Choosing the Right Mobile Automation Framework

People who deal with the design of any mobile system sooner or later begin to ask the same questions. What specific test automation framework should I choose for mobile tests? Do I need to choose Espresso (for Android) or XCUI (for iOS), or should I consider a cross-platform tool (like the open source tool Appium)? What mobile software testing tools do other companies use? Which framework will fail less in the short term?

Author: Nataliia Syvynska, TestMatick, https://testmatick.com/

The answer to all these questions cannot be formulated in one paragraph. The most effective way to find all the necessary explanations is to correctly divide the testing problem into several areas.

Team Structuring

The team structure in this context can be correlated with two types of work team building:

• Teams with mobile developers who are also responsible for the testing processes – creating unit tests, functional tests, integration tests, and UI.
• Project teams that have QA specialists whose main task is to check the quality of the application in terms of user interface, functionality, and overall performance.

Let’s look at each group separately.

So, teams of the first type, where software developers themselves create both the product and unit tests for it, usually use familiar tools. For example, it is convenient for any iOS developer to make software in Swift within the iOS ecosystem. Using a UI testing framework like XCUI fits perfectly into this list of working tools. An Android developer, in turn, will most likely prefer Kotlin-based Espresso tests.

On the other hand, the QA lab with a software testing department wants and can solve problems with both ecosystems, completing the work quickly enough and spending as little effort as possible on subsequent support. This operating philosophy makes them choose a cross-platform framework like Appium, which can be considered a universal solution with a single code base that can work on both platforms with minimal time and money.

Fast Product Launch

Teams that use tools they are familiar with work faster and have virtually no learning curve. In a situation where teams use cross-platform products, the speed of work can be the same – it all depends on their knowledge of the basics of the frameworks used.

Product Support

Support for each product is highly subjective. For example, if you are using the Appium approach, your code base is brought to a single standard, you only need a test environment to run iOS / Android tests. On the other hand, tests in the same code base as the product itself are not difficult to maintain, but implementing tests in both ecosystems may require different environments (for example, the XCUI environment requires Mac).

Size of Testing Types Coverage

Size in this context refers to the types of tests: integration, performance, general functionality, and the like. The use of ecosystem tools sometimes serves as a universal mechanism for all types of tests, and software testing companies with cross-platform products often use additional solutions for performance testing.

Level of Test Depth

Depth in this context refers to the kind and amount of UI flows you can create. For example, if you need to disable the Internet connection or view a list of settings in a native mobile product, then native test frameworks have a very simple, working API for this. Cross-platform products also have it, but sometimes they are built on a native API and may not be the same for all current OS versions.

Conclusion

The selection of a mobile test automation framework is a pivotal decision in mobile app development. It demands a thorough evaluation of project-specific needs, platform compatibility, ease of use, scalability, and community support. Ultimately, your choice should harmonize with your project’s objectives.

In the dynamic realm of mobile app development, staying attuned to evolving technologies is imperative. Regularly reassessing and adapting your mobile testing framework will keep your software development process efficient and effective. In this ever-evolving landscape, flexibility and a willingness to embrace change are paramount to success in mobile automation.