<p id="h-tired-of-spending-hours-and-days-manually-testing-every-module-of-your-android-app-s-user-interface-just-to-ensure-it-behaves-as-expected-bid-goodbye-to-traditional-testing-methods-and-say-hello-to-android-ui-testing-frameworks-they-are-the-real-superheroes-in-building-stable-and-quality-android-applications">Tired of spending hours and days manually testing every module of your android app&#8217;s user interface just to ensure it behaves as expected? Bid goodbye to traditional testing methods and say hello to Android UI testing frameworks. They are the real superheroes in building stable and quality Android applications. These frameworks save you time and help catch bugs in the early stages before they cause a wreck. This blog will list the top 4 Android UI frameworks you can use for automated mobile testing. Read here about <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/android-ui-testing-14-best-practices/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Android UI Testing</a>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Android_UI_Testing_Frameworks">1 What is Android UI Testing Frameworks?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_the_Need_for_Android_UI_Testing_Frameworks">2 Why the Need for Android UI Testing Frameworks?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Select_the_Best_Android_UI_Testing_Frameworks_for_Automation">3 How to Select the Best Android UI Testing Frameworks for Automation</a></li><li><a href="#3_Top_Android_UI_Testing_Frameworks">4 3 Top Android UI Testing Frameworks</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Testsigma">4.1 1 .Testsigma:</a></li><li><a href="#2_Appiumnbsp">4.2 2 .Appium:&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#2_Espresso">4.3 2 .Espresso: </a></li><li><a href="#3_UI_Automator">4.4 3 .UI Automator: </a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Which_Android_UI_Testing_Framework_Should_You_Choose">5 Which Android UI Testing Framework Should You Choose?</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">6 Conclusion</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-is-android-ui-testing-frameworks">What is Android UI Testing Frameworks?</h2>



Android UI testing frameworks allow developers and testers to create and run automated tests for UI of Android applications. These frameworks allow testers to simulate user interactions, like tapping buttons, entering text, and swiping gestures, to validate the behavior and functionality of their application&#8217;s user interface (UI).



<h2 id="why-the-need-for-android-ui-testing-frameworks">Why the Need for Android UI Testing Frameworks?</h2>



Android UI testing frameworks play a crucial role in ensuring the stability and reliability of an Android application&#8217;s user interface. Imagine what happens when your application&#8217;s UI breaks. I&#8217;m pretty sure the users will be frustrated and abandon using your app. And nobody wants that. That&#8217;s when Android testing frameworks become your superhero.



These frameworks help validate your application&#8217;s UI and functionality across different devices, screen sizes, resolutions, platforms, browsers, and versions &#8211; within a short span of time.



<h2 id="how-to-select-the-best-android-ui-testing-frameworks-for-automation">How to Select the Best Android UI Testing Frameworks for Automation</h2>



Some of the key factors to consider while selecting an Android testing framework are as follows,



1. Team skillset&nbsp;



Is your QA team skilled in programming languages to create test code? What languages are they expert in? However, if your QA team lacks experience in coding. The best solution is to opt for a scriptless testing tool like Testsigma that does not require any coding to automate <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/ui-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UI testing</a>.



2. Real device support



Check if the tool allows you to test your Android apps on real devices and platforms.&nbsp;



Testsigma allows you to execute your automated tests across 3000+ smartphones/tablets and 1000+ browser/OS combos.



3. Set up



Is the tool easy to install and set up? Traditional <a href="https://testsigma.com/user-interface-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UI testing tools</a> like Appium require you to install, set up, and configure the framework to run the tests. However, with tools like Testsigma, you can run your mobile tests on the cloud.



4. Ease of use



Is the tool easy to use? Is it accessible to everyone? The major drawback of code-based testing tools is that everyone involved in testing must be well-versed in the programming language required for creating test scripts. However, low-code testing tools like Testsigma eliminate the need for coding, thereby making <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated testing</a> easy and accessible for everyone in the project.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfEcGn1lMcDaWMHh-ffDRokdVxF8FNaHzV-WHMbQapHS8_I3lfG4JP8Vwx4yTbeyvJkSCZ70eY6xoQUic7nhGIJ3hlionDmRBFe0kRZB6DQ_Qt-vvT49j4S3_UB3MZ9t6UkemYOG7JUP7uM-x1a_34-Zjeu?key=x9jjUFvtOltdXh6E6Bdi0A" alt="Android UI Testing Frameworks"/></figure></div>



The best Android UI framework for your application depends on your testing needs, budget, skillset, and business requirements. So, choose a tool that aligns with your application type and testing needs.&nbsp;



Choosing a unified test automation tool like Testsigma allows you to test both Android and iOS apps in one place.



