Top 4 UI Frameworks For Android Automation Testing

Top 4 Android UI Testing Frameworks List to Look For

A quote from Tim Cook says- &#8220;When you care about people&#8217;s happiness and productivity, you give them what brings out the best in them and their creativity. And if you give them a choice, they&#8217;ll say, &#8216;I want an iPhone,&#8217; or &#8216;I want a Mac.&#8217; We think we can win a lot of corporate decisions at that level.&#8221; It is a fact that we all use smartphones and mobile apps on a day-to-day basis. Whether at a cafe, commuting by train, or sitting on the beach staring at the waves while surfing the Internet, we are all connected no matter where we are. And with technological advances, everything has become more straightforward andaccessible. But let&#8217;s face reality: not everything can be made better with just an engineering tweak here or there; the user experience is essential for successful applications across all platforms, and for that, we need &#8220;Automated iOS Tests.&#8221; 



This says a lot about the love for the iPhone we all have! So how do the testing community ensure that this love for iPhone and iOS apps grows manifolds with time? True! With quality testing and automation, we can ensure the iPhone provides the best experience to its loyal users.&nbsp; 



In this article, we will be looking at <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile testing</a> for iOS. More specifically, 5 types of tests that are recommended to be automated if you are doing iOS testing. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Types_of_Tests_for_Automated_iOS_Test_with_Scenarios">1 Types of Tests for Automated iOS Test (with Scenarios)</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Unit_Testing">1.1 1. Unit Testing</a><ul><li><a href="#Scenario">1.1.1 Scenario:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#2_UI_Testing">1.2 2. UI Testing</a><ul><li><a href="#Scenario-2">1.2.1 Scenario:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#3_Compatibility_Testing">1.3 3. Compatibility Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Types_of_compatibility_testing">1.4 Types of compatibility testing</a><ul><li><a href="#Scenarionbsp_nbspnbspnbspnbsp">1.4.1 Scenario:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#4_Continuous_Integration">1.5 4. Continuous Integration</a><ul><li><a href="#Scenario-3">1.5.1 Scenario:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#5_Regression_Testing">1.6 5. Regression Testing</a><ul><li><a href="#Scenario-4">1.6.1 Scenario:</a></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-types-of-tests-for-automated-ios-test-with-scenarios">Types of Tests for Automated iOS Test (with Scenarios)</h2>



<h3 id="1-unit-testing">1. Unit Testing</h3>



Unit testing is really important for an application because we test the smallest units or components in it. We test an independent module in isolation during unit testing. These are small tests where the input is provided to the small unit of the app and the output is checked against the expected values. 



Since they are small tests they can be executed quickly in less time. However, unit tests are the most ignored tests when it comes to app testing. If utilized properly they help in reducing the defects immensely because the bugs are caught at the unit level itself. 



Therefore, unit tests are the ideal candidates for automation because they execute quickly and are huge in number. Usually, the unit tests are the specific condition in a class, where the class is independent of other classes. Unit tests provide documentation of the testing at the unit level and hence during any code changes we know already which code may cause issues. 



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://developer.apple.com/swift/" target="_blank">Swift</a> is a modern and latest programming language for writing code for macOS, iOS, watchOS, etc. It is safe, fast, compatible, open-source, and easy to learn. To write Swift code we use an IDE(Integrated Development Environment) or toolkit called <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://developer.apple.com/xcode/" target="_blank">Xcode</a>, they both are backed by Apple. 



Interestingly, Xcode provides a testing framework called <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xctest" target="_blank">XCTest</a> to write unit tests, performance tests, and UI tests. The test cases are defined using the primary class &#8211; XCTestCase, while the test cases are managed and executed using the abstract base class &#8211; XCTest. 



The test cases are run and asserted(checked) against the expected results. A few of the assertions used in XCTest are:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Boolean assertions</li><li>Nil/ Non-Nil assertions</li><li>Equality assertions</li><li>Error assertions</li><li>Comparable value assertions</li></ul>



<h4 id="scenario-1">Scenario:</h4>



Rare conditions are better tested using unit testing. Example: Consider an e-commerce app that is running an offer of providing 50% off on the next order to the customer. To win this offer, the customer should have bought 1000 orders from the app. 



To test this, the tester should either manually place 1000 orders and wait if the customer receives a 50% off or not. Or just run an automated unit test to check the results are as expected.



