Limitations
What Droidline cannot do because it uses only ordinary app permissions, with the workaround where there is one.
Droidline uses three permissions any app can ask for: an accessibility service, an input method and a VPN. It does not use ADB, root or Shizuku. Some things are impossible that way, and it is better to know them before you plan.
| Limitation | What happens | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Screens another app does not export | launch with an activity fails with ACTIVITY_BLOCKED | Launch the app and navigate with touch |
| Lock screens with a PIN, pattern or password | wake turns the screen on but cannot unlock | Remove the lock on unattended phones |
| One-time codes in notifications, Android 15 and later | The code arrives masked | Use the notification as a signal and read the code in the app |
| Games and custom UIs without accessibility nodes | touch cannot find elements | tap(x, y) and color(x, y) |
| Some WebViews and web pages in Chrome | The tree may be incomplete | Prefer text and desc, fall back to coordinates |
kill, clear_data, data, wifi, airplane | They open Settings and press buttons: a few seconds each, and labels differ between brands and languages | Report a MACRO_FAILED with your model and language |
clear_data on apps with their own storage screen | Apps such as Chrome show Manage space instead of Clear storage; the call fails with step manage_space | Clear the data inside the app |
| Key codes, typed text, clipboard reading | Need the Droidline keyboard as the current input method, otherwise NO_IME | Select it once in the app's Setup tab |
| Per-app proxy | Android 10 or later, one upstream per phone, no other VPN app at the same time | Run tunnels on the PC, not the phone |
| Apps that ignore the system proxy | They lose network access while the proxy is on, instead of leaking around it | None; the alternative would leak |
| Screenshots on Android 9 and 10 | Ask once for screen capture permission | Allow it once |
Installing or uninstalling apps, adb shell, instrumentation tests | Not possible without ADB | Use ADB-based tools for those jobs |
| Google Play | The app is distributed as an APK on GitHub Releases | Sideload; the app tells you about updates |
Android 13 and later
For apps installed from a file, Android greys out the accessibility switch until you open the app's App info screen, tap the three-dot menu and choose Allow restricted settings. The same applies to notification access. The app's Setup tab shows where.
Brands that stop background apps
Some manufacturers close apps in the background more aggressively than Android itself. Set battery optimization to not restricted and allow Droidline in any brand-specific sleeping-apps or auto-launch settings. The app reconnects by itself when it is restarted.