Mobile applications have become an integral part of our lives today with many organizations developing hybrid and native apps for both iOS and Android platforms. While the development cycle is fast, testing these apps thoroughly for critical functions, workflow, and usability remains challenging. Manual testing of each functionality across varied mobile models and operating systems is cumbersome. 

This is where test automation using Selenium plays a vital role by enabling seamless execution of test scripts across hybrid and native apps. Organizations can leverage Selenium mobile testing apps and ensure a superior user experience.

Understanding Different Types of Mobile Apps

It is duly important to understand the type of apps available and the architecture before considering how mobile app testing can be done using Selenium. Examples of such applications include Native apps that are built using their native languages, such as Java for Android or Objective-C and Swift for iOS. In this case, the application is coded specifically for a particular platform. Another type of applications that enable the usage of web technologies is known as Hybrid apps which have a native container with a web view. 

These apps usually work on both iOS and Android after some changes in the operating systems that are specific to the platforms. Progressive Web Applications, commonly known as PWAs, are more sophisticated web applications with native app functionalities. In this case, Selenium can perform hybrid and native application testing – as for PWAs, testing can be done leveraging the web testing component of Selenium.

Setting Up the Automation Environment

The initial step towards selenium mobile testing is setting up the right automation environment. Developers must select appropriate mobile devices and emulators that match different device specifications and OS versions to simulate real user experiences. Popular options are real iOS and Android devices, emulators like Genymotion, and cloud-based services like LambdaTest, which provide instant access to a wide range of devices on demand. For native apps, Appium needs to be installed since it serves as the bridge between Selenium and native mobile apps. The Appium server must then be integrated with the test automation framework and coding language of choice like Java, Python, or C#. Test scripts can be run locally and remotely on real devices/emulators.

Testing Hybrid and Native Mobile Apps Using Selenium

Now that the right environment and tools are set up let’s explore how Selenium can be used to test hybrid and native mobile apps. For hybrid apps, Selenium can directly test web views as they function similarly to websites, while frameworks like TestNG or JUnit help automate the process. For native apps, Appium bridges the gap between Selenium and native features like gestures, text input, and views. The Appium server works alongside the Selenium server/client, allowing native app capabilities like launching, text entry, button tapping, and screen swiping to be tested using locator strategies like ID, Xpath, and class names. 

The app’s workflow, including navigation, data handling, tool/menu usage, and file uploads, can be tested in a structured way. Cross-platform tests can also be conducted by running the same suite on multiple operating systems and browser versions simultaneously through cloud automation services. For React Native apps, the Detox library works between Appium and Selenium to provide additional automation support. Code reusability is improved by defining object repositories and logical page object model wrapper classes for different screens and elements. 

To ensure the reliability of test results, comprehensive validations using Selenium assertions and verifications are necessary. Test run reports, including screenshots of any failures, should be programmatically generated. Continuous Integration (CI) can be achieved by using tools like Jenkins to trigger test execution automatically on code commits, preventing regressions.

Below are some common ways how organizations leverage Selenium to test the most critical aspects of their mobile apps:

Automating Login and Authentication

Testing sign-up flows involves automating the creation of new user profiles by providing various combinations of valid user data such as names, emails, passwords, and phone numbers and verifying successful responses. Additionally, error scenarios are automated by entering incomplete or incorrect data to ensure appropriate error messages are displayed.

Testing login workflows includes automating the login process by using valid and invalid credentials and verifying the expected success or error responses, such as logging in with correct, incorrect, or blank credentials and checking session management across different devices. Security-related tests include simulating risky login attempts by using empty or invalid credentials, incorrect passwords, and reused passwords to validate security measures like account locks, as well as automating edge cases around “forgot password” and “sign in with a different account.” 

Persistent login is validated by ensuring that user profile data is maintained across sessions and user logouts, both on the same and different devices, while also testing timeout scenarios for persistent login. Finally, social login integration is automated by testing sign-up and login via social media platforms like Google and Facebook, ensuring proper linking of social profiles to app accounts.

Automating In-App Purchases and Payments

Automating in-app purchases and payments ensures smooth transactions. Below are key workflows that can be optimized:

• Adding to cart workflows: Automating processes of adding different types of in-app items like subscriptions, consumables, and non-consumables to cart with varied quantities.
• Checkout workflows: Automating checkout with valid and declined payment options like credit cards, net banking, wallets, etc., to validate payment journeys.
• Downloads/access to content: Selenium mobile testing paid downloads or access to premium content/features post successful purchase.
• Error handling: Automating error scenarios like insufficient balance/expired cards to validate appropriate error/failure messaging.
• Refunds: Triggering refunds for eligible purchases, checking credited amount and automating cancellation of subscriptions.
• Local pricing tests: Validating price localization and variations based on geo-locations and currencies during purchases.
• Performance test: Load selenium mobile testing pricing module by automating multiple parallel purchases. Automating Push Notifications, Location & Device Features

• Sending test push notifications: Developing test scenarios to send push notifications to real devices/emulators with different payloads and message types, such as alerts, banners, and silences, automated.
• Validating push reception: Automating identification and verification of received test pushes on devices within defined time limits.
• Tap actions on push: Simulating tap actions on received pushes and checking expected app launch and navigation flows.
• Location services tests: Simulating location coordinates updates automatically and checking the accuracy of location-based features/services.
• Device APIs test: Automating access and usage of device-specific capabilities like camera, storage, contacts, etc., if used within the app.
• Automating approvals: Simulating responses to native app permissions requests like contact location for different scenarios.

