No doubt, there are a large number test automation tools which are available in the software market from different vendors but before you invest in one of those tools, how you will figure out that this automation tool suits the best to your testing needs where you want to automate testing of Android OS based device. There are many points which comes to pictures and if any such tool passes the litmus test then these points providing the solution then it is the most suitable tool for you to automate your testing work. Let’s take a dig into the TestComplete tool which is considered suitable to automate Android OS based device testing.

1) Can the automation tool simulate swipes and long touches?

With the growing competition among phone manufacturing companies and demand for sophisticated OS which supports swipes and long touches is increasing exponentially. Therefore, while choosing a test automation tool it should be kept in mind that the tool can simulate swipes and long touches smoothly. TestComplete is known to be one of such tool that can serve this testing purpose for Android OS automation on a compatible device.

 

2) Can the automation tool simulate touching physical buttons?

Testing an Android OS based device should simulate touching physical buttons into an expected response. The automation tool is required to hit such button efficiently and listen to the event as a part of test automation. The TestComplete tool is very efficient to cater to such test automation need for touching physical buttons.

3) Does the automation tool support gestures (multi-touch events)?

Testing an Android OS based device should simulate gestures or multi-touch events. The TestComplete tool is known to provide extended support for the Android as well as iOS operating systems where you can test the applications which are running on emulators, physical devices, and Android x86 virtual machines. The TestComplete tool allows for record and playback the recorded gestures on Android devices supporting multi-touch features.

4) Does the automation tool install applications on a device?

While selecting the testing tool for Android OS device, the capability of the tool should be well known or understood completely before we can start our test automation. When you are testing your Android OS based application then the TestComplete tool is able to install TestComplete Android Agent in order to call the internal properties and methods of the applications at its objects and controls level. TestComplete Android agent is capable enough to support geolocation testing, working with built-in sensors of the devices and simulating the local symbol input. We can conduct such type of testing very easily with iOS devices as it does not require such special preparation while working with the TestComplete tool.

5) Does the automation tool access sensor data of a device?

As discussed earlier for Android OS-based devices, the TestComplete Android agent can help to access the sensor data of device and supports geolocation testing. Therefore, the TestComplete tool is one of the best automation tools as it can easily access sensor data of a device.

6) How flexible is the tool when it comes to test or work with an unprepared application?

To work with Android OS based application testing, the TestComplete Android agent can dig into the internal properties and methods of the applications at its objects and controls level. Such precision can help you to create your automation at the extent or level you are looking for more flexible and accurate tests using TestComplete. For example, by using object-based testing you can alter the text in the text box by simply executing a command and skipping the need to enter text letter by letter.On the other hand, if are looking to test iOS devices say for geolocation testing it does not require an agent or such special preparation. Therefore, the TestComplete tool can assist the devices under both situations i.e. situations where special preparations are required (such as Android OS based devices requiring an installation of TestComplete Android agent) and situations where special preparation are not required (such as testing iOS devices for geolocation testing).

7) Does the tool require root or superuser permissions?

If we are using TestComplete tool to test the Android OS based device then we do not require the root or the superuser access or permission on the device’s filesystem. However, to test iOS device with TestComplete we need the root permission or access and hence we need to jailbreak the iOS device in order to test the applications using TestComplete.

8) Does the tool support emulators?

TestComplete tool passes the litmus test for this case as well. Using TestComplete, you can execute the same test script multiple times on the multiple mobile devices, or emulators. It will allow you to install, test, launch, record actions and delete the application on the devices under test. Not only this, but it also permits you to copy data from a device to your PC where it can be persisted safely.

Conclusion:

In this article, I have listed down multiple points which usually help the automation developer when they make choice of the automation tool. There could be more other points or test scenarios which may be required as per the testing requirements for a particular device. TestComplete tool happens to pass the litmus test for all the above 8 points and sounds suitable to test Android OS based devices.

Happy Testing!!!