<h3 id="2-ui-testing">2. UI Testing</h3>



User Interface testing is vital for the success of any app, be it Android or iOS. In UI testing, we test the visual behaviour of the application during user interaction. iOS-based gestures, user interactions, screen rotation, text input, buttons, etc, should work as expected on the iOS app. Unlike unit tests which are tested in isolation, UI testing is performed on the integration of the multiple classes. 



The common frameworks and tools for performing automated UI testing on iOS are &#8211; UIAutomation, <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma</a>, XCTest, MonkeyTalk, KIF, etc. 



We should automate the UI testing due to the below reasons:



1. Saves time&#8211; Manual testing is time-consuming and we want to save our precious time to do some other useful stuff like &#8211; exploratory testing, ad-hoc testing, etc.



2. Documented testing&#8211; With automation testing tools/frameworks, it is easier to have the whole testing process documented with screenshots, reports, test results, test run time, etc. We can use these documented statistics to improve the testing and application performance.



3. Testing on real devices&#8211; These automation testing tools, provide access to thousands of real devices to run test cases. Particularly in the case of iOS, we would want the test cases to be run and the application tested on actual real devices.



4. Parallel testing&#8211; Automated testing tools provide the privilege of testing the iOS app on multiple devices in parallel. This helps us in wrapping up the testing tasks quickly.



<h4 id="scenario">Scenario:</h4>



Screen orientation (portrait, landscape) related testing is really important when we are talking about UI testing. Example: A new functionality is added in a gaming iOS application and is unit tested successfully. Next, regression testing is performed on the app using an automation tool to detect any regression bugs. 



It is observed that when the layout is changed from landscape to portrait during the game then the application crashes unexpectedly. Such layout related issues can be detected during automated UI testing.



<h3 id="3-compatibility-testing">3. Compatibility Testing</h3>



During compatibility testing of an application, we check the compatibility of the application with multiple devices, hardware, software versions, network, operating systems, and browsers, etc. During backward compatibility testing we will ensure that the latest application version is compatible with the older devices/ browsers/ hardware. 



Similarly, during forward compatibility testing, we ensure that the latest application version will be compatible with the new patches and updates to the device software. 



<h3 id="types-of-compatibility-testing">Types of compatibility testing </h3>



1. Operating System



The application should work on all intended Operating Systems and their versions &#8211; Android, iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, etc. Here we are talking about iOS, so the app should work on all common iOS versions, providing backward and forward compatibility. 



2. Hardware



We would want the iOS app to work on all probable and commonly used hardware configurations like- memory, device-specific hardware, camera, etc. 



3. Software



The app should support the software components like APIs, videos, voice, images, etc. present on the device without undergoing any application crash or hanging. 



4. Browser



Safari is the native browser for all Apple products, however, we can use Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera Touch, Dolphin, etc. on an iOS device. Therefore, we would want to test all the possible alternatives of the browsers for our iOS application. 



5. Device



We would want our iOS app to be compatible with other external devices like printers, memory cards, scanners, speakers, GPS, USB devices, etc. 



6. Network



The iOS app should work well on the networks of different bandwidths, speeds, data transfer rates, etc.&nbsp; 



<h4 id="scenario-2">Scenario:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</h4>



An iOS movie streaming application should be compatible with all the Apple devices- iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod Touch, and their different versions. We can achieve this by testing the compatibility of the streaming application on all these devices using cloud-based automation tools. Such tools provide thousands of real devices to test the application. 



<h3 id="4-continuous-integration">4. Continuous Integration</h3>



The software world is following Agile and DevOps rigorously today. We cannot think about software development without these, and therefore it is imperative to have mobile app testing follow suite. Continuous Integration helps in providing early feedback, quick delivery, and better quality without any manual intervention. 



CI/CD pipeline works on the strong base of various automation tools. We are using Jenkins and other CI/CD tools to trigger testing whenever a new build is pushed in <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/web-application-development/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">web application development</a>. 



How do we achieve the same impact in mobile app testing?&nbsp; Many automation tools support integration with Jenkins to provide the Continuous Integration and testing of the iOS app. E.g. Testsigma



Read more details and benefits of Continuous Integration and Testing <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-continuous-testing-supercharges-your-automation-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">here</a>. 



