Introduction:  Mobile Application Testing forms a vital segment of the app development process. It helps in determining whether mobile apps are of good quality. Appium is an automation testing tool used for testing mobile apps.

It enables you to test both hybrid and native applications across a plethora of iOS and Android devices. It ropes in the Selenium WebDriver API for interacting with various apps and controlling devices. So, when it comes to automated mobile app testing, it becomes a handier open-source tool.

While testing mobile apps, it helps in writing tests using the same language and framework as that of web testing. You will find it much easier to acquire more knowledge on Appium and utilize it. Expresso and Calabash are among the automation frameworks that prove to be popular; Appium is supportive of both of these frameworks. 

IOS and Android are the leading mobile platforms that support Appium. You may integrate Appium into the current CI/CD Pipeline. The Appium tool has some important features that make it an appropriate option for automating mobile application tests.

 

Most Prominent Appium Features:

 

  1. Appium can be used for app testing on iOS and Android devices because it is compatible with multiple platforms. It proves very convenient as a tool for testing apps on each of these platforms  
  2. Appium is a great automation test tool that facilitates the testing of both hybrid and native apps. Using Appium for testing apps that are developed either with iOS SDKs or native Android is quite common. However, you can use it for testing apps built with Ionic, Cordova and other cross-platform frameworks 
  3. Appium is also used for testing web apps that can be accessed using any mobile browser like those that are developed with AngularJS or HTML5 
  4. The best thing about Appium is that it comes at no cost and is an open-source product. Automating the process of mobile app testing has never been more cost-effective before, Hence, it becomes an attractive option for QA Experts
  5. Appium has a large community of users that can render testing assistance
  6. Appium as a test automation tool is quite powerful and it helps in testing several mobile apps quickly. For teams that find it tough to conform to deadlines, Appium is very effective
  7. Apart from these features, Appium extends a few key benefits over other options. Besides enabling integration with Jenkins and other CI/CD tools, it also supports testing on physical devices

 

How Does Appium Prove More Beneficial than Other Mobile App Testing Tools?

Appium has some similarities with that the Selenium server as it performs like a server in the background. Its ability to team up with the TestNG framework is also quite beneficial for the QA team.

The built-in UI Automator that it possesses contributes to developing a reporting structure and information log that are pretty much detailed and useful. Automating with a wide array of cellular apps built with different frameworks and programming languages is a key function of Appium.

The test code enables the QA experts to gain control once they have access to the databases and APIs running at the back end. Developing tests with Appium is possible regardless of the client libraries based on specific languages or on the code used to build the application.  

Conclusion: 

Appium has been very popular amongst QA automation testers involved in mobile application tests. The support it renders towards all three easily distinguishable types of mobile apps is praiseworthy.

The fact that it doesn’t necessitate any recompilation or modification of the app being tested owes much to the standard APIs that Appium uses across platforms.

It even proves much more cost-effective owing to its capability to integrate well with Saucelabs. It does not need the support of any local environment or other platforms for app testing across platforms or devices.

Blog written by

Arindam Sen