<h2 id="h-3-top-android-ui-testing-frameworks">3 Top Android UI Testing Frameworks</h2>



Here are four popular UI testing frameworks for Android automation testing,



<h3 id="1-testsigma">1 .Testsigma:</h3>



Testsigma&#8217;s <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automation mobile app testing tool </a>is a tool you should check out for your Android UI automation needs. We&#8217;ve got thousands of real devices with various Android versions available for you to perform tests on.This is highly beneficial if you&#8217;ve got to test your app on older devices. Since older devices come with different screen resolutions, you can check out how the app’s UI looks and interacts in real-time with our repo of devices. This tool also takes screenshots and video recordings to report any bugs and unusual behaviour wherever necessary.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Nnb37nBs2Bg7JQhTnv4QN9HRUb8gPvOd0yUAXPbpnaKTkkQoQGdkdrPY6fel8PxHvn9FDQNjV0JJYR6a823KeclS_qpKq2VhWWzaimSTmqRjEW3sGXkOOr3UkcOLNgMuyulFTqOt" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



The test cases can be written in simple English, and you don&#8217;t have to install anything on your device or desktop because our tool runs tests on a highly secure and scalable cloud. In this post, we&#8217;ve discussed automating mobile apps using <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a> &#8211; Automating Mobile Applications.



Testsigma Pros



<ul><li>It&#8217;s a code-less testing tool that lets us write our test cases in simple English; beginners and intermediate testers with no prior experience in coding can quickly start automating test cases on this tool</li><li>The testing happens on a cloud, and based on the project requirement, it can be scaled up or down without any hassles to the user.</li><li>It offers more than 1,000 Android and iOS devices with several browser-OS-version combinations.</li><li>It can be seamlessly integrated with <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/ci-cd-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CI/CD tools</a>.</li><li>Supports parallel test execution.</li><li>Offers automatic bug reporting so you can collaborate with the team and fix the errors</li><li>Supports unlimited users</li><li>Even complex workflows can be automated</li></ul>



Testsigma Cons



<ul><li>It&#8217;s offers a 21-day free trial to experience the tool. Besides, unlike other tools, there are no hidden costs with Testsigma. For example, you can look at this comprehensive comparison between Testsigma and other tools &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/compare-test-automation-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma vs Selenium, Tricentis Tosca, Micro Focus UFT</a></li></ul>



<h3 id="2-appium">2 .Appium:&nbsp;</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="799" height="134" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/appium.jpg" alt="appium" class="wp-image-31357"/></figure>



An open-source framework with a rich <a href="https://testsigma.com/open-source-contribution" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">open source community</a>, Appium is perhaps the most commonly used framework for automation testing mobile UI – Android andopen-source iOS. It can be used to test native and hybrid apps, and as it’s a cross-platform tool, the same test can be performed on various platforms. Appium allows us to write scripts in any language we choose, like Java, Ruby, C#, Javascript, PHP, and Python.



The Appium UI Inspector helps testers identify UI elements and how they align with each other. Testers can also leverage the UI Automator framework or Instrumentation to test the Android app; its framework interacts with Selenium WebDriver and Node.js applications.



Appium Pros



<ul><li>Easy set-up process, but it&#8217;s important to note that setting up Appium is easy for programmers only because it requires solid programming skills for configuring the server.</li><li>Cross-platform and cross-language support</li><li>Appium UI Inspector for scanning and analyzing various UI components within the app</li><li>No additional device installations</li></ul>



Appium Cons



<ul><li>Speed matters, and its architecture makes the Appium framework relatively slow. Besides consuming time to start the server, it also takes time to trigger actions.</li><li>Appium doesn&#8217;t support testing Android devices older than Android 4.2, a predicament because it cannot cover many devices.</li><li>Testers must manually enter <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/element-locators-automated-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">element locations</a> as Appium doesn’t fully locate elements or identify images automatically.</li></ul>



<h3 id="2-espresso">2 .Espresso: </h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="798" height="134" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/18115156/espresso-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-47979" srcset="https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/18115156/espresso-1.png 798w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/18115156/espresso-1-768x129.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px" /></figure>



Most Android developers across the world argue that Espresso is the best UI framework that there is! This open-source framework is developed by Google for Android, which makes it super convenient for writing solid and reliable Android UI tests. 