<h4 id="scenario-3">Scenario:</h4>



Continuous testing requires help from automated tools like &#8211; GitHub as a repository, Jenkins as CI tool, XCTest for unit testing, etc. CI/CD helps in delivering applications more frequently by the use of extensive automation throughout the application development cycle. 



Whenever a piece of code is pushed in the repository the unit tests are supposed to run automatically. We cannot think of CI/CD without automation tools. For example, the security of the iOS application, signing the application code with proper certificates and entitlements can be taken care of by automation easily.



<h3 id="5-regression-testing">5. Regression Testing</h3>



During software development, regression testing has always been the best candidate for automation. We do not want our application to break after new enhancements and feature development. So how can we ensure that the app is intact and in great shape? By running automated regression tests after every change. 



By automating the regression tests we can run them in the nightly cycle without manual intervention when everyone is off work. This helps in reducing the testing time and provides faster delivery of the software. The same holds for iOS apps. E.g., We can use XCode’s XCTest to perform regression test cases.



Proper maintenance of the regression suite- by adding relevant test cases and removing the obsolete test cases is required. This way we can benefit from the automated regression test cases to the maximum. 



<h4 id="scenario-4">Scenario:</h4>



Whenever a new version of the iOS operating system is released, the customers want their mobile apps to work efficiently on it. We do not want to upset the customers just because our iOS app is not able to function on the newly released iOS version. 



Therefore, it is the most important scenario where we need to run the regression test suite through automation tools. This instils a sense of confidence among the developers and testers, regarding the mobile application.



Can we skip the testing for iOS devices if the application is already tested on Android? Absolutely no! We need to test the app on both environments separately. We can leverage the help of <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">automated testing tools and frameworks for mobile like Testsigma</a> to speed up the testing and provide a quality product to the end-users. 



Testsigma, an automated testing tool, has transformed the automation world in mobile by making it easy for real. Check out <a href="https://support.testsigma.com/support/solutions/articles/32000023580-ios-native-application-adding-automated-test-steps" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">how to automate your test cases on a native iOS application with Testsigma.&nbsp;</a> 



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The world isn&#8217;t new to the mobile-first approach. Call it convenience or anything else — people consume content on their mobile phones more than on their desktops, which will only increase shortly. According to <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Statista</a>, at least 50% of global online traffic is driven by mobile users. The mobile web will become the future of digital marketing. That being said, your website and app must look perfect across all major platforms. That&#8217;s where Mobile Web Testing takes place, keeping the website and app bug-free.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Mobile_Web_Testing_Approaches">1 Mobile Web Testing Approaches:</a><ul><li><a href="#Cross-Browser_Compatibility_Testing">1.1 Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing: </a></li><li><a href="#Test_On_Real_Devices">1.2 Test On Real Devices: </a></li><li><a href="#Test_Using_Emulator">1.3 Test Using Emulator:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Mobile_Web_Testing_Tools">2 Mobile Web Testing Tools</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="mobile-web-testing-approaches">Mobile Web Testing Approaches:</h2>



What are the best approaches for mobile web testing? — a million-dollar question that, fortunately, has quite straightforward answers. As we’ve already discussed what factors to consider for mobile web testing, let’s discuss the three best approaches for making our lives easier.&nbsp;



<h3 id="cross-browser-compatibility-testing">Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing: </h3>



A cross-browser compatibility tests check if our website or web app performs as intended, no matter which browser or device our users have. During a cross-browser compatibility test, we follow certain practices like validating our site’s HTML/CSS code, plugging in CSS resets, using vendor prefixes, checking how mobile-friendly our website is, and maintaining separate stylesheets for different browsers, etc.&nbsp;



It’s important to note that our users consume content on different browsers, and not all browsers support the features we design. If we take a look at the following graph by <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/browser-version-market-share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Statcounter</a>, we’ll notice the market share of different browser versions.&nbsp; 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kUVQHGp6zftWBzlMEchT67K_nB2Ux4lU8-SnOyACmQ6hsuMGS3E9T4dFasB1O52v46IKamw85qnwxp2sj-QM2f09HkrP-hPDUAmp8No5fMTct6jRUgpPIViECcnXQs7A5sJya3ia" alt="Mobile Web Testing Approaches- Browser Version Market Share" /></figure>



