testing-mobile-apps

name	testing-mobile-apps
description	Execute mobile app testing on iOS and Android devices/simulators. Use when performing specialized testing. Trigger with phrases like "test mobile app", "run iOS tests", or "validate Android functionality".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash(test:mobile-*)
version	1.21.0
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
license	MIT
tags	["testing","testing-mobile"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw

Mobile App Tester

Overview

Execute automated mobile application testing on iOS simulators and Android emulators covering UI interactions, navigation flows, gesture handling, and platform-specific behaviors. Supports Appium, Detox (React Native), XCUITest (iOS native), Espresso (Android native), and Maestro for cross-platform mobile testing.

Prerequisites

• Mobile testing framework installed (Appium, Detox, Maestro, or native XCUITest/Espresso)
• iOS Simulator via Xcode (macOS only) or Android Emulator via Android SDK
• Application build artifact (.app, .apk, or .ipa) or bundled dev server (React Native)
• Appium drivers installed (uiautomator2 for Android, xcuitest for iOS) if using Appium
• Node.js for JavaScript-based test runners

Instructions

1. Configure the test environment:
   • List target devices/simulators: specify OS versions, screen sizes, and orientations.
   • Build the application for testing (xcodebuild, ./gradlew assembleDebug, or npx react-native build).
   • Start the emulator/simulator or connect physical devices.
   • Install the app on the target device.
2. Create test cases for core mobile interactions:
   • Tap and navigation: Tap buttons, navigate between screens, verify back navigation.
   • Text input: Fill forms, verify keyboard behavior, test autocomplete and paste.
   • Scrolling: Scroll lists, verify lazy loading, test pull-to-refresh.
   • Gestures: Swipe (carousel), pinch-to-zoom, long press, drag-and-drop.
   • System interactions: Handle permission dialogs, push notifications, deep links.
3. Test platform-specific behaviors:
   • iOS: Safe area insets, notch handling, Dynamic Type, VoiceOver accessibility.
   • Android: Back button behavior, multi-window, different navigation patterns, TalkBack.
   • Both: Screen rotation (portrait/landscape), dark mode, low battery mode.
4. Implement device-specific test configurations:
   • Define capability sets for each device/OS combination.
   • Use test tagging to run subsets on specific platforms (@ios, @android).
   • Configure screenshot capture on failure for visual debugging.
5. Handle asynchronous mobile behaviors:
   • Wait for animations to complete before assertions.
   • Handle network loading spinners with explicit waits.
   • Account for system dialogs (permissions, updates) that interrupt test flow.
6. Run the test suite and capture results:
   • Execute tests per platform: npx detox test --configuration ios.sim.debug.
   • Collect device logs, screenshots, and crash reports.
   • Generate JUnit XML or Allure reports for CI integration.
7. Set up CI pipeline for mobile testing (GitHub Actions macOS runners for iOS, Linux for Android).

Output

• Mobile test files organized by feature/flow in tests/mobile/ or e2e/
• Device configuration profiles for each target device/OS combination
• Screenshot captures for visual validation and failure debugging
• Test results in JUnit XML format with device-specific metadata
• CI pipeline configuration for automated mobile test execution

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
Simulator/emulator fails to boot	Insufficient disk space or corrupted simulator image	Delete derived data and reset simulator; increase disk allocation; recreate the emulator AVD
App crashes on launch during test	Missing permissions or incompatible OS version	Check minimum deployment target; grant required permissions in test setup; verify app signing
Element not found	Element ID changed or screen did not finish loading	Use accessibility IDs instead of XPath; add explicit waits; verify element visibility before interaction
Test flaky on CI but passes locally	CI runner has slower CPU/GPU affecting animations and timing	Increase wait timeouts for CI; disable animations in developer settings; use dedicated CI hardware
Permission dialog blocks test	System alert appeared over the app UI	Auto-dismiss alerts in test setup; pre-grant permissions via xcrun simctl or ADB commands

Examples

Detox test for React Native login flow:

describe('Login Flow', () => {
  beforeAll(async () => { await device.launchApp(); });
  beforeEach(async () => { await device.reloadReactNative(); });

  it('logs in with valid credentials', async () => {
    await element(by.id('email-input')).typeText('[e-mail]');
    await element(by.id('password-input')).typeText('password123');
    await element(by.id('login-button')).tap();
    await expect(element(by.id('home-screen'))).toBeVisible();
  });
});

Maestro flow file:

appId: com.example.myapp
---
- launchApp
- tapOn: "Sign In"
- inputText:
    id: "email-input"
    text: "[e-mail]"
- inputText:
    id: "password-input"
    text: "password123"
- tapOn: "Submit"
- assertVisible: "Welcome"

Resources

• Appium documentation: https://appium.io/docs/en/latest/
• Detox (React Native): https://wix.github.io/Detox/
• Maestro mobile testing: https://maestro.mobile.dev/
• XCUITest:
• Espresso (Android): https://developer.android.com/training/testing/espresso