Ensuring seamless operation and excellent performance across mobile platforms is crucial in the ever-evolving world of digital experiences. Amidst this difficulty, Selenium mobile testing shows up as a key tool that gives testers the capacity to do in-depth analyses of mobile websites.
Through this post, we’ll delve into Selenium and other important tools and tactics necessary to perform thorough mobile site testing. So, let’s get started…
What are mobile testing tools?
Mobile testing tools are software applications or platforms specifically designed to facilitate the testing of mobile applications on various devices, operating systems, and networks. These tools help ensure the quality, functionality, performance, and usability of mobile apps across different platforms and devices.
Selecting tools for mobile testing: What questions to ask?
Asking the appropriate questions while selecting a tool will help you choose the best suit for your needs and process when it comes to mobile testing. Here are some things to think about asking:
Is the tool easy to learn and use?
It is typically necessary to install individual components, such as JAR files, language-specific client drivers, and libraries when working with open-source frameworks. You may download the program and begin using it right away if everything is contained in the utility itself.
Do its feature sets cover essential mobile-specific testing tasks?
Check out its technical documentation guide and look for some essential capabilities you anticipate having, such as screening, debugging, cross-device execution, sharing artefacts, and reporting.
Are integrations with CI/CD systems or other platforms native?
The majority of technologies provide integration with other frameworks, tools, ALMs, or project management software. On the other hand, connecting to the toolchain your team uses shouldn’t need too many workarounds if they are native integrations.
Does the tool provide scripting and scriptless methods?
In addition to helping those who are not proficient in programming, scriptless techniques like record and playback also aid in increasing test coverage and producing a wider range of tests.
Is the tool suitable for your budget and AUT?
Consider your team size, available resources, and the application’s complexity to evaluate if it’s the correct fit.
Top 10 Mobile Testing Tools for Comprehensive QA
The implementation of both automated tools and manual testing is necessary to ensure thorough quality assurance (QA) in the testing of mobile websites. Some crucial tools and methods are as follows:
1. LambdaTest
With over 3000+ actual devices, browsers, and OS combinations, you can perform manual and automation testing at scale with LambdaTest, an AI-powered platform for test orchestration and execution. It’s a platform for continuous cloud testing that speeds up code delivery for developers and testers while maintaining cross-browser compatibility. Let’s examine the characteristics of this tool for testing mobile apps.
Features:
- Use LambdaTest real device cloud to test web, hybrid, and native mobile apps or an emulator and simulator platform for virtual mobile devices.
- The LambdaTest platform makes effective use of a variety of project management technologies to facilitate collaboration and issue tracking.
- The HyperExecute platform from LambdaTest keeps track of all dependencies for use in upcoming test runs.
- Enables quick delivery pipeline tracking and market launch through integration with Google Cloud and many CI/CD technologies.
2. Appium
The open-source mobile testing tool Appium is a favorite among testers and developers. It enables the development of test cases using the same API across several platforms. It is compatible with Android version 2.3. Appium uses the WebDriver interface to run test cases. WebDriver uses button clicks and text entry on pages to automate web testing.
Features:
- It is a tool for testing desktop, mobile, web, native, and hybrid applications automatically.
- Mobile applications for iOS and Android were automated with this technology. These days, desktop platforms may also be automated using Webdriver.
- It incorporates mobile app testing for logical automation into current CI/CD workflows.
- Only Appium 2 now has plugins, which increase server capabilities without altering the server code.
- Appium Inspector may be useful for novices since it enables visual troubleshooting of automated tests.
- Programming languages such as Java, Javascript, Python, Ruby, PHP, and C# can be used to construct test scripts.
- The Flutter and React native mobile programming frameworks are integrated with this tool.
3. Selendroid
Selendroid is a framework for mobile test automation that specializes in automating Android native, hybrid, and mobile web application user interfaces. It utilizes the Selenium 2 client API to develop tests and communicate with application user interfaces.
Features:
- It is possible to test native and hybrid Android applications with this framework.
- An integrated inspector in Selendroid makes writing automation scripts easier. To automate your application, you don’t have to change it or recompile it.
- UI Element Inspection verifies the app’s present UI components to create a basic test script.
- This framework allows for simultaneous testing across numerous devices.
- It can mimic touch, swipe, drag, and drop interactions with users.
4. Robot Framework
This open-source platform is dynamic and adaptable, revolutionizing the process of creating and running tests on many platforms. It provides a clear syntax that makes it easier for non-programmers to efficiently generate and maintain test cases.
Features:
- Robot Framework is quite flexible and may be expanded with Java or Python to accommodate various testing requirements.
- It is compatible with other libraries, such as AppiumLibrary, which is specifically made for mobile testing.