Test logic can be written close enough to the Android app&#8217;s logic, and the framework can be customised as per the developer&#8217;s need. Plus, it has a simple API. On the API level, it supports Android 8.0 onwards. 



With a dependency on the Hamcrest library, it supports Matchers from it, which most developers are familiar with. Using this library, developers can add custom actions for simplifying the testing process.



Espresso Pros



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Light, easy to learn, and compact API that is open for customizations. Managing Android UI tests is effortless.</li><li>It can be easily integrated with Android Studio — native Android development studio.</li><li>Simple set-up process and offers synchronization capabilities which means we don’t have to write any extra code for waiting until activity/fragment are loaded or completed.</li><li><a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/what-is-test-case/">Test cases</a> are executed fast.</li></ul>



Espresso Cons



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Espresso supports test cases that are written in Java and Kotlin. This limited tech stack is a disadvantage for many, especially for people with React-Native or <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/automating-flutter-apps-with-appium-flutter-driver/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flutter app</a> framework.</li></ul>



<h3 id="3-ui-automator">3 .UI Automator: </h3>



Google&#8217;s testing framework — UI Automator allows us to practically test any app that&#8217;s installed on the device. But what makes this framework effective is it allows writing test cases without fully knowing the implementation details of the apps.



It can interact with various Android apps and its APIs help us perform tasks like rotating the screen on a test device or open Settings (or other menu items). The following piece of code is an example of how it can manipulate or trigger actions on devices.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/o-W8gyoBcX1xwn4c1CxsQGMNYMRETIMWBwARAIVsDmMV_tB6tMdJ6mFWn_CaOu3qwLcMglCDyJPoWTiJ4EkIIavkJ22LzI6FooSpQrSp85syrpqx7D-yRzf04lBQTznsH5fEp2lx" alt="UI Automator"/></figure>



The test cases can be written in Java or Kotlin, and the framework comes with two sets of APIs — UIAutomator APIs and&nbsp; Device State APIs. The UI Automator API lets us manage the app’s UI components while the Device State APIs gives us access to operate the device. Plus, this framework has a UI Automator Viewer option that lets us study and analyze <a href="https://ionicframework.com/docs/components" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UI components</a> in mobile devices.



UI Automator Pros



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Supports testing on devices starting from Android version 4.1.&nbsp;</li><li>Simple API framework</li></ul>



UI Automator Cons



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Supports only Java and Kotlin</li><li>Doesn’t support web view</li><li>The API is complex while working with lists</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-which-android-ui-testing-framework-should-you-choose">Which Android UI Testing Framework Should You Choose?</h2>



Several considerations must be addressed while selecting a UI testing framework for automation testing. First, evaluate the platform or technology on which your application is developed, as certain frameworks are designed to work only with specific platforms or languages. It&#8217;s also vital to examine the complexity of your application and the framework&#8217;s level of support and documentation.



Another important consideration is the extent of automation required. Some frameworks include more advanced automation features, such as continuous integration and visual testing, while others are more basic and may necessitate more manual intervention.



Finally, evaluate the framework&#8217;s pricing and licencing requirements, as certain frameworks may be more expensive or require specific licencing agreements.



When selecting a UI testing framework for automated testing, it&#8217;s critical to analyse your demands and select a framework that fulfils those objectives while providing essential capabilities and support.



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



Android UI testing frameworks are indispensable for modern mobile app development. They help developers and testers deliver high-quality Android applications by ensuring the reliability, consistency, and compatibility of their user interfaces across a wide variety of devices and screens.&nbsp;



Using Testsigma, you can automate both Android and iOS tests 10X faster across 3000+ devices/tablets and 1000+ browser/OS combos on the cloud without any coding.



Ready to automate your <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/android-device-testing-a-no-hassle-guide-for-testers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Android devices tests</a>? You can sign up for a <a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free trial</a> or chat with us for more details.




<div class="cta-banner-v2">
<div class="title-with-description ">
Start Automating your Android UI Tests the Easy Way
</div>
<a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" class="cta-btn-v1" rel="noopener">Try for free</a>
</div>

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 web application development. 



