What this means

Some Android games use OS-level or app-level protections that block screen share or screen recording. When that happens, we may not be able to record gameplay or support screen sharing in a moderated playtest for that build. PlaytestCloud may show a black screen instead of gameplay, or a message like "App content hidden from screen share for security."

This isn't caused by PlaytestCloud. The game or Android is blocking the content from being captured.

Why this happens

You'll usually see this with Google Play builds that use anti-capture protections like FLAG_SECURE, or with games that rely on Android's newer screen share protections for sensitive content.

While still rare, we're seeing this happen more often in playtests on Android 15 and newer. FLAG_SECURE has been around for years, but Android 15 adds broader screen share protections at the OS level, which means more Android games can block screen recording and sharing than before.

What to do before your playtest

If you're preparing a build for PlaytestCloud, don't enable screen share or secure-content protection in the test build you send us. These protections are designed to block capture, which also blocks the gameplay recording and screen sharing needed for your playtest.

If you're testing a competitor title or any other game that you can't repackage or reconfigure, the easiest workaround may be to test the iOS version instead, if one is available. In that case, use the App Store build you have access to.

If you're testing your own live game, you may also be able to use a TestFlight build instead. This can be a good fallback when the Android version uses capture protections that interfere with PlaytestCloud.

How to check a build

If you think the game might be using one of these protections, here's how to check before your playtest on a physical Android device.

Whichever option you use, don't just confirm that the game starts and records. These protections can be applied to specific screens only (like payment, account linking, or settings), while the rest of the game records normally. Play through the exact flows you care about for your playtest, end to end, and check that each of them shows up in the recording.

Option 1: Use Bring-Your-Own-Players (BYOP) in PlaytestCloud

If you already use Bring-Your-Own-Players (BYOP), this is the closest real-world check. Set up a BYOP playtest, invite yourself, play through the flows you plan to test, and confirm each of them is visible in the recording.

Install the exact build you plan to test on a physical Android device.
Join a Google Meet, Zoom, or similar screen share session from that Android device and from a second device, like a laptop.
Start screen share on Android.
Open the game and play through the key moments you want recorded, like the loading flow, tutorial, first level, or store.
Watch the shared view on the second device.

If the second device shows the gameplay, the build is likely fine for PlaytestCloud. If it shows a black screen, frozen content, or a security message instead of gameplay, the build isn't suitable in its current form.

Option 3: Use a third-party screen recording app

Start a third-party Android screen recording app and play through each of the flows you plan to test. If any of them show up as a black screen, frozen content, or a security message instead of gameplay, you should expect the same flows to cause problems in PlaytestCloud.

The one exception is Android's built-in screen recorder. On Android 15, Google's default system screen recorder is exempt from some screen share protections, so it can look fine even when other capture methods would still fail. If you want the closest end-to-end check, use BYOP or a live screen share flow.