We can see it for ourselves — the range of web browsing habits is vast, and our website has to be developed to be compatible with various browsers. For that reason, cross-browser compatibility testing exists. One of the best practices while performing this test is to determining if the features we&#8217;ve designed are supported by various browsers, and can we use it to check if multiple browsers support features like fetch and CSS grids.&nbsp; 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FW6zHZ-5q335SeKFj0tT-5lIxjddMvhmwUGQNv_IcgOzN8C3D71fY_pn-aWDCjFW0zT3HlSA0Cqbkkm6DtU_EUWWitRngawLLfO3uIFbCee43lUJck7E6594y7EuA4phVVXmFnZp" alt="Mobile Web Testing Approaches- CSS Grid layout" /></figure>



If the features aren&#8217;t fully supported, we might have to introduce polyfills to ensure the running of essential features. We also recommend going through our exhaustive guide for&nbsp;<a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cross-browser testing</a>.&nbsp;



<h3 id="test-on-real-devices">Test On Real Devices: </h3>



A few may argue that testing on emulators/simulators is cost-effective and less time-consuming. Still, any developer worth his salt will prefer testing on real devices. As already mentioned, how factors like network connectivity, battery consumption, memory consumption, pixel densities, etc., can directly affect the performance of our website or web app. We cannot fetch accurate test results of products on emulators. We can test how end-users interact with our site by testing on real devices.



But this may be limiting in terms of speed, and so that brings us to.



<h3 id="test-using-emulator">Test Using Emulator:</h3>



An essential facet of mobile web testing is leveraging emulators, a strategy seamlessly facilitated by Testsigma. Emulators simulate diverse mobile devices and operating systems on your system. While they offer a budget-friendly means of cross-platform testing, capturing real-world intricacies might remain challenging.



Embrace Testsigma&#8217;s Power: With Testsigma, the emulator-driven testing journey becomes even more potent. The platform&#8217;s automated capabilities align seamlessly with emulated scenarios, efficiently unraveling compatibility issues across devices and systems. Testsigma empowers you to navigate the emulator landscape with precision and confidence, paving the way for comprehensive mobile web testing.



 Signup to make your website mobile web friendly, easily



<a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Signup for free</a>



You can check how to get started with <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-do-you-decide-your-approach-for-mobile-website-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile web testing</a> with Testsigma here.



<h2 id="mobile-web-testing-tools">Mobile Web Testing Tools</h2>



Automation tools can reduce effort, cost, and time by several manifolds. But not just that, the accuracy of our tests is higher when we automate them. Apart from offering better test coverage, automation is less time-consuming too.&nbsp;



Testsigma&#8217;s automation tool supports cross-browser testing and has a pool of thousands of real devices for you to perform tests on. A massive stash of devices gives you a competitive edge over other automation tools. Over 2,000 devices run on various (and even outdated) versions of OS, with multiple browsers. 



The <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cross-browser automation testing tool </a>supports parallel execution and uses separate cloud environments for both cross-browser and cross-device testing.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/GStlofFKaoiyOPBVWPdLwCKHoU3PZ7bqCRbTXgaiDe87obOxh_EpSMUpoYWAwZvA_r7u--0kDc9Kz7s1KE-njvBR4WRBK2pu5Epij_a_AWT3M0H415Id8R7ciO7zIjNKu9QE3KvL" alt="Mobile Web Testing Approaches - cross browser testing" /></figure></div>



It can seamlessly integrate with CI/CD, project management tools, and communication mediums like email, Slack, etc. We send out comprehensive reports and maintain a log of all the bugs via screenshots and records so you can collaborate with your teams and work on fixing bugs.



We’re not joking but it’s really that simple to perform mobile web testing using our tool! If you’re a mobile-first business looking to attract more users, let’s chat. Alternatively, if you’re looking at automating mobile app tests, check out our tool <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. We’ve got a free 21-day product trial. 



Learn More &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/mobile-web-testing-testsigma-vs-appium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mobile testing of Testsigma with others</a>

Mobile web testing 3 approaches that will make your life easy

3 Mobile Web Testing Approaches to Make Your Life Easy

With the rising competition in the app industry, mobile testing without automation seems out of the picture. You can’t imagine frequent deployments or a faster time to market without automating your tests. 