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> 



<div class="bg-primary cta">

Try out the easy way to automate your test cases on mobile devices
<div class="d-flex mb-1" style="justify-content:space-evenly">
 <button class="btn cta-btn bg-white"><a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signup for Testsigma</a></button></div>
</div>

5 types of tests that can be automated for your iOS

Automated iOS Test: 5 Tests Types You Should Never Miss out (2022 Updated)

Android application testing An indepth comparison of the two approaches Manual and Automated

Android Automated Testing and Manual Testing: Which Approach to Follow?

Android UI Testing | What it is , How & Best Practices

Android Device Testing A quick guide for testers

Android Device Testing: Why its Important and Checklist for Android Testing

Robotic Process Automation and Test Automation are two confusing terms in testing processes. Similar to TDD and BDD processes, RPA and test automation seem like a single branch of the test segment which is common to be exchanged in communication during planning. The word “automation” seems to be a culprit in this case. 



When both the terms end with automation and someone knows any one of them, it is not hard to presume another one based on primitive knowledge. While it is definitely true that both of these processes automate the process, “what” and “how” of their automation is entirely different. 



This post is constructed to narrow the gap of understanding and to validate that RPA and Test automation are not only different in their working and mechanism, their base foundation works on different scenarios. Before we jump to discuss the details of RPA vs Test Automation, it is better to understand what they individually are.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_Robotic_Process_Automation_RPA">1 What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_Test_Automation">2 What is Test Automation?</a></li><li><a href="#RPA_vs_Test_Automation">3 RPA vs Test Automation</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-is-robotic-process-automation-rpa">What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?</h2>



According to Google, the meaning of a “robot” is: “a machine resembling a human being and able to replicate certain human movements and functions automatically.” Surprisingly, this definition fits perfectly with RPA by making slight adjustments.&nbsp; 



Robotic Process Automation is the process of mimicking a user’s actions on the system and performing them automatically. This is achieved through artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms by learning the patterns from the user’s actions. 



RPA is achieved through software bots with varying capabilities and made available by various developers on the internet. When a user performs the actions with the RPA bot, these user actions are then converted to tasks or actions and performed without a user. 



RPA needs AI algorithms because it does not blindly run the tests again and again but performs the same actions considering the various scenarios. For example, data entry requires us to enter data by performing the same actions but with different data. This can be achieved through RPA. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Lj54HcI5AwDiGMi5IzNSfrnl2chgxH26PIBQLpYTE0fIG_vv6AhN_ufCWklhXJd7j3emFaJWfF1FtUeBlZ37MHVmxeKsOdZKA-n0FLaTaLoeXNaZmBDHohSnFqfKUQQu1lwlZWVA" alt="Robotic Process Automation Applications" /><figcaption>Robotic Process Automation Applications in various fields.</figcaption></figure>



Robotic Process Automation does not require extensive codes to understand the problem. Rather, they are run when a user is performing actions on the graphical user interface. This can be attributed to the name of RPA which has “process” instead of Robotic “Test” Automation. 



A codeless process makes them an important part in performing business-related activities such as data entries, fetching queries or manipulating certain data on situations. RPA removes redundancy in the process and performs repetitive business tasks in order to achieve efficient and time-saving performance.&nbsp;



Benefits of RPA



The RPA boasts the following benefits:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Efficient Results: RPA bots and processes are highly efficient in performing their tasks. They take less time and wrap things up quickly.</li><li>Accurate Performance: RPA is a machine-led process. Similar to other machine-specific tasks, RPA too has high accuracy and can work for longer hours than a human tester.</li><li>Perfect Resource Usage: RPA consumes resources at a steadier rate and occupies a resource only when it is needed. This method provides a way for other processes.</li><li>Cost-Effective Solution: RPA is a cost-effective solution since manual tester’s work hours are not counted. Moreover, the work done with RPA is faster which is an added advantage in cost-cutting.</li><li>Highly Secure: RPA is a highly secure process and the tasks performed are single tasks. The chances of data leakage are next to zero and information is exchanged through secure paths.</li><li>Helps in Future Planning: RPA performs an error-free job. This makes the overall analytics highly accurate and the analytics data can then be referred for planning for future business goals and investments.</li></ul>



<h2 id="what-is-test-automation">What is Test Automation?</h2>



Test automation is the automation of repetitive “test cases” rather than business rules. Test automation is not a new term for testers working professionally for some time. While building up a big project with a lot of modules, test cases become repetitive. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/regression-testing" target="_blank">Regression tests</a> are one such example. 



