Android Software Testing Tools you need to try (open source)
Android software testing tools are essential for ensuring the quality and reliability of Android applications. These tools help developers and Quality Assurance (QA) teams to identify bugs so that they can then fix them. When deployed in the right way, the tools can also help to optimise performance and enhance the user experience. Today we look at some of the more popular software testing tools for Android.
Open Source Android Testing Tools
Android has been the most widely adopted mobile OS in the global market for many years. In the most recent quarter of 2023, Android’s market share was 70.89% versus 28.36% for its nearest competitor, iOS*.
With such a large user base and so many different apps developed for Android, it is important to test the latter thoroughly. Luckily then, there are a large number of open source testing tools and test automation frameworks to choose from. These include the following:
- Android Test Kit
- Appium
- Barista
- Calabash
- Cortado
- Detox
- Green Coffee
- Magneto
- Mobly
- Monkey
- Robolectric
- RoboSpock
- Robotium
- Selendroid
- Spoon
- Test Butler
- UIAutomator
Below we go into a little more detail on two of those listed above. This list is by no means exhaustive so if there are any glaring omissions, please let us know!
*Figures taken from the BankMyCell.com article, ‘Android vs. Apple Market Share’.
Appium
This open source, cross platform mobile testing tool supports Android versions from 2.3 onwards. Appium works like a server running in the background and is easy to configure, with key features including:
- The testing tool supports programming languages such as Java, Node, PHP, JavaScript, Python, Ruby and C#
- Appium automates Android using the UI Automator library
- It can control Chrome and Safari on mobile devices
- Appium can seamlessly integrate with BrowserStack and Jenkins
- It supports Web Testing, Performance Testing, API Testing, Security Testing and more
- Customer support is delivered via discussion groups, Appium Chat and GitHub Issues
- As well as Android, Appium also supports iOS, Windows and Linux
As far as ‘cons’ go, it does not support testing of Android Versions lower than 4.2. Test execution is also fairly slow and there is no enterprise support.
Calabash
Calabash is another open source platform with libraries which allow test-code to interact programmatically with native and hybrid apps. Key features include:
- APIs that are specifically designed for native apps running on touchscreen devices
- Calabash offers frameworks such as React Native and supports programming languages including Java and Ruby
- It supports testing types such as Automated and Functional
- Seamless integration can be achieved with Jira Software
- Calabash supports the Cucumber framework, thus allowing non-technical QA staff to easily understand it
- Along with Android, this testing platform also supports iOS
In terms of ‘cons’, maintaining test data files can be difficult with Calabash – as can debugging the test script.
Android software testing Tools
These are indispensable assets in the ever-evolving world of mobile app development. They provide software testers with the means to streamline the testing process. Testers can identify issues earlier in the software development lifecycle too, which then allows for applications that exceed user expectations.