Mobile App Testing FAQ
TestingBot provides mobile application testing on both virtual devices as well as physical devices.
Virtual devices are Android emulators and iOS simulators.
TestingBot provides a large collection of these, available for mobile app testing, both automated and manual testing.
This FAQ document will list questions and answers regarding the mobile native app testing service.
Can I run Android emulator tests using Espresso instead of Appium?
TestingBot allows you to upload native mobile Android apps and use Espresso testing on both Android emulators and physical devices.
Of course, you can do Appium automated app testing as well on TestingBot.
Which apps are available on the devices?
TestingBot uses stock images for Android emulators, which come equipped with the PlayStore and Chrome.
Similarly, we use stock iOS simulators which come with Safari by default.
TestingBot does not use jailbroken or rooted physical devices.
All Android devices come with factory settings, with PlayStore enabled (if available) and Chrome.
The iOS devices come with Safari, the Safari version depends on the iOS version installed on the device.
How does manual testing work?
We provide access to a realtime view of an Android emulator, iOS simulator, Android physical device and iOS device.
You can interact with the device, from your own mouse and keyboard, without installing any plugins or software.
The screens are streamed either through WebRTC or VNC, depending on your network connectivity settings.
When are new devices added?
Our public device pool contains a collection of the most popular devices used, backed by public statistics of mobile device usage.
When new devices are released to the public, we aim to procure, setup and make these available to our customers in less than 2 weeks.
The criteria we use for selecting which devices to add depends on the popularity of the device and the demand for testing on such a device.
If you are looking to test on a specific device, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Is it possible to test push notifications?
It is possible to test push notifications in the following scenarios:
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Android Physical Devices
It will work automatically. Simply install the app and allow push notifications.
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iOS Physical Devices
This is only possible for private devices, which require an Enterprise plan. Reach out to us for more information.
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Android Emulators
Unfortunately this is not supported yet.
If you'd like to be a part of the beta program, please let us know. -
iOS Simulators
This is possible since Appium 1.21.0.
Can I upload or download files from a device or sim/emu?
This is currently not yet possible, but we are working on adding this feature.
If you'd like to test this out, please let us know.
How is my app protected during mobile app testing?
Our Real Device Cloud is located in a secure datacenter in Europe. We make sure that every device is fully protected, both physically and digitally.
All traffic happens through SSL and each device is cleaned after usage:
- All user apps are removed
- Generated data, such as browser data, is wiped
- SD card, accounts, and other data that was altered is removed
TestingBot's automated cleaning process makes sure that no data is available from an earlier test.
If you think this did happen, please reach out to us so we can reset the device and check why this happened.
Is audio supported, or microphone access?
Audio is available for Android devices running Android 12 and higher.
For iOS devices with iOS version 14 and higher, audio stream is available.
Older physical devices do not have the capability to stream audio, these will only stream a realtime video of the screen.
My app needs to make requests to internal services. Can I use a VPN for this?
We suggest using the TestingBot Tunnel. It will set up the device or sim/emu to proxy all requests through the tunnel to your internal services.
An alternative solution is to whitelist our IP addresses, which would allow our devices to reach your protected services.
Can I use Bluetooth on the physical devices?
Yes you can, please reach out to discuss your specific usecase.
Can trigger a disconnect or reconnect from a charging cable?
This is currently not supported.
Can I change the orientation of the device?
Yes, both on simulators/emulators as well as on physical devices. You can change the orientation to either PORTRAIT or LANDSCAPE.
You can do this via our manual testing feature, or change the screen orientation during an automated test.
Are code coverage reports by JaCoCo supported?
We currently do not support this.
Can I change the geolocation during my test?
Yes, you can change the geolocation either during manual testing or via automated tests.
Why do I sometimes see a lock/PIN screen?
On trial devices, in our public device pool, we need to make some areas password protected to prevent users from changing certain settings.
The password protection is not in place on non-trial devices.
Can I test payments on the physical devices?
Payments can be tested on private devices only. Please reach out to us for more information.
Can I inspect the mobile app in your manual testing feature?
Yes, you can inspect the mobile app from the manual testing feature. Simply open the DevTools option and click the Inspector tab.