There are plenty of automation tools and frameworks available in the market for both Android and iOS. In this article, we will discuss some of the best mobile automation testing tools that can help you in releasing quality apps on time. 



1. Appium



Appium is a commonly used test automation framework for testing both Android and iOS apps. It helps QAs to test end-user scenarios on native, hybrid, and mobile web apps.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YMtr4utCnUIWTyP5OXYkJk5suBsNhcP628StQVrVdtWR10zgb_J244JmJoVpB8UX1NAhp3uCSwsqdyHUSjuC6zzZ6y1PwCX-BT978yAH2K5GaXSoSUwglpvXVI05mCkpv6xFekc-" alt="Appium"/></figure>







Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Appium supports all the leading languages including Java, Python, Ruby among others</li><li>It allows the test automation team to maintain a single codebase while testing both Android and iOS versions of the application, which saves a significant amount of time and effort</li><li>It covers cross-platform testing as well for Android and iOS applications</li></ul>



Though Appium is one of the most popular mobile automation testing tools, the UI tests of Appium are found to be flaky and the test setup is a bit complicated. 



2. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Testsigma (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank">Testsigma</a>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="766" height="183" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/logo-testsigma-dark-1.png" alt="Testsigma" class="wp-image-15733"/></figure>



Testsigma is a cloud-based, AI-driven test automation platform that supports Agile and Continuous Delivery teams &#8211; for browser as well as mobile testing. It has all the essential elements needed to achieve a super-fast test development using the simple English language. 



Now, Testsigma supports inspection as well as execution of your mobile test cases without any kind of setups at your end. See how it is done in the webinar recording <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://testsigma.com/webinars/reimagined-mobile-test-automation" target="_blank">here</a>.



Features 



<ul><li>Testsigma allows you to perform flawless mobile testing on real devices with no coding expertise required &#8211; for both android as well as iOS </li><li>The in-built element inspector present on the platform identifies all the important information of the elements in the app in just a single click </li><li>It provides complete access to 2000+ real Android and iOS mobile devices </li><li>It offers a seamless integration with popular tools such as Jenkins, Bamboo, Circle CI, etc. to facilitate Continuous Delivery and DevOps workflows </li><li>It offers parallel test execution across different environments</li></ul>



<li>Screenshots and videos are readily available for your test execution &#8211; you can configure them to be recorded for just test failures or for all test executions. </li>



<li>In case you are wondering, what if I want to add custom functionality? Testsigma supports that too.</li>



<li>Awesome support to help you at all steps of your test automation journey is what makes this deal a steal.</li>



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Check here the <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">3 Steps to Automate Mobile Applications Using Testsigma</a>







3. TestComplete



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Ph87IiPeR8wGBP6AbKmwjev6giaLhRdPf2soJGMCtolTkUv9nVdBrNQysuwxEoviY4n5aGxO9Zd8GTOGxiQpBgHEmwsTiMR110RdoFR4rFUiKsH4H2e6fRiH_cyEKxS0LJFyhZcp" alt="TestComplete"/></figure>



TestComplete is an automated UI testing tool which is developed by SmartBear Software. It helps in creating, executing, and maintaining functional tests across the mobile, web, and desktop-based apps. 



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>TestComplete allows you to develop test cases in various languages such as Java, Python, etc. </li><li>It can record the key actions needed to replay the test </li><li>It helps you take screenshots automatically during the test execution and playback </li><li>It comes with a built-in code editor that allows testers to write scripts manually</li></ul>



This tool is pretty popular among the mobile automation testing tools, the only downside would be is &#8211; it is only for Windows and does not support Mac and there is not much support available through open communities. 



4. UI Automator



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/uIEHkESD2TkXXu4LDloxtw1PcOO_Wy_DmsNP3qdVE9iYctJKT7vlA4xpaq-kGrkjEZR9xaXdKwHu7ebqOEKXcQTTeCOpXG06IiBdva6ZeJYB2iSv4MojssgsdADvv6UxZZfac_8g" alt="Android UI Automator"/></figure>



UI Automator helps in creating functional Android UI test cases in order to test the user interface of an application.



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>It interacts with all the Android software and applications seamlessly and checks the interaction of the application under development with other apps. </li><li>It works for all mobile devices that support Android version 4.1 or above. </li><li>The good thing with UI Automator is that in case anything breaks, it is fixed almost immediately as it is maintained by Google.</li></ul>



UI Automator only supports the Java and Kotlin languages. To make this work efficiently, you would need to have good programming skills and deep knowledge of how Android works. 



