As an open-source tool for automating applications, Appium is usable across native, mobile web, and hybrid applications. It is scalable across iOS, Android, and Windows Software Development Kits. This article will focus on how this ‘across-platform’ tool is used for Android automated testing while focusing on its benefits.
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Benefits of using Appium mobile automation
Using an open-source automated testing software is beneficial in more ways than can be discussed, but what is interesting about Appium automation is that it is fabled to have been custom-made to meet mobile automation needs. The following reasons can be a testament to this fact:
● Not limited to specific languages
You are never limited to one specific language or framework when writing or running your tests. The vendor-provided framework is wrapped into a single API. The client-server architecture specified by the WebDriver API used here enables the client written in any language to send HTTP requests to the server.
This leaves you free to use any test runner or framework. Appium and WebDriver clients are more automation libraries than test frameworks to be more direct.
● Usable across-platforms
Appium automated testing used a “cross-platform” tool. Using API allows users to write tests against various platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows. This feature enables code reuse between Android, iOS, and Windows test suites and makes it more valuable to coders, developers, and testers in a time crunch.
● No need for re-compilation or modifications
You don’t have to modify or re-compile your application to automate it. Appium uses vendor-provided automation frameworks so that the need to compile Appium-specific or third-party codes is not required. The result is that you can test the same app you are ultimately shipping.
● It doesn’t reinvent the wheel for automation APIs
Since WebDriver has become a de facto standard for automating web browsers, Appium insists that there is no need to do something drastically different for mobile. Instead, the protocol is extended with varying methods of API, which could be especially useful for mobile automation.
● It is open-source
It is open-source in spirit as well as practice. The software can be downloaded for free and installed with just a single click on any device. Appium allows you to write tests across different platforms using the same API. Automated tests can be run on tablets and mobile phones to make them further realistically useful.
By making mobile app regression testing easy, especially for larger apps that require frequent features and functionalities updates, Appium has made itself known as one of the most widely used tools for such a purpose. Automated android testing can be sped up with the help of Appium.
Why Android testing is necessary
Because of its vast user and manufacturer base, Android’s OS is not standardized. This leads to infrequent updates, inconsistencies, variations in network conditions, and device model preferences, making compatibility testing difficult.
On top of this, older Android devices being used for two or more years make their OSes obsolete, rare, or “supported.” These devices are also under potential security threats, further complicating the situation. Users may thus find applications incompatible with the devices they are currently using.
App developers consider automated testing necessary to manage risks like these, and Appium mobile automation is the most famous tool used for this.
Appium for Android automated testing
A quick, rigorous Appium mobile automation can be vital to account for all scenarios in the Android application to be launched. This tool is credited with simulating complicated techniques like GPS simulation, barcode scanning, check scanning, Touch ID, and the like.
The ability to execute tests on several smartphone devices also helps save time and increase coverage. Appium is based on the Selenium WebDriver, allowing testers to install their applications on multiple devices and then simulate and automate several use-case scenarios. Devices employed in testing can be locally or remotely connected or even emulated.
Challenges of working with Appium and solution
Appium is open-source without dedicated support. This can potentially be a limitation that renders only experts get the most benefits out of it. Some of the common challenges faced while working with Appium automation testing can be the following:
- Sometimes installations could take a long time. Insufficient GUI makes the test development process dependent on lengthy scripting, thus slowing down the process.
- Increasing functionality sometimes requires it to be connected to third-party apps, making it susceptible to errors.
- This can lead to bugs in the tests, and debugging is almost impossible since there are no visual tools.
- Being open-source software, Appium makes it impossible to gauge when the new Operating Systems could be compatible with it. This leads to a delay of several months when users have to wait to test their applications for compatibility with new OSes.
Appium Studio as the solution:
Appium Studio is the improved form of Appium automation testing created to deal with the shortcomings mentioned above. The same trustworthy rigorous testing is available here, and it is time-efficient. Appium Studio is known to be downloaded for free and installed quickly with the help of a process that lasts a few minutes at the most. Users can avail of free support via the Appium Studio forum as soon as it is installed.
To understand how Appium Studio works perfectly, we can break it down into three parts:
- It is, firstly, a visual test development tool. It makes device reflection, Object Spy, and a test recorder available to the users who can then write robust tests quickly and efficiently.
- The setup is fast and straightforward, making it desirable to all developers.
- The Appium Execution Engine explicitly designed for the mobile enables test execution, parallel execution, and out-of-app testing.
- It comes with guaranteed OS version support to support large-scale parallel executions.
All these component benefits lead to the reduction of cost, effort, and time, thus compensating for the possible shortcomings of Appium automation. Appium studio offers easy UI use, enabling users to test use cases efficiently. This makes executions more stable and the results and reports more concise.
Concluding thoughts
Since the Android market is so fragmented, releasing mobile applications at a preferred time can be a difficult task to shoulder. Automated Android testing, therefore, is a necessity universally agreed upon. Before removing or updating a mobile app in the high-demand, fast-paced, and forever growing environment is essential to ensure no functionality issues.
Appium for Android is a brilliant and consequently popular testing software, a more functional version of the Appium Studio. Both are available for free and are open-resource, thus taking your automation project on the route to success without any investment. Appium automation leverages a web server exposing REST API; it receives client connections, takes commands, and executes them on mobile devices, responding with an HTTP.
Their client service architecture opens up the possibilities of writing test codes in any language and using ones from the Appium client libraries in Java, Ruby, Python, PHP, JavaScript, and C#, all of which support Appium’s extension WebDriver’s protocol.
