Author: Avinash Tiwari

Avinash Tiwari is a thought leader, a recognized keynote speaker, and the co-founder of pCloudy.com. He has 15+ experience in Product development and Testing. He brings with him a passion for emerging technology and quick adoption, both of which have solidified his reputation as a leader in the mobile app testing field.

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

pCloudy Announces Availability of iOS 11 (beta) Devices on Cloud

We are committed to keep you ahead of others: pCloudy is one of the fastest to release support of iOS 11 beta devices on cloud, as always

 

Apple has just released the iOS 11 public beta for their upcoming iOS 11 release expected soon. With the iOS 11 beta version released in the market, lots of enthusiastic Apple users are already moving to iOS 11.

Have you started thinking: is your IOS App compatible with this latest release?

pCloudy is happy to announce that we have released our support for iOS 11 on our cloud.pCloudy customers can use the iOS devices with iOS 11 for testing their applications either manual or automated way.

 
Manual Testing

You can access the IOS 11 device like any other IOS device and check the compatibility of your App

iOS 11 beta devices on cloud
Automated Testing

If you are using Appium, we are happy to announce support of Appium 1.6 to take care the execution of Appium scripts on IOS 11.

pCloudy recommends all the customers to start testing their iOS apps on iOS11 to identify glitches.

Happy Testing!!!

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

Integration of TestNG Project with pCloudy Platform

TestNG

TestNG is a testing framework inspired from JUnit and NUnit but introducing new functionalities that make it more powerful and easier to use.

It is an open source automated testing framework; where NG of TestNG means Next Generation. TestNG is similar to JUnit, especially when testing integrated classes.

TestNG eliminates most of the limitations of the older framework and gives the developer the ability to write more flexible and powerful tests with help of easy annotations, grouping, sequencing & parameterizing.

Benefits of TestNG

There are number of benefits but from Selenium perspective, major advantages of TestNG are:

  • It gives the ability to produce HTML Reports of execution
  • Annotations made testers life easy
  • Test cases can be Grouped & Prioritized more easily
  • Parallel testing is possible
  • Generates Logs
  • Data Parameterization is possible

Architecture of the testNG framework

TestNG Framework

pCloudy

pCloudy platform provides single click access to real Android and IOS devices directly from your browser. Use these real Mobile Devices to click-and-perform Manual Testing and execution of Automation Testing for your App. Integrate our platform with CI for continuous Automation Testing and test your App on multiple real Mobile Devices with every change of your App.

Now it’s very much simple to integrate your existing TestNG project with pCloudy.

Architecture of the TestNG framework with pCloudy

Architecture of Testing Framework with pCloudy

Prerequisite to integrate framework:

  • TestNG Project or Download sample framework code

    • Steps to integrate:

    1. Add pCloudy connector jar in your existing project

    pCloudy Java Connector

    2. Add Controller class in existing project

    Controller

    3. Add DeviceContext class in existing project

    Device Context

    4. Add a list, which contains the classes that you want to run, pCloudy username, pCloudy API key & application path in Controller class.

    Create A ListUser Authentication with pCloudySelect APK in pCloudy

    Controller class

    • contains public static void main methods.
    • helps to create dynamic testng.xml file with selected device test.
    • runs testing.xml as testng target.

    5. In TestNg class, add code to launch appium under @BeforeClass, @BeforeMethod annotation according to your project:

    @Parameters({ “myDeviceContext” })
    @BeforeClass
    public void beforeClass(String myDeviceContext) throwsConnectError, IOException, InterruptedException {
    DeviceContext myContext = Controller.allDeviceContexts.get(myDeviceContext);
    try {
    myContext.driver = newAndroidDriver(myContext.endpoint, myContext.capabilities);
    } catch (Exception ex) {
    ex.printStackTrace();
    }
    }

    6. In TestNG class, add code to quit driver under @AfterClass, @AfterMethod annotation according to your project:

    @Parameters({ “myDeviceContext” })
    @AfterClass
    public void afterClass(String myDeviceContext) throws ConnectError, IOException {
    DeviceContext myContext = Controller.allDeviceContexts.get(myDeviceContext);
    myContext.driver.quit();

    }

    7. In TestNG class, add code to close pCloudy appium under @AfterTest annotation according to your project:

    @Parameters({ “myDeviceContext” })
    @AfterTest
    public void afterTest(String myDeviceContext) {
    DeviceContext myContext = Controller.allDeviceContexts.get(myDeviceContext);
    try {
    myContext.pCloudySession.releaseSessionNow();
    } catch (ConnectError | IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
    }
    }

    8. Run the TestNg framework execution by running controller class as java application.

    Create support ticket; if you have any issues our expertise will help you.

    Keep Automating…

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

App Testing during your Dev Cycle – Developer Tool to Access Real Devices on Cloud

App Testing

If recent past has been any indication, then it is a certainty there are growing expectations from Testers and Developers alike, to take quality head on, as a joint feature. More so in the Mobile App Testing projects where changes are required faster than ever.