5. SeeTest



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7q2RFzFW5u9-4QesCSMVphHEVWq3YbEik-TYxH4P_1fyqjzygmZOWe0ED6FRyE9HAkBU-vHzKYaV42rO6rpZryUPYfzWvGzNvpO2z4Ytrekur9XVYPltggKxBENm3a_OpUNm2750" alt="SeeTest"/></figure>



SeeTest is a popular mobile automation tool in the industry and supports both image-based and object-based recognition. It is used for automating Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry applications. 



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>SeeTest offers client libraries for C#, Java, Perl and Python for developing automation scripts </li><li>It allows you to run tests from your local IDE in parallel on a wide range of devices </li><li>It has its own reporting mechanism which includes screenshots and video recording of tests performed </li><li>It allows you to observe or debug running tests in the real-time </li><li>Seamless integration with industry open-source tools such as Appium and Selenium</li></ul>



SeeTest, at the moment, does not support wi-fi connection to Android devices, though this feature is available for iOS devices. Additionally, the library or code file would need to compile with the actual application in order to get access to native objects. 



6. Robotium



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/667B94c-mdd6nsHbxC_b7uEW5w8jMNgIReWp0CTG58k7pRgrA_t_fJKJ74pOMgEWAih3qP0oquTDR2YQdxq2U59-DpNjuDzW7NflMP6YgzL94rIALwnthNs4V7vlg3ro9Oa8UPIK" alt="Robotium"/></figure>



Robotium is one of the earliest Android test automation frameworks which is used to automate test cases for native and hybrid applications. It does not require any additional information about the application’s structure or executed classes as it is used for black-box testing. 



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Robotium tests are mainly composed in Java language </li><li>It provides APIs to directly interact with UI controls within the app </li><li>Robotium allows to compose framework, function, and user acceptance test situations </li><li>It lets users write powerful test cases even with minimal knowledge of the app under the test </li><li>It has a large community of open-source developers who contribute with the new features regularly in subsequent releases</li></ul>



Robotium does not have any record and play functions built in as such. For adding the ability to take screenshots, external libraries might be required.&nbsp;



7. XCUITest



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/AVZXyqqtWTxb5jqqLQO8ISySPntLws5bsk81p-IW05DRQKKjPUwO7tuk2_Ey8bBo7F09pL0WTymnkFU3HohRgUUQhsERvShmjAiIh_in6esa4_v9GWiSMONVV5WVTN7WaXpH8oEF" alt="XCTest"/></figure>



XCUITest is a UI testing framework for iOS apps that was launched by Apple in 2015. It helps the developers and QAs to test the UI of native iOS applications by leveraging Swift or Objective C programming language. 



Features 



<ul class="list_styel_disc"><li>XCUITest is specially designed to simplify UI testing for iOS applications </li><li>As the XCUITest framework is specifically catered for iOS apps, the tests are stable, reliable, and performed faster </li><li>It offers distributed parallel test running </li><li>It comes with a built-in test recorder for tests, UI elements, and their characteristics </li><li>Easy setup and maintenance as compared to other tools such as Apium</li></ul>



XCUITest does not have a large community and finding solutions to issues you may face can sometimes become tricky.&nbsp;



Test automation is a complex process and whether you will get success with it or not depends largely on the automation tools you choose. It is crucial to pay attention to the features of the automation tool before finally selecting it. If you are looking for a most efficient and comprehensive mobile app experience, you can <a href="https://calendly.com/testsigma/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="reach out to experts at Testsigma (opens in a new tab)">reach out to experts at Testsigma</a>.

Mobile Automation Testing Tools: Appium, Testsigma, TestComplete and more

Mobile Testing Lab How to decide which way to go

Mobile Testing Lab: How to Decide Which Way to Go?

