Discover the leading frameworks for Android automated testing, supporting QA teams in adapting to the market’s changing priorities and channeling growth through performance.
The demand for Android applications has dramatically spiraled in the last decade, leading to fierce competition among businesses. To earn sustained success, therefore, requires developers to establish robust, rigorous testing practices and ensure higher-quality apps every time. They must focus on testing Android applications across various devices, operating systems, and networks to score well across the three key metrics:
a) Stability
b) Security
c) Scalability
In the following sections, we will comprehensively learn about the meaning and significance of Android automated testing and understand the top Android automated testing frameworks widely used in the industry. We will cover their pros and cons to help our readers make the right pick and build apps that create lasting value.
Understanding the meaning and purpose of Automated Android Testing
Android automated testing, as the name suggests, involves using software tools and frameworks to automatically test the uptime and performance of Android applications. It is a rigorous, multi-tiered process—encompassing a broad range of automated tests that simulate user interactions with Android apps and present real-life scenarios for developers to assess.
Currently, the market is swamped with automated Android testing frameworks, enabling QAs to test applications against numerous conditions and gain insights into their functionalities and behaviors for further enhancements. Some of the widely used and dependable frameworks are covered in the sections below.
What are the reasons for choosing Android Automated Testing?
Android automated testing offers several advantages to developers and testers, including:
- Faster testing: Automated testing can execute tests much faster than manual testing, significantly reducing the testing cycle and time-to-market.
- Consistency: Automated tests are consistent and repeatable, ensuring that the same test can be run multiple times with the same results, thereby boosting confidence in the quality of the app.
- Scalability: Automated testing can be easily scaled to test multiple devices and scenarios, allowing developers to identify and fix issues across a wide range of devices and platforms.
- Cost-effective: Automated testing reduces the cost of testing by minimizing the need for manual testing and reducing the time and effort required to test an app.
- Improved test coverage: Automated testing allows for more comprehensive testing by executing a large number of tests, covering different scenarios and edge cases that may be difficult to test manually.
Although we agree that automated testing is the need of the hour, it cannot be denied that human discretion and judgment are essential in determining an application's efficiency. Nonetheless, developers should aim to automate most of the testing scenarios and eliminate any uncertainties, except for the most crucial situations.
5 Automated Android Testing Frameworks for Efficient App Development
1. Appium
Appium is a widely used open-source automated testing framework, allowing developers a platform-agnostic way of testing mobile apps and creating test scripts against various platforms, including iOS, Windows, and Android—all while using the same API. Simply speaking, Appium is highly scalable and lets developers use the same code for cross-platform testing, saving significant time and effort. Appium also supports testing using real devices, simulators, or emulators and provides access to various device APIs, including camera, GPS, and accelerometer, making it a versatile choice for mobile app testing.
2. UI Automator
UI Automator is from Google and is used to test Android apps at the system level. The framework lets developers perform UI testing across installed apps and different devices. UI Automator doesn’t need access to the source code of the application, meaning that the test script can seamlessly navigate and interact with various verticals of the apps, such as the application tray, settings, and third-party resources. What’s more, with UI Automator APIs, developers can write tests without knowing or interfering with the implementation details of the apps being tested.
3. Calabash
Calabash is an open-source testing framework that allows developers to test their Android and iOS Apps using a single test script. It uses the Cucumber framework to write tests in natural language, which makes it easy for non-technical stakeholders to understand the test results. Calabash supports a wide range of programming languages, such as Ruby, Java, and JavaScript, and it provides a range of features, such as cross-platform testing, cloud-based testing, and integrated test reporting.
4. Selendroid
Selendroid is an open-source automated testing framework for native and Hybrid Android Apps. It is based on the Selenium WebDriver and fully supports the same JSON wire protocol as Selenium. One of the unique features of Selendroid is the ability to interact with multiple Android activities within the same app. It also supports parallel test execution and integrates with popular continuous integration tools, such as Jenkins. Developers prefer Selendroid for its flexibility, ease of use, and its ability to support numerous programming languages, such as Java, Ruby, and Python.
5. Espresso
Espresso is a lightweight Android Testing Framework developed by Google that allows developers to test the user interface of their apps. It uses a small set of APIs to write concise and readable tests that can be executed quickly. Furthermore, it supports both black-box and white-box testing and is highly reliable as it performs rigorous assessments to ensure the app behaves as intended under any given circumstances. Espresso is integrated with Android Studio, which makes it easy for developers to write, execute, and debug their tests. It further provides a range of features such as synchronization, custom views, and Idling resources, making it almost effortless to test complex user interfaces.
The final word
Android app testing frameworks provide a comprehensive approach to testing Android apps effectively. There are a variety of testing frameworks available in the industry, and each framework has its unique features and benefits. Choosing the right framework depends on the organization's requirements, testing goals, and the development team's expertise. For an Android application development company, it is essential to consider the scalability, reliability, and ease of use while selecting a testing framework. By choosing the right testing framework, organizations can ensure that their apps are high-quality and meet user expectations.