diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/DEPS.list b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/DEPS.list
index bc32bb8486..cfeb255af6 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/DEPS.list
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/DEPS.list
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 ./recorder/
 ./registry/
 ./trace/recorder/tracing.ts
+./chromium/crApp.ts
 
 [playwright.ts]
 ./android/
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/browserType.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/browserType.ts
index dedba5df0a..672b5a80f7 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/browserType.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/browserType.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import path from 'path';
 import type { BrowserContext } from './browserContext';
 import { normalizeProxySettings, validateBrowserContextOptions } from './browserContext';
 import type { BrowserName } from './registry';
-import { registry } from './registry';
+import { findChromiumChannel, registry } from './registry';
 import type { ConnectionTransport } from './transport';
 import { WebSocketTransport } from './transport';
 import type { BrowserOptions, Browser, BrowserProcess } from './browser';
@@ -37,8 +37,9 @@ import { existsAsync } from '../utils/fileUtils';
 import { helper } from './helper';
 import { RecentLogsCollector } from '../common/debugLogger';
 import type { CallMetadata } from './instrumentation';
-import { SdkObject } from './instrumentation';
+import { SdkObject, serverSideCallMetadata } from './instrumentation';
 import { ManualPromise } from '../utils/manualPromise';
+import { installAppIcon } from './chromium/crApp';
 
 export const kNoXServerRunningError = 'Looks like you launched a headed browser without having a XServer running.\n' +
   'Set either \'headless: true\' or use \'xvfb-run <your-playwright-app>\' before running Playwright.\n\n<3 Playwright Team';
@@ -84,6 +85,37 @@ export abstract class BrowserType extends SdkObject {
     return browser._defaultContext!;
   }
 
+  async launchApp(options: {
+    sdkLanguage: string,
+    windowSize: types.Size,
+    windowPosition?: types.Point,
+    persistentContextOptions?: Parameters<BrowserType['launchPersistentContext']>[2];
+  }) {
+    const args = [...options.persistentContextOptions?.args ?? []];
+
+    if (this._name === 'chromium') {
+      args.push(
+          '--app=data:text/html,',
+          `--window-size=${options.windowSize.width},${options.windowSize.height}`,
+          ...(options.windowPosition ? [`--window-position=${options.windowPosition.x},${options.windowPosition.y}`] : []),
+          '--test-type=',
+      );
+    }
+
+    const context = await this.launchPersistentContext(serverSideCallMetadata(), '', {
+      channel: findChromiumChannel(options.sdkLanguage),
+      noDefaultViewport: true,
+      ignoreDefaultArgs: ['--enable-automation'],
+      colorScheme: 'no-override',
+      ...options?.persistentContextOptions,
+      args,
+    });
+    const [page] = context.pages();
+    if (this._name === 'chromium')
+      await installAppIcon(page);
+    return { context, page };
+  }
+
   async _innerLaunchWithRetries(progress: Progress, options: types.LaunchOptions, persistent: channels.BrowserNewContextParams | undefined, protocolLogger: types.ProtocolLogger, userDataDir?: string): Promise<Browser> {
     try {
       return await this._innerLaunch(progress, options, persistent, protocolLogger, userDataDir);
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts
index eb09c5c1c1..a435898f26 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/recorder/recorderApp.ts
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@ import { serverSideCallMetadata } from '../instrumentation';
 import type { CallLog, EventData, Mode, Source } from '@recorder/recorderTypes';
 import { isUnderTest } from '../../utils';
 import { mime } from '../../utilsBundle';
-import { installAppIcon, syncLocalStorageWithSettings } from '../chromium/crApp';
-import { findChromiumChannel } from '../registry';
+import { syncLocalStorageWithSettings } from '../chromium/crApp';
 import type { Recorder } from '../recorder';
 import type { BrowserContext } from '../browserContext';
 
@@ -79,7 +78,6 @@ export class RecorderApp extends EventEmitter implements IRecorderApp {
   }
 
   private async _init() {
-    await installAppIcon(this._page);
     await syncLocalStorageWithSettings(this._page, 'recorder');
 