About two decades ago, testing was only limited to the desktop. With the rapidly increasing use of smartphones and the internet across the globe, testing has spread across vast platforms. The native and mobile web browser testing is performed more than desktop testing.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_are_Mobile_Web_Applications">1 What are Mobile Web Applications?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_Native_Applications">2 What are Native Applications?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_Hybrid_Applications">3 What are Hybrid Applications?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_browser_testing">4 What is browser testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_difference_between_browser_and_Mobile_Web_browser_testing">5 What is the difference between browser and Mobile Web browser testing?</a></li><li><a href="#When_is_Mobile_Web_browser_testing_required">6 When is Mobile Web browser testing required?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_is_mobile_web_browser_testing_important">7 Why is mobile web browser testing important?</a></li><li><a href="#Best_Practices_For_Mobile_Website_Testing">8 Best Practices For Mobile Website Testing</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-are-mobile-web-applications">What are Mobile Web Applications?</h2>



Mobile web applications are web applications that can be accessed via hitting the URL on a mobile browser. The applications are designed using the same code base as Desktop, like HTML, Javascript, and CSS. Compared to desktop and native applications, Mobile Web applications are more primitive in terms of functionality. 



Unlike Native Applications, Mobile web applications do not have to be designed separately for IOS and Android. 



Mobile web applications do not allow users to save data and access any phone-related feature, such as a camera. I.e, using internet banking via a Mobile Web application will not allow you to keep cards or mark any transaction as a favorite. Hence, Mobile web applications are secure to use as well.&nbsp; 



<h2 id="what-are-native-applications">What are Native Applications?</h2>



The applications downloaded on your smartphone before you start using them are known as Native applications. The Native applications are platform-specific. The development of IOS applications is different from that of Android. Native Applications are more secure; they keep most of the data on the device only and not over the internet.&nbsp;



Example of such apps: We all are aware of how online shopping has taken over the world. You can shop anything and everything from online shopping apps such as <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.mShop.android.shopping&amp;hl=en_IN&amp;gl=US" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://apps.apple.com/in/app/flipkart-online-shopping-app/id742044692" target="_blank">Flipkart</a>, etc.



<h2 id="what-are-hybrid-applications">What are Hybrid Applications?</h2>



They are advanced versions of Mobile web applications. Hybrid applications are a blend of native and mobile web applications. These applications can be downloaded and have access to all device features such as camera, contact list, etc.&nbsp; 



<h2 id="what-is-browser-testing">What is browser testing?</h2>



Browser testing is known as hitting the URL on the desktop and launching the site. The exact URL can be used to test across all browsers, and functionality can be accessed. 



<h2 id="what-is-the-difference-between-browser-and-mobile-web-browser-testing">What is the difference between browser and Mobile Web browser testing? </h2>



During browser testing, you need to hit the URL on a browser on a desktop/laptop and access that particular application. 



In mobile web browser testing, you can hit the URL on the browser of your phone and access the application. 



Both the applications do not allow access to features of your devices such as cameras. 



I.e You have to open the net banking of a X bank on a browser. If you are doing ‘browser testing’ &#8211; you will have to start your desktop/laptop and then launch the application. 



In the case of mobile web browser testing, you will be executing the same step via your phone. You just need to hit the URL and launch the application on the available browser on your phone. 



Mobile browsers have made it very easy to access any site without being dependent on a laptop or desktop. It also allows users to access a website for which native application is not available. 



For example, IKEA India does not have a native application for India, but users can still use their mobile phones and access mobile web applications to view products, place an order, and purchase. 



In short, mobile web applications have made access to all sites a lot easier, convenient, and portable to be used in all regards. You do not have to carry your laptops for applications that do not have native applications, instead just surf on your mobile devices.



<h2 id="when-is-mobile-web-browser-testing-required">When is Mobile Web browser testing required?</h2>



With the massive use of smartphones across the world, it has become easy to access any application at any given point in time. Still there exist many applications which either do not have native apps for it or certain features only work on web or desktop applications. 



In such cases, it becomes necessary to access those features on the mobile web browser or web browser. As mobile phones are readily available, users try to open that particular application on a mobile web browser, instead of signing into their systems and hitting the URL. 



Scenario 1 :&nbsp; Feature not provided by a native application



HDFC bank does not provide the add beneficiary details feature in the Native app, it can be only done through the web platform. In such cases, if a user has an immediate requirement to add a beneficiary, they must just hit the URL on the phone browser and add the beneficiary.&nbsp; 



Scenario 2 : Application does not exist



A mutual fund named ‘Mirae Asset’ does not have its native application. If a user has to check the current status of funds at any instance, they can just log in through a mobile web application and check the funds. 



