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Discover & open apps

You can find apps on the Polkadot Products Devnet in Browse, open them by their .dot domain, or follow a dev-dot.li link in any browser. If you don't have the Polkadot app yet, Get the app has the Android, iOS and desktop downloads. Without it, the web gateway at https://dev-dot.li opens apps in a browser.

Ways to reach an app

  • Browse: the app directory at https://browse.dev-dot.li. Search and pick from the list.
  • A .dot domain: each published app has a name such as calculator.dot. On the desktop app you can type it into the address bar. The mobile app has no general address bar, so on mobile you open apps from Browse or by following a .dot / .dev-dot.li link.
  • A dev-dot.li link: the web gateway serves each app at https://<name>.dev-dot.li (for example https://calculator.dev-dot.li). Open it in an ordinary browser.

Find apps in Browse

Browse lists the apps currently published on the network. You can't publish an app from Browse, but when you are signed in you can recommend (attest to) and bookmark apps.

  1. Open https://browse.dev-dot.li, or find Browse inside the Polkadot app.
  2. Use search and categories to narrow the list. Each app shows a name, description and icon.
  3. Some cards carry certificate badges. Treat them as extra context. On a devnet they are not a reason to be less careful.
  4. Select a card to open the app.

Browse reads the Devnet publishing registry and the names attached to published apps. App discovery (Browse) explains how.

Open an app by its .dot domain

On the desktop app you can go straight to a name:

  1. Type the app's name, for example calculator.dot, into the address bar.
  2. The app resolves the name, fetches the app bundle and opens it in a sandboxed webview.

The mobile app has no general address bar. On mobile, open the app from Browse or follow a link instead. In an ordinary web browser, use the gateway form of the same name: https://calculator.dev-dot.li.

When a name does not resolve

The gateway resolves names in the browser, so every <name>.dev-dot.li address first serves the same Polkadot loader shell. A typo, an unpublished name and a working app look the same until resolution completes. If the shell never hands over to an app, check the spelling, then look the name up in https://browse.dev-dot.li. A name that is not listed there is not published.

Apps to try

These apps are deployed on the Devnet:

App Open .dot name What it does
Calculator https://calculator.dev-dot.li calculator.dot A basic calculator
Stopwatch https://stopwatch.dev-dot.li stopwatch.dot A stopwatch
Countdown Timer https://countdown-timer.dev-dot.li countdown-timer.dot Counts down from a time you set
Alarm Clock https://alarm-clock.dev-dot.li alarm-clock.dot Rings at the time you set
Chess Clock https://chess-clock.dev-dot.li chess-clock.dot Two clocks for a two-player game; tap to pass the turn
Unit Converter https://unit-converter.dev-dot.li unit-converter.dot Converts units, such as metres to feet

What happens when you open an app

When you open an app, the Polkadot app (or the web gateway) resolves the name, fetches the app's content and runs it in a sandbox. If the app needs accounts, signing, chain access or payments, it has to ask the Polkadot app or the gateway for them.

Two things follow from that:

  • Each app is isolated. It cannot read another app's data or reach your keys directly.
  • You approve every action. When an app needs a signature or a payment, the Polkadot app shows you a prompt, and your key signs only after you approve. Your recovery phrase and private keys never leave your device.

Inside the Polkadot app, opening one app from another stays inside the Polkadot app. In a plain browser, the same action opens the other app at its https://<name>.dev-dot.li address.

Learn more

Last update: October 28, 2026
| Created: July 16, 2026