tools on iOS and Android: taps, swipes, pinches, typing and hardware buttons, aimed from the accessibility tree, with screenshots on demand | iOS: taps, typing and swipes through XcodeBuildMCP. Android: adb shell commands for taps, swipes, text and the UI tree |
| SwiftUI previews | Not included | Hot-reloads previews from Swift packages in a simulator mirrored in the Codex in-app browser |
| Debugging | The native view tree on the iOS simulator. No breakpoint debugger | iOS: simulator logs and LLDB breakpoints. Android: logcat |
| Network requests | Request URLs and status codes of your app on the iOS simulator, with no proxy or certificate. Not in Flutter apps yet | Not included in either plugin |
| Profiling | Xcode Instruments on iOS, read for the agent as a list of problems with suggested fixes. Perfetto on Android, with the UI freezes it found | iOS: ETTrace profiles and memgraph leak checks. Android: Simpleperf, Perfetto, frame stats and heap dumps |
| Repeatable tests | Recorded YAML flows with optional screenshot checks, replayed by the agent or in CI | Runs your existing XCTest tests on iOS. No recorded flows |
Sources: learn.chatgpt.com Codex use cases, the openai/plugins repository (build-ios-apps and test-android-apps), docs.swmansion.com/argent. Checked October 20, 2026.
Built for AI agents
“My favourite thing is developing from my phone using Argent — I ask it to create a video after changes, view it from my phone, and keep iterating ;-)”
Built by Software Mansion
We are Software Mansion: we help our clients build software across mobile, web, and beyond, from native iOS and Android to cross-platform apps, open-source projects, and developer tools.
What Argent adds to a Codex session
Is it the screen or the server?
An empty list can be a layout bug or a failed request. On the iOS simulator, Argent shows Codex each request's status code, so it checks the server before rewriting views.
It only happens on a real phone
Build iOS Apps stops at the simulator. Argent also drives a physical iPhone over USB and Android phones over adb.
A path that works, saved as a test
Ask Codex to record a flow that works, and Argent saves it as a test that Codex and your CI can rerun after every change.
Codex mobile testing, answered
Let Argent test the app.
Argent tests your app on iOS and Android with one set of tools, in Codex or any other agent. It also drives real phones, reads network requests and saves tests. Argent Cloud adds hosted iOS simulators.
npx @swmansion/argent init
Features checked October 20, 2026, from learn.chatgpt.com, the openai/plugins repository, argent.swmansion.com and docs.swmansion.com/argent. Codex and ChatGPT are trademarks of OpenAI. React Native, Swift, SwiftUI, Expo, Android, and Flutter are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Use of these names does not imply endorsement.