Scheduling with Automation
Run a script by itself at the time you choose, on one or several devices, with the Automation page.
Last reviewed 2 November 2026
By the end of this page one of your scripts will start by itself, at a regular interval or at a fixed time, on the phone or phones you choose. ⏱ 10 minutes
Before you start
- A script that already works when you run it by hand: see Your first script. The scheduler runs exactly the same files.
- A connected device, authorised (USB debugging) and Free.
- The Automation page visible in the sidebar. If it is missing: Settings, General Settings tab, turn on Enable automation (see Settings).
- A plan that includes the scheduler: according to the site's comparison, that is Basic and above (see Pricing).
The idea in three sentences
A scheduled task links three things: a script, a time and devices. Every 10 seconds, a small program (the scheduler) checks which tasks are due and starts them. You can follow what happens on the page itself and in the Console.
The scheduler only runs while AppsMobs is open
Tasks only start while AppsMobs is open (minimised to the taskbar is fine). If you close the app or the PC goes to sleep, missed runs are not caught up: they are simply lost. For an overnight task, keep the PC on with the app open, and turn off Windows sleep.
Create your first task
- 1
Open Automation
Click Automation in the sidebar. The Scheduler on badge should show at the top right (mark 1). If it says Scheduler stopped, click the badge to open its info window, then Restart the scheduler; or restart AppsMobs.
1Scheduler on2New task3Filters: All, Active, Paused, To check4Task menu (Edit, Duplicate, Delete...)5Run now6On switch7Next 24 hours8Device status A three-step banner (Pick a script, Choose when, Choose where) sums up the idea. Click Got it to hide it.
- 2
Click New task
Click New task (mark 2), or press N. A New scheduled task window opens with three settings (marks 1 to 3). The sentence at the bottom (mark 4) tells you exactly what will happen.
1Which script?2When?3Which devices?4Summary sentence - 3
1. Which script?
Under Which script?, pick a script from the list (use Search a script to find one). The list shows the
.pyfiles of your scripts folder.If you read "No Python script found. Create one in the Playground first.", your folder is empty: create a script with the Playground.
- 4
2. When?
Pick one of the five modes:
Mode What it does Regularly Every N minutes or hours (from 1 minute to 7 days) Every day Once a day, at the chosen time Some days At a chosen time, on Weekdays, Weekend or All Once At a precise date and time, in the future Advanced A 5-field cron rule (minute, hour, day, month, weekday) Regularly runs are aligned on the clock from midnight: "every 15 minutes" means 14:00, 14:15, 14:30... not "15 minutes after you click". The Next runs list shows the next computed dates: check it.
- 5
3. On which devices?
Pick Any free device or These devices. Details are in the Several devices section below. For a first try, keep Any free device with 1 device.
- 6
Read the sentence, then create the task
The bottom sentence reads for example: ""farm.py" will run every 30 minutes on one free device. First run: today 14:30 (in 12 min)." If it says what you want, click Create the task (or Save when editing an existing task).
You are done when the task appears under Scheduled tasks, with the Active status and its Next run.
- 7
Try it without waiting
On your task's card, click Run now (mark 5). The task starts within 10 seconds and the schedule does not change. Open the task menu and choose See the details in the Console to follow the script output.
You are done when the card shows Running on your device, then "Last run succeeded".
Several devices
The On which devices? setting decides where the task runs.
At each run, AppsMobs takes free devices: connected and not already running a script. Busy devices are skipped.
- How many devices at once: the number of devices taken at each run (1, 2, 3...).
- Rotate: use a different device on each run: when ticked, AppsMobs cycles through the free devices instead of always taking the first ones. Handy to spread the load across several phones.
- If fewer devices are free than the number requested, the run does not happen and counts as a failure (see below).
You tick the devices you want. The script runs on each of them. A device that is busy or unplugged at run time is skipped for that run; if none is available, the run fails.
What the scheduler code really does
- When a task targets several devices, the script is started on them one after the other, not all at once. Add up the duration of all the runs.
- A script started by a task is cut off after 5 minutes and the run then counts as a failure. For a longer script, start it by hand from the Dashboard.
- How many devices your license allows in parallel depends on your plan (1, 2, 5 or 10); see License, plans and account.
Manage your tasks
Each card in the Scheduled tasks list offers:
- Run now: starts within 10 seconds, without changing the schedule.
- The On switch: pauses or re-enables. A Paused task does not start until you switch it back on.
- The ⋮ menu: Edit, Duplicate, Delete and See the details in the Console. Delete only removes the task: the script is kept.
The All / Active / Paused / To check filters and the Search a task field help you find a task. On the right, Next 24 hours draws your upcoming runs, Devices shows each device (Free, Busy, Error, Disconnected) and Activity lists starts and errors (the Problems filter shows only issues).
Four indicators sum it up: Next run, Active tasks, Free devices, Success rate.
3 failures in a row: the task stops
After three failures in a row, a task stops by itself so it does not loop on an error. It shows "Stopped after 3 failures in a row" with the last error, under the To check filter. Fix the cause (device unplugged, script error...), then click Turn back on. A success resets the counter.
It does not work?
| Message or symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Scheduler stopped" | The scheduling program stopped (it normally restarts by itself) | Restart the scheduler, or restart AppsMobs |
| "Automation engine unavailable" | This build has no Python engine | Reinstall the latest version (Installation) |
| "No Python script found. Create one in the Playground first." | The scripts folder is empty | Create a script, or check the Scripts folder in Settings |
| "Choose an interval of at least 1 minute." / "The interval cannot exceed 7 days." | Interval out of range | Stay between 1 minute and 7 days |
| "This date is already past: pick a moment in the future." | Once mode with a past date | Pick a future date |
| "Pick at least one day." | No day ticked under Some days | Tick Weekdays, Weekend or All |
| "Choose at least one device." | These devices with none ticked | Tick at least one device |
| "A cron expression has 5 fields: minute hour day month weekday" | Advanced rule badly written | Write 5 fields, for example */10 8-20 * * * |
| "Stopped after 3 failures in a row" | Three failed runs | Read the last error, fix, Turn back on |
| ""Run now" needs the latest engine: restart AppsMobs." | An older engine is still running | Restart AppsMobs |
| Nothing ran overnight | AppsMobs was closed or the PC asleep | Runs are lost: see the box above |
The full list is in Troubleshooting.
What next
- Console and logs to read what your task did.
- Settings to turn automation on and set folders.
- License, plans and account for your plan's device count.