How does Lemberg ensure quality of our mobile apps? What tools do the Lemberg QA team use to check mobile apps? This blog post is part of our own knowledge hub on mobile apps testing. In this part we've complied a list of the main quality assurance tools for mobile apps testing:
Android
SDK Tools is a downloadable component for the Android SDK, which includes a complete set of development and debugging tools for the Android SDK.
Key Benefits:
- Includes a complete set of development and debugging tools for the Android SDK
- Is easy to update
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a part of Android SDK. It is a versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator instance or a connected Android-powered device.
Key Benefits:
- Lets you communicate with an emulator instance or a connected Android-powered device
- Executable of ADB
- You can invoke a client from a shell by running an ADB command
- The server manages communication between the client and the ADB daemon running on an emulator or a device
You can debug/test apps on a device over air. It is wireless and requires no cable. It is a must-have developer tool. WiFi ADB makes it easy to debug/test your Android apps directly on the device via the WiFi TCP/IP connection. No need to use a USB cable. After enabling ADB over WiFi, connect your computer to the device, open a console and run it.
Key Benefits:
- Easy to debug/test your Android apps directly on the device via the WiFi TCP/IP connection
- No need to have a cable
- Auto-enable ADB over WiFi on the configured known SSIDs.
Dalvik Debug Monitor Server (DDMS)
Monitor is a part of Android SDK Tools. In the new version of Android SDK, Monitor can be run without Eclipse (\android-sdks\tools\lib\monitor-x86\monitor.exe).
Key Benefits:
- Devices - Shows a list of devices and AVDs connected to ADB
- Emulator Control - Lets you carry out the device functions
- LogCat - Lets you view the system log messages in real time
- Threads - Shows currently running threads within a VM
- Heap - Shows the heap usage for a VM
- Allocation Tracker - Shows memory allocation of the objects
- File Explorer - Lets you explore the device file system
- Takes screenshots
SEE ALSO: Quality Assurance Tools for Stability/Stress Testing for Android
The Droid Explorer is a small and powerful tool to manage your rooted Android device using Windows Explorer.
Key Benefits:
- Multiple device support
- Right click APK and install
- Right click APK and uninstall
- APK file icon and extended information
- Display open with a dialog to specify what to open a file with
- Take a screenshot (a landscape or a portrait)
- Crash log capturing
- Device command shell window
- Delete files from device
- Screen video recording
Device: Android Developer Options
The Developer Options menu in Android is a hidden menu with a variety of advanced options. In Android 4.2+, the Developer Options menu and USB Debugging option have been hidden. To enable them go to Settings > About phone > Build number and tap on the section 7 times.
These options are intended for developers, but many of them will be interesting to QAs:
- USB debugging: Allows your Android device to communicate with a computer via Android Debug Bridge (ADB).
- Allow Mock Locations: The Allow mock locations option allows you to set fake GPS locations, tricking Android into thinking you’re somewhere different.
- Show Always-On-Top CPU Usage: You can view the CPU usage data by toggling the Show CPU usage option to On. This information will appear on top of the app you’re using.
- Don't keep activities: When this option is enabled, the Android OS will destroy an activity as soon as it stops. It is intended to help developers debug their apps. For example, it can simulate a case when Android kills an activity in the background due to memory pressure.
- Process Stats: Android 4.4 includes a new developer option to make it easier to analyse your app's memory profile while it's running on a device or an emulator.
SEE ALSO: GPS Accuracy. Tools & Tips to Test Your Device
iOS
Xcode provides everything developers need to create great applications for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode brings user interface design, coding, testing, and debugging into a unified workflow.
Key Benefits:
- Installing applications
- Deleting applications
- Capturing crash logs
- Taking screenshots / pictures
- Simulating a device
- Viewing device logs in real time
iTools is software developed by ThinkSky for the PC & Mac operating systems. The iTools is the best software to manage Apple devices.
Key Benefits:
- Installing applications
- Deleting applications
- Updating applications
- Capturing crash logs
- Taking screenshots / pictures
- Capturing video from the screen
- Rebooting/turning off a device
iPhone Configuration Utility lets you easily create, maintain, encrypt, and push configuration profiles, track and install provisioning profiles and authorised applications, and capture device information including console logs.
Configuration profiles are XML files that contain device security policies, VPN configuration information, Wi-Fi settings, APN settings, Exchange account settings, mail settings, and certificates that permit iPhone and iPod touch to work with your enterprise systems.
Key Benefits:
- Easily create, maintain, encrypt, and push configuration profiles
- Track and install provisioning profiles and authorised applications
- Capture device information including console logs
SEE ALSO: Here`s How To Check Audio Latency & Why It's Important For Your App
Device: iOS Developer Settings
The Developer Options menu in iOS is hidden, so to enable it you need to connect the device to your computer over USB, open Xcode → Organizer and select Use for Development. These settings are intended for developers, but many of them will be interesting to QAs:
- Energy Diagnostic: It helps you measure the energy usage of your application.
- Network Link conditioner: Apple has included a network link conditioner right in iOS that helps to simulate different types of network connections right on a development device.
- iAd Developer App Testing: With the iAd Developer App Testing feature, you can display and refresh your iAds in a matter of seconds and see if it causes any problems for your application.
SEE ALSO: