iOS Test Automation Tools: The Top Frameworks

As its name suggests, automation testing uses automation to test software - using scripted sequences to ensure the software meets specific requirements. You can use it to test for bugs, defects, compare results, and generate detailed reports. Automation testing further enables testing for multilingual sites. Without the need for human interaction, automation tests can run overnight. Automation can also increase test execution times, and test coverage. Developers wanting to focus on iOS automation testing, can take advantage of the different types of automation testing available.

Unit tests

Types of Automation Testing

The unit in unit tests refers to the individual components of the software or its functions.

The main purpose of integration testing is to bring to light any defects that may arise while the components interact with each other.

The objective of acceptance testing is to prove if the application is doing what its customer wants it to do

Smoke testing is also known as ‘build verification testing’ due to its functionality.

Frameworks for iOS App Automation Testing

APPIUM EARLGREY CALABASH XCTEST

Appium is an open-source tool that can empower iOS automation testing. Developers use it to automate native, mobile, web, and hybrid applications on iOS, Android, and Windows desktop platforms

XCTest is Apple’s official framework for writing unit tests and is a great tool for iOS automation testing. XCUITest is a UI testing framework built on top of XCTest. With XCTest, developers can write tests for components at any level.

Calabash is a cross-platform automation framework that works well with android and iOS apps. Developers use it to enable automated UI acceptance tests and to automate mobile applications like a native, mobile web, and hybrid.

EarlGrey is an open-source, iOS UI Automation Test Framework developed by Google. It allows developers to write clear and concise tests; gives them access to enhanced synchronization features.

Best Practices for iOS App Automation Testing

REAL DEVICE TESTING

OVER EMULATORS TEST EARLY, TEST OFTEN THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE THE COVERAGE DESIRED:

Testing on real devices will give you reliable and accurate results. While emulators may be easy to find, they cannot accurately account for real-life scenarios. When developers cannot trust the results of testing, moving forward to production will be a massive risk.

It is always best to start testing during the development phase. That way, you will be able to catch glitches earlier on. View testing as part of the process and not something you will do after development. Constant conversation between developers and testers is the best way to get the most out of testing.

Recording your tests or capturing screenshots for each step will help you with debugging and understanding your app better.

Keeping tabs on the crash log is crucial. These logs contain data on the root cause of an application failure. Console logs contain the complete information of the application under test (AUT).

Future Trends in App Automation Testing

Artificial intelligence

With enough data, AI and ML will only get more powerful, empowering organizations to forecast trends, improve predictive analytics, and get better insights from their tests.

Quality assurance automation

Quality Assurance Automation is definitely a trend that will continue to gain traction.

This stems from the fact that customers want quality. Today, we have apps hitting the market almost every day, it is no wonder that QA is becoming essential.

Testing for security

Security has always been a concern. As technology advancements continue, so will the need for improved security. As a growing number of banks start providing financial services through apps, security is again a concern.

Conclusion

According to the upcoming trends, testing will be a key aspect of app development.

Organizations will have to adapt to new trends in automation. If you’re looking to meet your iOS automation testing needs, reach out to us.