These repetitive test cases not only waste the time and effort of testers but makes the process boring, error-prone and make them overlook specific bugs. Automating these test cases cuts the cost of the project and helps testers focus their energy somewhere else.&nbsp; 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4K9eRqXzzJ1icmE1zlcXkoN2HROUzmHIJfZCjKuDqiq_4YEbt7m37BgpKMhX6XU5jmnwF2mFSJk2mElPTl-YYTQ2iJsZAu1aa2VDbHcBijJdz3xiSO9ztTvZQwQr-B1RNHLuynHC" alt="Test Automation Benefits" /><figcaption>Test Automation Benefits</figcaption></figure></div>







In contrast with RPA, test automation understands specific commands only. For example, for a particular action, there would be a particular syntax that will have to be followed. This syntax might be achieved by writing code or by codeless methods. Codeless methods will be interpreting commands but will be easier to understand and automate. 



One such <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">codeless test automation tool is Testsigma</a>. Testsigma uses plain English to construct test cases which is an easier and simpler method than resolving a language and writing codes in it. To simplify the process, even more, artificial intelligence always watches your actions and heals the automation tests automatically.&nbsp; 



To understand the perfect time to initiate automation in your process, refer to <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/5-signs-you-need-to-implement-test-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">article that talks about&nbsp; the 5 signs when you need to implement test automation</a> 



<div class="bg-primary cta">

Try a simplified codeless test automation experience for free
<div class="d-flex mb-1" style="justify-content:space-evenly">
 <button class="btn cta-btn bg-white"><a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signup Now</a></button></div>
</div>



Benefits of Test Automation



The test automation process boasts the following benefits:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Time Saver: Test automation runs the repetitive tests whenever required on the application under test. Since tests can be hundreds, using <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/manual-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">manual testing</a> wastes a lot of time for something that can be automated. Test automation can run these tests quickly, anytime and generate reports at the end.</li><li>Cost Saver: Test automation can run the tests all day long with the same accuracy. Automating these tests is not charged per hour and is, therefore, a huge cost saver for the business.</li><li>Faster Project Delivery: Test automation can facilitate the time required to deliver a project since repetitive tasks are done by automation and testers can focus on other tasks. With the work being distributed, a project can be tested quickly.</li><li>Larger <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/test-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test Coverage</a>: Since the repetitive tests remain the same when required again with time, we can add more tests and run all the tests for better quality software. Hence, we increase our test coverage and there is no need to skip or delete any test case.</li></ul>



I hope you must have got the gist of RPA and Test automation and how both of these automation processes helps us grow businesses and improve the quality of the software. But still, even though we know both of these phenomena as individual processes, the differences and comparisons between them are a little cloudy. In the next section, let’s see how these two processes differ and on what grounds.



<h2 id="rpa-vs-test-automation">RPA vs Test Automation</h2>



The following table will help you compare RPA vs test automation with keywords. The gist of these keywords can be found in the above sections.







<figure class="wp-block-table"><table style="border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><tbody><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"> </td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">RPA</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Test Automation</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Goal</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Business Process Automation</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Test Case Automation</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">syntax</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Not Required, it is rule-based</td><td>Required(for code and codeless features)</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Used For</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Automating any kind of Business Process</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Automation of Testing Process</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Flexibility</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Highly Flexible</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Limitations with Tools (Ex. Selenium works only with Web applications)</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Automation Spectrum</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Very Wide</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Only tests can be automated.</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Working Process</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Adaptive due to AI and ML.</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Although AI and ML have made their foray here, still the scope is limited</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td>Objectives</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Validate business objectives.</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Validate software application functionality and performance.</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Applications</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Data Entry, Billing, Ticket Booking etc.</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Security Testing, Regression Testing etc.</td></tr><tr style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse"><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Tools (examples)</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Blueprism, UiPath, NICE</td><td style="padding:15px;border: 1px solid black;border-collapse: collapse">Selenium, Appium, JIRA</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



Automation is expanding its wings to every field from manufacturing to information technology services. It has become an important part of a tester’s and businesses’ daily life. Automation cuts our costs, saves a lot of time and works with very high accuracy. It deserves the attention it gets from everyone today. Two such segments branching from automation are RPA and test automation. 