<h2 id="why-is-mobile-web-browser-testing-important">Why is mobile web browser testing important?</h2>



There are so many different devices readily available in the market today to view a website. Each smartphone comes with various screen sizes and resolutions, operates on different network speeds, and has different hardware capabilities. 



Keeping all these differences, it becomes very important that a website is tested thoroughly before it is launched on different platforms. 



The graph below shows the result of a survey performed by <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Statistica</a> in 2020 on the increase of usage of mobile data across years. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/juWLhswQjMNPpGrHwIZSKG_ndV4SyfCc_K5EMk1FTHbiPVqAvN54ubW_Nvc93vxcz-oKAA5Mh61kCoqv656kAKHyQBXfQT1OT69Jt-kr5YnFK-Vj5sds6zlKk3FLFktJFwHpJuS1_1748948719.png" alt="mobile web browser testing"/></figure>



All types of testing need to be performed on mobile web browsers to ensure an application is behaving the same across all browsers and has a uniform UI. 



1. Compatibility testing: This testing is done to ensure that the application works in a similar way on each device regardless of the phone/tab used. It is impossible to test each phone available in the market but we can test on the targeted device before launching a web application in the market. Targeted devices are decided based on most used phones by targeted customers (potential users).



Most of the time, this is repetitive testing where the same test cases are executed on multiple devices. Thus, this type of testing is also considered as a good candidate for automation. If you are thinking about implementing automation &#8211; you should look for a tool that lets you easily automate the test cases and execute them on many devices at once. 



The setup should not be complex for you.  And here I’d also like to tell you about Testsigma (a <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile testing tool</a>), because it has really done some good work and innovation in order to simplify the mobile testing needs. 



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Automate Browser tests over 2000+ Real Devices on Cloud with Testsigma. No coding needed.

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2. Test how user-friendly an application is: Google search engine gives high priority to websites in comparison to desktop apps. Google ranks applications based on how user friendly it is. Hence, the more user-friendly the application is the faster and easier the user will be able to find it.



3. Testing helps in finding latency time of an application: Users prefer to use mobile phones over desktop when they are looking for any query, booking flight/movie ticket. The reason behind being the speed and convenience of using mobile phones. So, to provide users with instant access to your website, it is vital to test the responsive time of your app. The faster the application better the user experience.



4. Testing Improves Website’s Look &amp; Feel



Device-specific testing can ensure an attractive look and feel for your site across mobile phones. The look and feel of any application is the first impression that attracts users. The application should be designed in such a way that it compels users to revisit the site again. It also aids business as users to recommend sites to others by their experience. 



5. Ease of Application access:



A mobile-friendly website should be designed in such a way that it can easily be accessed via any browser across multiple mobile phones, including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc. <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Google uses mobile-friendly</a> features of<a href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)"> websites as a ranking</a> factor. Thus, a responsive mobile view of the website will help you rank higher in the search engines and divert more traffic to grow your business.







<h2 id="best-practices-for-mobile-website-testing">Best Practices For Mobile Website Testing</h2>



To make mobile web testing successful and efficient, it is always good to follow the mentioned practices. 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>All business requirements and stakeholder expectations should be tested thoroughly to achieve maximum output from the <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/test-process/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testing process</a>.</li><li>Make a checklist for the targeted devices and mobile browsers, that you want to test for the responsiveness of your website.</li><li>Prioritize browser testing based on usage, market demand, highest traffic.</li><li>Perform testing on browsers that are not frequently used by users.</li><li>Plan a strategy that maintains the rules and standards to ensure quality and consistency by all.</li><li>Validate each screen size and navigation flow to ensure any UI issue is not missed.</li><li>Validate Performance testing on various network speeds and internet connections to measure the scalability and adaptiveness of the website.</li></ul>



With the convenience of using mobile phones over laptops, the focus of users has shifted from desktop applications to web applications. For the business to thrive, the mobile web application must be designed in such a way that it is easy to access and simple to use. The tester must test it from all aspects to make it user friendly.



Now, Testsigma supports inspection as well as execution of your mobile test cases without any kind of setups at your end. 



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Automate your tests for Web, Mobile, Desktop and APIs on Cloud with Testsigma. No setup required.

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Mobile browser testing what is it and when is it done