# Phone Harness lets AI agents drive a real iPhone or a rented one in the cloud > Source: > Published: 2026-11-04 17:53:20+00:00 # Phone Harness lets AI agents drive a real iPhone or a rented one in the cloud **Solo founder Shawn Pana, previously on growth at Browser Use, is selling agents persistent cloud phones after open-sourcing the harness for personal devices.** By [Ryan Merket](https://runtimewire.com/author/ryan-merket) · Published · Updated Primary source: [x.com](https://x.com/shawn_pana/status/2118010388621000770) ## Why it matters Phone Harness attacks the gap between browser agents and native mobile apps, where logged-in sessions, real phone numbers and SMS 2FA still block automation. Persistent cloud iPhones and Androids give Pana a rental business and put spending, messaging and identity actions inside an agent's reach. Shawn Pana ([@shawn_pana](https://x.com/shawn_pana)) launched Phone Harness on November 4th [in a thread on X](https://x.com/shawn_pana/status/2118010388621000770). He pitched it as a way for AI agents to use a personal iPhone or Android, or a hosted phone in the cloud, to test mobile apps, send messages, make calls and retrieve two-factor authentication codes. Pana is the solo founder and CEO of Phone Harness, which he lists as a Y Combinator Fall 2026 company.… When you purchase through links in our articles, [we may earn a small commission](https://runtimewire.com/affiliate-monetization-standards). This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.