RPA focuses on automating business processes such as mimicking the tasks and actions while keeping in mind various scenarios through artificial intelligence. <a aria-label="Test automation (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test automation</a> on the other hand requires strict rules and focuses on different scenarios related to the testing of software. They might sound a bit similar, but they are different from their foundation and working.



RPA and test automation are both important in building a high-quality product and improving the business. While they come with their own set of bane and boons, the team has to decide what suits their needs the best. RPA is important for improving the business processes and making them more efficient while test automation is for building a high-quality product. 



It is recommended to use them whenever they can be of help to save time. I hope this post helped declutter the confusion and doubts about RPA vs test automation. If this post served its purpose, we would love to hear it from you in the comment section below!! Keep testing and keep improving!



Read here <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/low-code-vs-rpa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RPA VS Low Code</a>

RPA Vs Test Automation

Integration testing of your Android with Testsigma.

Android Integration Testing: What, Why, and How to Do it?

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>



<div class="bg-primary cta">

Take a deeper dive into the easy mobile test automation world with Testsigma
<div class="d-flex mb-1" style="justify-content:space-evenly">
 <button class="btn cta-btn bg-white"><a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Signup for free</a></button></div>
</div>



Check here the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/3-steps-automate-mobile-applications-using-testsigma/" 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

Software Testing Trends 2021 What can we expect

Software Testing Trends 2021 – What can we expect?

<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank">Cross Browser Testing</a> also known as cross browser compatibility testing is all about creating a consistent experience for users across all browsers &#8211; but the question is how do you do that efficiently?. It is very important to know that testing across a variety of browsers reveals issues that may have been unrevealed while developing.&nbsp;



Cross Browser compatibility testing helps us to pin-point compatibility errors which helps the developers to debug them quickly. It’s obvious that you don’t want to alienate a major chunk of your audience just because your web application does not run on their favourite browser-OS combination. It&#8217;s very important to find a unified platform that caters to all your testing needs.&nbsp; 



In this article, we will discuss 7 questions that you need to ask yourself before you select a specific cross browser compatibility testing tool. 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Does_it_cover_all_the_widely_used_browser-OS_configurations">1 Does it cover all the widely used browser-OS configurations?</a></li><li><a href="#Can_the_tool_readily_integrate_with_the_developmenttesting_workflow">2 Can the tool readily integrate with the development/testing workflow?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_there_any_scope_for_increasing_the_test_coverage">3 Is there any scope for increasing the test coverage?</a></li><li><a href="#Is_it_time-efficient">4 Is it time-efficient?</a></li><li><a href="#Does_it_generate_configuration-specific_test_reports">5 Does it generate configuration-specific test reports?</a></li><li><a href="#Does_it_support_team_collaboration">6 Does it support team collaboration?</a></li><li><a href="#Does_it_provide_effective_customer_support">7 Does it provide effective customer support?</a></li><li><a href="#Heres_why_Testsigma_might_be_the_tool_you_were_looking_for">8 Here’s why Testsigma might be the tool you were looking for!</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-does-it-cover-all-the-widely-used-browser-os-configurations">Does it cover all the widely used browser-OS configurations?</h2>



While selecting a tool for cross browser compatibility testing, the most important question is whether the tool lets you verify all the basic functionalities on most browser-OS combinations.You need to make sure that the application has a fluid design and is responsive and accessible. Before starting your testing journey, you need to find out which are the most commonly used browser-OS combinations. A simple rule of thumb is that you prioritize testing on all those combinations that get over 5% share of your total traffic. Here’s the worldwide browser market share. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Rq4ShfAm6B9NahEE7WYq5BKgRGx3hs2rstqEXFtEW5SVqqHGT9UG1vHaxJA9q2O-juK8kigmLyfWka71UEt0vDb4j7I5hOnqDvpllKnefgWE9eCWaw-PR6w_BUOpArGqusJJM8Aj" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



It’s also important to understand that not all projects have the same requirements when it comes to deciding the supported browsers and their versions. For example, a particular type of testing might require only checking the responsiveness of the application on a different browser.



