Mobile Application testing can be a tricky proposition, with the plethora of devices, operating systems and their versions, further compounding the problem. As gatekeepers of quality, we QAs cannot be satisfied with testing only on simulators and emulators. It is always risky not to test on real devices for various reasons, above all being, end users would not be using the application on simulators but on real world devices. Hence, your QA should always sign-off the build on real devices.
Should you choose to run your automation on real devices, which devices would you narrow down on, from the ever-growing list of mobile devices? Using your short-listed devices, you would need to manage your automation testing cycles across these devices cleverly to be able to derive more from your investment.
For planned automation initiatives, choosing the right tool is very important for maximizing returns on your automation effort. You do not want your tool to throw you ugly surprises later in your framework development efforts.
Integrating your automation runs with the build cycles gives you fantastic ROI as you may have already realized with your normal web and desktop automation frameworks. Setting up such a process on your mobile automation will not only fetch optimal returns, but also make your automation a truly hands-off process.
AFour has a ready to use Remote Mobile Automation lab that is fully integrated with Jenkins-CI and has the ability to execute automation tests through client machines connected to these devices. Through the Jenkins interface, you can remotely control the execution of tests and view test results.
AFour Technologies has an in-house Smart Device Lab which our customers can leverage for testing their mobile and web apps. Some of the benefits that customers get:
– Dedicated “real” device lab updated with the latest and greatest devices and OSs.
– We maintain the devices, hence zero-maintenence cost.
– Customers can remotely connect to them via their automation frameworks for execution of test cases
– The device lab is also available via the popular Selenium Grid, which can be easily configured into your automation scripts.
– Real devices provide real performance metrics, which can be analysed to identify performance bottlenecks, memory leaks, etc.
Following is the list of devices currently available in the lab:
| Device |
| Samsung Galaxy Series (S, S2, S3, S4, S6) |
| Samsung Galaxy Note Series (II ) |
| Samsung Tab Series (I, II, III) |
| One Plus series |
| Motorola Moto G series |
| Google Nexus Series |
| HTC |
| Sony Xperia series |
| iPhone 6 Series (6, 6plus) |
| Lenovo Idea Pad Yoga 11 |
| iPhone 5 Series (5, 5C, 5S) |
| iPhone 4 Series (4, 4S) |
| Nokia Lumia Series (5xx to 15xx) |
| iPad (2, 3, 4) |
| Lenovo Idea Pad Yoga 11 (RT) |
| Asus Vivo book F202E (Windows 8) |
| Microsoft Surface (RT) 2 |
We have tried to achieve a balance amongst devices using the following factors
Screen Resolution – QHD, Full HD, HD ready, XVGA, QVGA, Retina
Operating Systems – Android (KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow), iOS( iOS 7, iOS 8, iOS 9), Windows (8.1)
Android OEM Flavors – Sony, HTC, Samsung, Cyanogen, Lenovo, Motorola