September 2022 Summaries

A real device cloud is a mobile app testing environment providing instant access to thousands of real iOS, Android, and other mobile devices for developers and QA testers to test on different device/OS combinations. This approach offers flexibility, scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness, enabling teams to work remotely without the need for physical devices or device carts. With a real device cloud, teams can access a wide range of devices, test securely from anywhere, anytime, and improve testing speed, accuracy, and efficiency. It's ideal for mobile app developers who want to ensure optimal coverage for their target customers and gain real-world feedback.

The main difference between virtual devices (emulators/simulators) and real devices is that emulators/simulators are software-driven, faster to provision, and enable parallel testing, but they cannot fully replicate device hardware. Real devices, on the other hand, provide a more accurate test environment, but can be expensive and time-consuming to provision. A combination of both virtual devices and real devices is recommended for a comprehensive mobile app testing strategy, as it allows for a mix of agility and accuracy. Emulators and simulators are ideal for functional testing, UI layout testing, compatibility testing, unit/system testing, and beta testing, while real devices are better suited for hardware dependencies, display testing, replicate issues to match exact model, camera mocking, push notifications, natural gestures, and error monitoring and reporting. In some cases, it may make sense to perform real-device testing at the same time as emulator testing, especially when aiming for a fast release velocity.

API testing is essential for ensuring that application programming interfaces (APIs) function as expected and perform well under various loads. It involves validating each facet of an API procedure, including proper function, performance, and security. Testing APIs is critical to prevent errors and vulnerabilities, such as improper filtering of results or exceptions handled in an unexpected manner. By testing APIs early and continuously, development teams can detect defects at the earliest stage, reducing the risk of delays and improving overall quality. Automated API testing is a crucial aspect of shift-left testing, which involves testing software during the earlier stages of the development lifecycle. Mock APIs can also be used to provide feedback to developers regarding response structure and information desired but missing from the response. As APIs are increasingly used in mobile apps, web platforms, and microservices, it's essential to develop effective API testing strategies that focus on function and performance, while using efficient and effective testing methods such as automation.

You can now test your apps on Safari 16 with Sauce Labs automated testing, live testing, and Sauce Connect. This new feature provides comprehensive testing coverage to ensure compatibility with the latest browser version, including privacy and security enhancements, tab groups, accessibility improvements, and more. Testing on Safari 16 helps you fix bugs before customers experience them, ensuring an error-free user experience. By using Sauce Labs, you can also take advantage of sample code examples and start testing in minutes with a free trial.

What is Cloud Mobile Testing is the practice of running software tests for mobile applications in the cloud instead of in an on-premise environment. Migrating mobile testing to the cloud offers many benefits, including secure access anytime, anywhere, easier scalability, increased team productivity, expanded device coverage, and no maintenance or updates required. A cloud-based testing platform can scale to support both manual and automated testers running scripts, providing immediate access to clean devices and OS combinations when needed. This approach also allows for accelerated test execution, access to unique capabilities, and a cost-effective solution compared to on-premises infrastructure. To get started with cloud mobile testing, teams need a cloud-based solution that supports their desired mobile test automation frameworks and ensures the specific device/OS combinations are supported.

Sauce Labs has introduced new features and enhancements in September 2022, including support for the iPhone 14 Series and iOS 16 on real devices, which can help minimize application risk and maximize coverage. The company will also update Firefox GeckoDriver to version 0.31.0 on October 4, 2022, due to a recent change made by Mozilla. Additionally, Sauce Labs has released new features such as `saucectl` framework updates, including re-order job execution and low-code Chrome browser versions from Sauce Labs VM's. The company is also sponsoring several upcoming EMEA events, and has published various blog posts and resources on automated testing, including a guide to real device testing cloud and a checklist for API quality at speed.

When automating mobile app tests, it's essential to decide which test cases are most critical and can be automated. This involves understanding business goals and managing risk through testing practices that align with critical processes and goals. Best practices include choosing test cases that are easy to automate, have predictable results, and are tedious for manual testers. Additionally, prioritizing user experience and automating accordingly is crucial, as well as creating "platform agnostic" automation to cover multiple devices and platforms. By following these best practices, teams can improve the ROI of automated testing, reduce maintenance burden, and ensure that their test automation survives long after they stop working on it.

Automated UI testing plays a critical role in ensuring high-quality application development by verifying that user interactions with the application's UI behave as expected. This type of testing saves time, increases test coverage, and limits the potential for human error, making it an essential aspect of software development. However, implementing automated UI testing can be complex due to frequent changes in user interfaces and diverse environments, requiring careful consideration of tools and technologies. By choosing the right tools, such as Selenium, Appium, or Cypress, organizations can develop high-quality test scripts that provide accurate representations of their application's functionality, ultimately leading to a better user experience.

The latest iOS 16 version is now available for testing on Sauce Labs' Real Device Cloud, allowing developers to ensure their mobile apps are compatible with the new features and deliver a seamless customer experience. The update includes significant changes such as enhanced accessibility, redesigned lock screen, improved notifications, and other exciting features that will be adopted quickly by users. Developers should start testing on iOS 16 as soon as possible to cater to early adopters and ensure their app is ready before widespread adoption hits the 20% mark. Sauce Labs provides a free trial for its Real Device Cloud, enabling developers to test their mobile apps on various iOS devices, including iPhone 13, iPhone 12, and other compatible models.

Visual regression testing is a software quality assurance technique used to inspect websites and apps for user interface bugs. It ensures that any updates to the system, software, or code do not impact the product's user interface or usability by taking snapshots of the user interface and comparing them from one commit instance to another. This technique focuses on validating visual elements like buttons, menus, colors, brightness, positioning, font, color contrast, and other HTML DOM components. Visual regression testing is beneficial as it improves the development and testing process, increases confidence in software products, and ensures continuous business operations. It can be carried out manually or automatically using a testing tool and script, and various tools are available to support this technique, including Sauce Labs Visual Testing, PhantomCSS, Rainforest QA, Applitools, Kobiton, Percy, and FBSnapshotTestCase. By adopting visual regression testing, organizations can consistently offer excellent user experiences and maintain quality and speed in their software products.

The importance of cross-browser testing cannot be overstated in ensuring that software development teams provide their customers with flawless user experiences through cross-browser compatibility. Selenium is a well-known framework for automated cross-browser testing, allowing developers to test web apps across different operating systems and browser configurations. By automating web app tests using Selenium, developers can ensure consistency in usability, regardless of the OS or browser version, thereby improving the consumer experience. Cross-browser testing also helps identify browser-specific issues earlier, saving time and money. While manual cross-browser testing is possible, automated testing with Selenium is faster and more practical due to test scripts being created and run automatically. To get started with cross-browser testing using Selenium, developers can write a Python test script, install the necessary dependencies, and then use Sauce Labs as a cloud-based platform for running tests on various browsers. This approach enables more automation, greater test coverage, and overall application efficiency.

A real device testing cloud offers numerous benefits for businesses by providing secure access to a wide range of devices and operating systems, eliminating the need for physical devices or on-premises maintenance. This allows development and QA teams to test remotely without increased costs, security risks, or operational burden. A cloud-based platform provides scalability, team productivity, real user conditions, visibility, cost-effectiveness, beta testing, and enhanced security and compliance. With a cloud-based mobile app testing platform, businesses can improve customer experience, developer experience, and reduce costs while maintaining complete control over device access and management.