 On the other hand, for complex applications, you might require to check the responsiveness along with the flow, UI components, authentication, etc. Complex testing can be extensive and you need to be clear about the extent of support that you expect from your tool. If your project requires extensive testing, it’s wise to invest in a tool that offers cross-browser support and adds new browser versions as soon as they hit the market. 



<h2 id="h-can-the-tool-readily-integrate-with-the-development-testing-workflow">Can the tool readily integrate with the development/testing workflow? </h2>



Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery are an essential part of the model development practices today. Development teams follow agile development practices and it requires frequent test executions. A tool that effortlessly integrates with popular CI/CD tools can prove to be a boon here.&nbsp; 



Another important question that needs answered before selecting a <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cross browser compatibility testing</a> tool is &#8211; are you able to simultaneously run test suites on multiple browser-OS configurations without disrupting the workflow? Features such as automated test scheduling, <a href="//testsigma.com/blog/best-scriptless-testing-tools-for-angular-based-applications/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scriptless test</a> automation, etc. allow minimal manual intervention. This allows teams to focus more on the overall development of the application without having to worry about the test builds and executions. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vfSazMQEUwShC99y-CgSXln3NlDGOk-8dQ11KitfmOAzuGrbvgK-BSYxQ7FlF-e-gw05dg8LE-cVG196vfzkSobMRNkgh1OnTI1F92G15WMsZCLCdRd6W3i_g5aG-9sf_xivTyCC" alt="https://statcounter.com/" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



<h2 id="h-is-there-any-scope-for-increasing-the-test-coverage">Is there any scope for increasing the test coverage? </h2>



The web applications that are being built today usually involve complex features and requirements. This leads to the creation of large test suites with lots of test cases each focusing on specific UI components. Execution of such large test suites may grab a big slice of the overall development time. Thus, it’s very common to miss out on testing on some important device and browser configurations. While every browser comes packed with different blends of web support, missing out on even a few of them might cost a lot.&nbsp; 



A cross-browser testing tool that comes with features such as ease of creation of test cases, parallel execution of test cases, on-demand access to multiple testing environments, etc. helps in an overall reduction of testing time. This allows testers to cover more sets of browser-OS versions ensuring that the application runs perfectly on the majority of end-user devices.



<h2 id="h-is-it-time-efficient">Is it time-efficient? </h2>



Achieving top-notch quality at speed is always the goal of any development process. Hence, it’s very important to select a testing tool that requires minimal maintenance and intervention.&nbsp; 



For example, it should be easier for a new tester who is not well-equipped with the testing environment to get started with the tool faster. Overall, a testing tool needs to have intuitive navigation, accessible components, and a quick start guide so that new testers can quickly jump into the testing process.&nbsp; 



It’s very important that the tool allows minimal manual intervention to develop and execute test suites. Some important features that accelerate the overall testing process include parallel execution of test cases, scriptless automated testing, reusable test groups, etc. Having all these features packed in a single unified testing platform will certainly help to reduce the overall development time. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_PdnDqdzYa7djV3K4wY8HKgtG_9SDXtYeW7CJLJSHOXRRZllSY14yK-0wUSfX4XB3Lx4fY0zW_Ss7YuoavTxitVkiKwnU5pTDkD8y7QD90qWTzBAYb_GAtEklbzeRhrf1yUQuTKn" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



<h2 id="h-does-it-generate-configuration-specific-test-reports">Does it generate configuration-specific test reports? </h2>



Powerful reports at the environment level that provide quick actionable feedback are a must in order to fix bugs quickly and efficiently. The tool should have a detailed reporting mechanism that generates a comprehensive analysis of failed test cases. This allows developers to adopt a drill-down approach to study all the test environments that contain failed test cases and then work on the identified bugs. 



Moreover, if the test reports are complimented with visual evidence such as screenshots or videos, it would be easier for the teams that work at different levels of the project to understand what went wrong. While performing cross-browser testing, it would be easier to detect bugs if the tool generates configuration-specific test reports. This would allow developers to find out which part of the UI fails to work in a certain browser-OS configuration.