 

As part of DevOps practices, it’s has become imperative for developers to run as many tests as possible with every code check-in. These tests could be automated functional, API or Unit Tests. Some of the popular tools to used by Developers to create their tests are Espresso, XCTest and Appium.

 

Following are some the Challenges faced by developers:

  • Developers need access of right set of devices across different versions to be able to run their tests.
  • Debugging capability on those devices so that they can fix issues quickly.
  • Access to a specific model of devices to debug production issues.

Try taking a look at a typical developer’s cubicle and you will see a series of mobile devices connected with several long USB cables running into computers. It does get frustrating to see others furiously plugging USB cables in and out of the mobile devices for App Testing on various devices.

 

Many of the organizations are shifting to device cloud to provide their teams access of right Mobile Devices. Device cloud are solving the need of test teams but provide limited debugging capabilities and hence not preferred by Developers.

 

To directly address need of Developers, pCloudy recently introduced DeviceTunnel, which fully allows developers to take complete control of the device in cloud. This unique solution provides access of cloud devices through the Android Studio or Eclipse IDE and the command line tool installed in your computer.

 

It works as if Device is connected directly to your computer through a USB cable. From the point of view of tools like Android Studio or Eclipse, a cloud-based device appears physically attached. In reality, the Device Tunnel communicates with pCloudy’s servers over Internet.

 

App Testing

Access devices directly from your terminal

 

Once a connection is established, the developers can perform the following actions on these devices:

  • Issuing a range of ADB commands for debugging, shell creations, port forwarding, and viewing general information about any cloud-based Android device
  • Copying and pushing files to connected cloud-based devices
  • Installing and uninstalling applications
  • Debugging apps during development or testing by adding breakpoints, inspecting variables, analyzing run-time metrics to optimize your app and more
  • Run their tests on the device directly from their IDE

To know more on how to connect any device on pCloudy using Device Tunnel Click Here.

It is undeniable that developers and testers need quicker access to diverse devices for the brisk evaluation of app and debugging. Device Tunnel enables both sets of engineers to instantly connect to any device hosted on cloud and run faster debug sessions and thereby, maximize the quality of their build cycles.

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

What’s New With Release 4.3?

pCloudy 4.3

 

  • User can directly send input to the pCloudy Android devices by using their system keyboard.
  • CPU and Memory graphs on iOS.
  • New Improved Automator Page.
  • Automator now works on devices for all region
  • Live view for the Automation run for devices from all region
  • Bug Fix: Remaining Credits now revert back after an Appium session finishes earlier than booking expiration time.

Click Here to check our Previous Release.

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

What’s in Store For Dev and Testers With Android O Release?

Android O Release

 

Latest Android Version

The development world bumped into a new surprise by announcement of developer release of latest Android version: Android O. The makers have made everyone curious about its christening, wondering which sweet it has been named after (Oreo, rumour has it). On the developers front however, it seems to be a good time to assess this developer preview and its included features that might have implications on the apps on your phone and their quality, as well the future it holds for us.

So let us lay out the key details and focus on the challenges or opportunities that developers will run into due to the changes in the OS features and application development environment.

 
Latest Android Version

Picturecourtesy: Greenbot

Why is the Migration Necessary?

With major share of the market with Android M and L, i.e. 60 percent, fragmentation is still in growth within the Android landscape. During most Android OS changes, a few basic fixes make the app compatible with the newer version. However, its API changes and several features make changes to the appearance and functioning of the existing apps. It can result in unstable applications and confusion among the users. This means that there are not only more devices and OS combinations in the market to test against, but also that from both supported test cases and features, there should be different branches that combine the test suites with a device/OS combination and a supported capability.

 

Sneak Peek into the New Features of latest android version – Android O and the Challenges to Testing:

The first release of Android O is just for devs to get a sneak peek into their bag of tricks behind the show and the help needed for that transition. E.g. adding extra layers of security options to prevent malware entry into your phone. Of course there will be more UX and UI based improvements in the beta releases. Let’s take a brief look at their features and the challenges they present to Testing.

  • Revamped Settings and Changes in UI: This feature is one of the most outward change in the preview. That means new icon, condensed and summarized organization, which makes the navigating app superior and pleasant. There are several other similar organizational and in a many places functional changes in UI including lock-screen shortcuts, icon badges, picture in picture feature etc.

However, this immediately opens a range of visual test automation scenarios that will need insights into different resolutions and themes to assure the new animated look, movement or adaptation as required.

 
Android O

Picture Courtesy: Greenbot

  • More Control over Notification Channels: Changes again in the Notification shade for UI improvement, with more icons in the status bar, a cooler shade and a bit more subtle yet stronger control over its notification channels by Notification Grouping. I.e. option to choose for notification from people in your contacts and more manageable system and processes alerts.