Automating Native Workflow and Journey Screen Flows

Automating user workflows and journey screen flows is crucial for enhancing user experience and efficiency. Here are key strategies to optimize these processes:

• Mapping user journeys: Outlining common user flows, such as searching products, reordering past orders, adding favorites, etc., as journeys with granular steps.
• Steps-based automation: Breaking down journeys into login, search products, add to cart, etc., as individual steps/screens and automating them sequentially through valid and invalid scenarios.
• Conditional automation: Simulating actions/delays from any point in a journey like placing an order from a wishlist on the promotional popup.
• Error simulations: Automating introduction of timeouts, failures and exceptions at certain steps to validate app stability.
• Multi-step validation: Complex multi-stage validations like reordering past orders with partial repayment automated in one go.
• Resilience testing: Automating retries refresh actions to test app recoverability from crashes and OutOfMemory errors.
• Performance testing: Load testing frequently uses journeys by parallel executions.

Cross Browser/OS/Device Grid Testing

Optimizing app performance across diverse platforms is essential. Here are key strategies for effective grid testing:

• Leveraging Selenium Grid: Automating app distribution across Selenium Grid of physical/virtual mobile devices for parallel execution of same tests.
• Browser/OS compatibility: It simultaneously runs on an Android phone, iOS simulator, and desktop Chrome browser to identify outliers quickly.
• Device compatibility: Leveraging multi-device grid fromLambdatest to catch device-specific issues.
• OS compatibility: Testing Android 5 to 8, iOS 11-13 simultaneously.
• Hybrid/native behavior: Checking consistent behavior on browsers and devices for hybrid apps.
• Over-the-air app updates: Automating regression testing of updates downloaded over-the-air.
• Performance testing: Leveraging real devices for load/performance/network tests.
• Parameterization: Setting up device/OS/browser as test parameters for maximum coverage.

Exploratory Testing using Appium Studio and Redscreen

Utilizing Appium Studio and Redscreen enhances exploratory testing efficiency. Key strategies include:

• Remote testing: Using Redscreen/Appium Studio to test on real devices from a PC remotely.
• Manual validation: Fresh manual sessions for exploratory tests to validate new scenarios.
• Collaborative testing: Multiple mobile site testers pilot the same device session simultaneously.
• Documentation: Attaching screenshots, logs, and videos for each bug found.
• Regression impact: Identifying the impact of recent production issues for existing automation.
• New test cases: Enhancing/including manual findings in automation test scripts.
• Usability perspective: A fresh user point of view aids quality improvements.

Test Automation Framework Best Practices

Implementing best practices for test automation frameworks enhances efficiency and maintainability. One approach is to create modular frameworks by dividing the structure into logical, independently executable modules. Centralized object repositories are essential for storing web and app objects to avoid duplicate locators. Employing the Page Object Model (POM) allows each screen or page to be modeled as a class, effectively separating UI from test logic. 

Additionally, data-driven testing centralizes test data from scripts into Excel or property files, while configuration files manage environment URLs and parallel execution settings outside the code. Centralized logging using frameworks like Log4j or SLF4J is crucial for monitoring, and unit testing with JUnit ensures code units are tested in isolation for better maintainability. Continuous integration tools like Jenkins or TeamCity can automate testing upon code commits, while dependency injection using frameworks such as Spring or Guice fosters loosely coupled objects.

For effective communication with non-technical stakeholders, generating detailed HTML reports with Extent Reports is beneficial. Lastly, incorporating exception handling through assertion framework validations ensures control over the test flow.

Selenium Mobile Testing with LambdaTest

LambdaTest is a cloud-based cross-browser and cross-device testing platform that allows you to run test websites in different browsers using various frameworks like Appium, Selenium and more for executing automation test scripts on their grid of mobile devices and emulators. 

Setting up tests with LambdaTest is quite simple. Developers only need to specify the desired capabilities of mobile devices and OS versions in their code, and the platform handles concurrent execution on the actual devices. 

With features like geolocation testing, visual regression testing, and integrations with CI/CD tools like Jenkins and GitHub Actions, LambdaTest enhances the overall testing experience. It offers over 3000+ real mobile devices in its device lab, including iPhones and Android phones, across different models, screen sizes, patches, and OS versions. This allows Selenium mobile testing to be effectively carried out on the large matrix without requiring the purchase and maintenance of physical devices. 

LambdaTest also provides on-demand provisioning of Android emulators to run tests, which is useful for initial development and debugging. Detailed HTML reports are generated programmatically by LambdaTest at the end of each test run with logs, video recordings, and screenshots to debug issues quickly. Overall, leveraging LambdaTest’s powerful device cloud through Selenium can bring mobile test automation to the next level in terms of scalability, speed, and reliability.

Conclusion

We discussed how Selenium is leveraged to bring agility and efficiency to mobile app testing. By simulating real user interactions and validating core workflows and scenarios, Selenium enables exhaustive Selenium mobile testing of hybrid and native apps across varied devices and versions. Establishing a reliable test automation framework and seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines ensures mobile apps deliver high performance, security, and an optimal user experience on releases. Organizations looking to accelerate testing and gain more confidence in their mobile products can benefit from Selenium’s test automation capabilities.