<h2 id="h-does-it-support-team-collaboration">Does it support team collaboration? </h2>



A testing tool should allow you to collaborate with the teams working on different levels of the project. It should allow you to document and share the test results with teams who can debug and fix the issues.&nbsp; 



Moreover, <a href="https://usersnap.com/blog/what-is-a-bug-report/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="bug reporting (opens in a new tab)">bug reporting</a> is an important aspect of software testing. Categorizing the bugs according to the severity levels and sharing them with the developers eliminates the need to make duplicate efforts in reporting the same bugs again. A testing tool must improve the ease of reporting reproducible bugs, and be concise and clear while documenting intermittent issues.&nbsp; 



<h2 id="h-does-it-provide-effective-customer-support"> Does it provide effective customer support? </h2>



Customer support should be one of the important elements in your checklist when you select a cross-browser testing tool. A tool should provide proper means to support customers either through a support chat, email, or phone calls. Before finalizing a tool, you should evaluate the reviews of that tool so that you can get a bird’s eye view from a customer’s perspective. 



The tool should have a proper quick start guide and introductory videos explaining how to utilize all the features of the tool effectively to get the most out of it. You really don’t want to invest in a tool and then not get what you were promised.



<h2 id="h-here-s-why-testsigma-might-be-the-tool-you-were-looking-for">Here’s why Testsigma might be the tool you were looking for! </h2>



<a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma, an automated cross browser compatibility testing tool</a>, helps you to ensure that your web application works flawlessly on every browser version and OS configuration. It provides a massive range of real browser versions hosted on the cloud and available on-demand. Let’s see how the Testsigma tool addresses all the points discussed above. 



<div class="cta-banner-v2">
<div class="title-with-description ">
Automate Tests for Browser compatibility, UI, Visual and Functional in Parallel with Testsigma. No coding required.
</div>
<a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" class="cta-btn-v1" rel="noopener">Try for free</a>
</div>



1. It provides 2000+ device and browser configurations on the cloud to help you ensure that your application runs flawlessly on the end-user devices.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/MaVZ5YIHQ-ygTR21DTIPjLdhKGC25XqoW_VcQiBL3-mnRB81Xg4vkBmxgNvOViJp-cQD2kkaz3CAkyC7RGgWtBYLSkVoxV2gKOBLuAc9wZVAK0-f2xK65PFgn9hTfZeVDE53P7XJ" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



2. Effortless CI/CD integrations for teams to adopt agile development methodologies.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vfSazMQEUwShC99y-CgSXln3NlDGOk-8dQ11KitfmOAzuGrbvgK-BSYxQ7FlF-e-gw05dg8LE-cVG196vfzkSobMRNkgh1OnTI1F92G15WMsZCLCdRd6W3i_g5aG-9sf_xivTyCC" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



3. You can execute your test cases in-parallel allowing you to significantly reduce testing time and increase testing coverage.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gsUa8Orzd7L5a3lGrPoXfiSAwg8dqDzDftPgZBgJ-K80kKMhBKCopSHxRpESaxWyxsRA73PEe_I4uTyrZqA4qDonEt0ZIv2M9GJfXhJzwPffooDJxdje1YvZ-sRhAzE7n0hX2vv-" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



4. Quick actionable feedback with powerful configuration-specific reports enabling you to adopt a drill-down approach.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KF7eIi5EOOfJ820KKzZJhOUisDBtc2fuZhu-eMukM0pl29_HW0zK9POvvn9QFDih4Y3xkN6dpN3-LgiqWky9PJlO--kcUCINhY2yD4lKsvmsOjMWsoeRwNszIOzRy_CAPGEDGtia" alt="Testsigma"/></figure>



5. Supports team collaborations allowing you to share resources and reports with your team members.6. It eliminates the need for expertise due to the scriptless test creation approach.7. Bug reporting tools to automatically report bugs with all the essential information.



<div class="cta-banner-v2">
<div class="title-with-description ">
Automate your tests for Web, Mobile, Desktop and APIs on Cloud with Testsigma. No setup time needed.
</div>
<a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" class="cta-btn-v1" rel="noopener">Try for free</a>
</div>



Read more details about <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/cross-browser-compatibility-testing-what-browsers-you-should-test/" target="_blank">features that make Testsigma the best cross browser compatibility testing tool</a>



Maintaining and coordinating multiple testing environments with large test suites and configurations and scaling them depending upon the requirements might be cost-intensive. Hence, it’s very important to select a suitable cloud-based <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/eight-essentials-required-to-move-to-automated-software-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automation testing tool that would cater to all your requirements</a> enabling you to perform cross-browser testing seamlessly.