This means, more testing to be added to support the granular notifications, the configuration traits of the device and network environment related testing.

 
Notification Channels

Picture Courtesy: Greenbot

Enhanced Auto-fill: So far, other than Chrome, no other system has made the process so seamless, making jumps between password managers or switching to special keyboards. Android O’s brand new auto-fill API lets you support specific needs like password management, without having to launch the app in parallel, making the process a lot damn faster.

This also means that each app will have external requirements like password management and testers would need to understand which apps can serve as auto-fill for their app under test, and then test against them.

 
Autofill

Picture Courtesy: Greenbot

  • Better Control over Battery Power and App Background Resources: Android O is changing the way how the OS functions in the background by enforcing more limits on app resource usage in order to save battery and how frequently background apps can retrieve your current location, and implicit broadcasts.

That means, more new tests and branches of these tests need to be added in order to assure correctly that the limitations apply based on the location constraints set by the developers and other limits that are supported.

 
Battery

Picture Courtesy: Greenbot

To Wit!

We just touched on a few immediate implications of the new latest Android version – Android O release for developer and testers, who need to be ready to usher in a not just a new set of challenges and branches of testing, but also prepare themselves for early versions that are to be launched soon. To know more on the specifics of migration to Android O, you can go to the official Android Documentation at their website.

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

XCUITest for iOS Apps and How to Test With Xcode

XCUITest for iOS Apps

 

UI testing for iOS app is a way to validate & interact with the real UI of the app. This testing process will check if UI elements are designed and implemented the way it should be by interacting the UI elements by tapping, swiping, scrolling and verifying the behavior. For iOS version 9.3.5 and above, Apple has introduced XCUITest by deprecating instruments with UI Automator making it mandatory to use XCUITest for iOS automation.

 

Xcode has XCUITest framework integrated allows to easily develop UI tests for user’s interaction with the application. Implementation of UI tests for iOS apps with XCUITest is same as unit tests in XCTest.

 

pCloudy supports both XCUITest for iOS version 9.3.5 & above and instruments for lower version. DesiredCapabilities like automationName, usePrebuiltWDA, acceptAlerts are required to run the automation scripts in pCloudy platform.

 

1) Creating IPA file using xcode for testing

a. In General tab, Select Provisioning profile in Signing(Debug) and Signing(Release)

 

test-munk-demo

 

b. Select Provisioning Profile

 

XCUITest

 

c. Archive the build

 

archieve-build

 

d. Export the build

 

export-the-build

 

e. Choose Development Team ID

 

development-team-id

 

f. Choose to export for all compatible devices

 

Choose-to-export-for-all-compatible-devices

 

testmunkdemo

 

g. Select the appropriate location to save

 

select-appropriate-location-to-save

 

Now you have properly signed to run automation in pCloudy platform.

 

2) Running Automation Script @ pCloudy

 

a. Login and upload ipa file

 

login

 

b. Upload the App to cloud drive post login

 

upload-the-app-to-cloud-drive

 

c. Create XCUITest project in Eclipse or Android Studio.

 

The following capabilities need to be set after creating AppiumDriver object to run XCUITest above v9.3

 

XCUITest-Project

 

Also you can download Sample Project from below link-
http://pcloudy-content-distribution.s3.amazonaws.com/index.html?prefix=Sample Appium Projects/java/

 

d. Select any number of iOS devices for test run

 

ios-devices

 

e. Click Live view for Online Streaming of Test automation

 

appium-native

 

live-view

 

f. View the Reports

 

Consolidated Report:

 

consolidated-report

 

Single Device Report:

 

single-device-report

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

Mobile App Hackathon

Are you Ready for the Challenge?

The pCloudy Mobile App Hackathon is a programming-focused Coding contest designed to inspire a creative and dynamic generation of tech professionals to put their skills to the test. For three weeks, top developers will compete for the chance to win prizes and job interview opportunities in a skill-based challenge. Think you got what it takes?

Code Challenge

pCloudy
mobile app hackathon mobile-app-testing-platform
The pCloudy Mobile App Hackathon Your Simplest Mobile App Testing Platform
register mobile-app-testing-platform

prizes

Avinash Tiwari | Posted on | 2 min Read

Test Your Apps in Different Network Environments

Test your Apps

Did You Know?

Test Your Apps function differently in different Network Environments

There might be a whole set of bugs you probably are marking as “Cannot Reproduce” simply because you are thinking “Hmmm… Funny, it seems to works here”.

The App you tested in your lab environment will not work the same way when you use it in an elevator, or in a basement, or while you are travelling on a highway. These are probably a whole set of testing scenarios you probably haven’t thought of.

You Can do now

Test your Apps

Mimic different real network environments that impact app functionality and performance

 networks

Create different Network Profiles and test you apps on multiple Network Environments
Test your Apps

Identify and rectify functional and performance issues

 bandwidth

Modify various parameters like bandwidth, packet loss and latency during testing