- As such, it makes it possible for iOS and Android applications to be automated. Robot Framework has a great degree of adaptability and may be expanded with Python or Java to accommodate various testing requirements.
- It makes it easy to test multiple scenarios with different data sets by enabling data-driven test cases.
- This platform offers an extensive selection of plugins and connectors that improve mobile testing capabilities.
5. Espresso
Espresso takes first place in relation to a well-liked open-source testing framework made especially for automating the testing of Android apps. With Espresso, a tool created by Google, developers and QA teams can easily and quickly design user interface tests for Android apps, ensuring the dependability and quality of their products.
Features:
- Testers may check that the application functions appropriately when switching between screens by using Espresso-Intents.
- CI pipelines can incorporate this technology for automated testing.
- The development team may test hybrid web and Android platforms with Espresso.
- This tool allows you to run test cases in Kotlin or Java.
6. Robotium
Robotium is a good option if you’re searching for a mobile testing solution that makes it easy to build automated UI tests for Android apps while maintaining a high level of reliability. It enables QA and development teams to guarantee the dependability and quality of their applications.
Features:
- Black-box testing is where Robotium shines since it allows testers to create functional, system, and acceptability test scenarios.
- Writing and running tests are made simple by its integration with Android Studio, the main IDE for Android development.
- A test case may be recorded in only a few minutes using the Robotium Recorder.
- Little familiarity with the application being tested is necessary to use this tool.
- For the most part, this tool evaluates hybrid and native Android apps.
7. XCUI Test
Apple’s built-in testing framework for automating the testing of iOS apps is called XCUI Test. It has several characteristics to guarantee excellent quality and dependability. It is designed specifically for testing iOS applications, and developers may use Objective-C or Swift to construct tests for their apps.
Features:
- Using Xcode Server or other CI technologies, XCUI Test can be connected to CI/CD workflows to enable automated testing.
- Provides for testing on simulators and actual iOS devices, allowing for thorough test coverage.
- XCUI Test offers a large assertion library to validate UI components and their attributes.
8. Xamarin.UITest
With this tool, you can create and execute UI acceptance tests for mobile applications on iOS and Android platforms. It makes it possible to test native apps as well as Xamarin apps for the iOS, Android, and Apple platforms.
Features:
- An easier Xamarin alternative.
- Easily integrates with Microsoft Visual Studio products
- Improved testing across platforms
9. iOS Driver
iOS Driver functions better on emulators than it does on actual devices. iOS Driver can combine native and hybrid iOS mobile apps with Selenium for testing using the Selenium/WebDriver API. Before installation, make sure you meet the system requirements, as iOS Driver depends on two different Apple frameworks.
Features:
- Certain aspects of Apple’s X-code can be used once they are compatible.
- To test your apps, you don’t need to load additional agents, modify the app code, or jailbreak them.
- Able to function as a Selenium Grid Node, cutting down on GUI testing feedback time.
10. Flutter
An additional product that Google developed to make desktop, online, and mobile (iOS and Android) apps. More than 10% of the Google Play store is made up of mobile apps created with Flutter, according to Techahead.
Features:
- Simple code modifications and updates on emulators, simulators, or actual devices; use Hot Reload to see effects in real time.
- Background caching by use of service personnel
- Robust null safety measures to reduce the likelihood of null reference exceptions
- Develop and design user interfaces with widgets, rich motion APIs, and other tools.
Which mobile testing tool is your best fit?
Selecting an appropriate mobile testing solution will assist your team in automating tests more quickly and effectively.
Consider the features that a tool or framework offers carefully while searching for the best one to use when building test scripts. Support for a strong solution is essential for several mobile platforms, cross-platform connectors, and programming languages.
Open-source software like Appium is unquestionably the best option if your team includes seasoned developers who have built frameworks and apps from scratch.
Nonetheless, the LambdaTest Platform would not let down teams with significant skill gaps including QA engineers in their first year of work, transitional manual testers, and individuals with less coding experience. With Record & Playback, pre-made project templates, integrated keywords, comprehensive reporting to expedite debugging, and an array of additional features in the collection just waiting to be explored, you can go right into your first project.
Conclusion
A comprehensive approach to quality assurance is necessary to provide a flawless mobile experience. Mobile site testers use the above-discussed tools to quickly find problems and guarantee top performance across several platforms and devices.
Each tool plays a vital role in improving the user experience and preserving the integrity of mobile sites, from automated testing to manual inspections. When testers utilize these technologies, they can confidently traverse the complicated world of mobile development and produce a polished result that goes above and beyond what users expect.
Remember, mobile site testers can handle the expanding mobile technological ecosystem with the appropriate tools in hand to lead innovation and excellence in the digital sphere.