     await this._page._setServerRequestInterceptor(route => {
@@ -117,30 +115,23 @@ export class RecorderApp extends EventEmitter implements IRecorderApp {
     const sdkLanguage = inspectedContext.attribution.playwright.options.sdkLanguage;
     const headed = !!inspectedContext._browser.options.headful;
     const recorderPlaywright = (require('../playwright').createPlaywright as typeof import('../playwright').createPlaywright)({ sdkLanguage: 'javascript', isInternalPlaywright: true });
-    const args = [
-      '--app=data:text/html,',
-      '--window-size=600,600',
-      '--window-position=1020,10',
-      '--test-type=',
-    ];
-    if (process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT)
-      args.push(`--remote-debugging-port=${process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT}`);
-    const context = await recorderPlaywright.chromium.launchPersistentContext(serverSideCallMetadata(), '', {
-      channel: findChromiumChannel(sdkLanguage),
-      args,
-      noDefaultViewport: true,
-      ignoreDefaultArgs: ['--enable-automation'],
-      colorScheme: 'no-override',
-      headless: !!process.env.PWTEST_CLI_HEADLESS || (isUnderTest() && !headed),
-      useWebSocket: !!process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT,
-      handleSIGINT,
+    const { context, page } = await recorderPlaywright.chromium.launchApp({
+      sdkLanguage,
+      windowSize: { width: 600, height: 600 },
+      windowPosition: { x: 1020, y: 10 },
+      persistentContextOptions: {
+        noDefaultViewport: true,
+        headless: !!process.env.PWTEST_CLI_HEADLESS || (isUnderTest() && !headed),
+        useWebSocket: !!process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT,
+        handleSIGINT,
+        args: process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT ? [`--remote-debugging-port=${process.env.PWTEST_RECORDER_PORT}`] : [],
+      }
     });
     const controller = new ProgressController(serverSideCallMetadata(), context._browser);
     await controller.run(async progress => {
       await context._browser._defaultContext!._loadDefaultContextAsIs(progress);
     });
 
-    const [page] = context.pages();
     const result = new RecorderApp(recorder, page, context._browser.options.wsEndpoint);
     await result._init();
     return result;
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
index 3b5cf78dab..6419312a11 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/trace/viewer/traceViewer.ts
@@ -17,9 +17,8 @@
 import path from 'path';
 import fs from 'fs';
 import { HttpServer } from '../../../utils/httpServer';
-import { findChromiumChannel } from '../../registry';
 import { createGuid, gracefullyProcessExitDoNotHang, isUnderTest } from '../../../utils';
-import { installAppIcon, syncLocalStorageWithSettings } from '../../chromium/crApp';
+import { syncLocalStorageWithSettings } from '../../chromium/crApp';
 import { serverSideCallMetadata } from '../../instrumentation';
 import { createPlaywright } from '../../playwright';
 import { ProgressController } from '../../progress';
@@ -131,35 +130,26 @@ export async function openTraceViewerApp(traceUrls: string[], browserName: strin
   const { url } = await startTraceViewerServer(traceUrls, options);
   const traceViewerPlaywright = createPlaywright({ sdkLanguage: 'javascript', isInternalPlaywright: true });
   const traceViewerBrowser = isUnderTest() ? 'chromium' : browserName;
-  const args = traceViewerBrowser === 'chromium' ? [
-    '--app=data:text/html,',
-    '--window-size=1280,800',
-    '--test-type=',
-  ] : [];
 
-  const context = await traceViewerPlaywright[traceViewerBrowser as 'chromium'].launchPersistentContext(serverSideCallMetadata(), '', {
+  const { context, page } = await traceViewerPlaywright[traceViewerBrowser as 'chromium'].launchApp({
     // TODO: store language in the trace.
-    channel: findChromiumChannel(traceViewerPlaywright.options.sdkLanguage),
-    args,
-    noDefaultViewport: true,
-    headless: options?.headless,
-    ignoreDefaultArgs: ['--enable-automation'],
-    colorScheme: 'no-override',
-    useWebSocket: isUnderTest(),
-    ...options?.persistentContextOptions,
+    sdkLanguage: traceViewerPlaywright.options.sdkLanguage,
+    windowSize: { width: 1280, height: 800 },
+    persistentContextOptions: {
+      ...options?.persistentContextOptions,
+      useWebSocket: isUnderTest(),
+      headless: options?.headless,
+    },
   });
 
   const controller = new ProgressController(serverSideCallMetadata(), context._browser);
   await controller.run(async progress => {
     await context._browser._defaultContext!._loadDefaultContextAsIs(progress);
   });
-  const [page] = context.pages();
 
   if (process.env.PWTEST_PRINT_WS_ENDPOINT)
     process.stderr.write('DevTools listening on: ' + context._browser.options.wsEndpoint + '\n');
 
-  if (traceViewerBrowser === 'chromium')
-    await installAppIcon(page);
   if (!isUnderTest())
     await syncLocalStorageWithSettings(page, 'traceviewer');