TestingBot released macOS Ventura (13.0) cloud testing on the same day that Apple released it, October 24th. In this blog post, we'll describe how we added macOS Ventura to our cloud based browser grid and what features it provides.
macOS Ventura Test Automation
Apple's latest macOS version includes several exciting updates, including:
- A new Safari version (16)
- Stage Manager, which provides more customizations for windows and apps
- Continuity Camera
- Security, Privacy and Accessibility improvements
- Many more updates for built-in apps
As Apple has shifted to using ARM-based systems-on-a-chip (M1 and M2), most macOS Ventura installations will run with ARM instead of x86.
This means you should be testing on browsers running with their respective ARM binaries.
Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera all come with universal packages that contain support for ARM. This configuration offers native speed on M1 and M2 Apple machines. You can still use Rosetta to run x86 apps on M1/M2 but it will be much slower.
TestingBot provides ARM-based macOS Ventura Testing
TestingBot offers macOS Ventura VMs running on ARM instead of x86. We use Apple's Virtualization.Framework to create single-use VMs on native M1 and M2 Apple machines.
This means that running tests on TestingBot will be identical to testing on M1/M2 Apple hardware.
Accelerated Graphics
A nice bonus with utilising Apple's virtualization framework is that it provides Paravirtualized Graphics, which means the graphics performance on our macOS Ventura VMs will be much better than before. You will be able to test websites and apps, containing videos (with audio) at native speed.
TestingBot's Live Testing feature allows you to interact with a macOS Ventura guest at native speed, from your own computer. You can control the OS with your own mouse and keyboard, change the screen resolution, IP location and take screenshots.
Audio
TestingBot streams the audio from macOS Ventura to your computer, so you will be able to test websites that use audio. Additionally, you can toggle the native macOS screen reader functionality, to test the accessibility of your website.
Audio and video is streamed in real-time, with a minimum amount of bandwidth and latency.
Screen Resolution
Apple's virtualization framework does not allow changing the screen resolution of the VM. TestingBot has implemented its own solution to dynamically change the screen resolution. You can specify a screen resolution during automated tests, or change the resolution on the fly during Live Testing.
iOS Simulators
Thanks to the Paravirtualized Graphics, we see an improvement in iOS simulator startup time, as well as overall speed during automated testing.
TestingBot currently provides iOS 16.2 simulator testing on macOS Ventura VMs.
Performance
Compared to our other macOS VMs (Monterey, Big Sur, Yosemite, High-Sierra, Sierra), we see a dramatic increase in performance utilizing this new approach. Each VM is provided with 4 cores (mix of performance and efficiency cores) as well as 4GB of RAM.
The network configuration we use is optimized for speed as well, by using the Virtio configuration provided by Apple.
We provide single-use VMs for all our offerings, which means that artifacts generated during your test will be destroyed as soon as the test is finished.
Conclusion
TestingBot is a cloud-based testing platform that enables developers to test their products on a range of devices and platforms, including mobile devices, desktops, and browsers.
TestingBot has expanded its range of macOS versions, providing developers with an efficient and reliable solution for testing on macOS Ventura.
