Can you use Selenium for mobile testing?

A very well-liked automated testing tool for desktop and web apps is Selenium. The importance of testing on mobile devices has increased dramatically in recent years.

Mobile phones are becoming as necessary to us as breathing. For this reason, it seems hard for us to go even a short time without using a mobile phone.

The use of mobile phones for us is made possible by mobile applications. Numerous mobile applications are available. The majority of mobile applications are free, and there are several justifications for this. Some businesses spend a lot of money designing and creating mobile applications, but they neglect to fund a qualitative QA team. 

There is a lot of rivalry in the market when there are so many and are used so frequently by mobile users. It also implies that quality will be crucial to an app’s success.

Testing mobile applications will therefore be essential in this situation. Automated mobile testing will also become essential for well-known applications. Using an automated tool is necessary for mobile testing. We are aware that Selenium is frequently utilized to automate web applications. So, is Selenium compatible with automated mobile testing as well?

You cannot directly utilize Selenium for automated mobile application testing, hence the answer is “No.” You do, however, have Selenium-supported frameworks for automating mobile application testing.

Frameworks for mobile test automation that Selenium supports include:

1. Selendroid

2. Appium

Selendroid

This is used to test mobile applications for Android and is also referred to as “Selenium for Android.” It supports previous Android versions and makes use of the JSON Wire protocol. However, it may also be used to test iOS mobile applications by using an iOS driver.

As a beginner Selenium tester, there are good online Selenium certification courses that also include Selendroid as part of the syllabus. 

Features of Selendroid

• It works with native and hybrid Android applications as well as mobile web applications.
• It is used in conjunction with Selenium Grid to test a mobile application simultaneously across several devices.
• It is free to use because it is open-source.
• Selendroid has a feature called “hotplugging” that allows it to detect and identify new devices that are plugged into it. Therefore, while tests are ongoing, we can remove existing devices and add new ones.
• With the use of a built-in inspector, it can look at the UI elements.
• It supports Java, C#, Python, and other programming languages that Selenium WebDriver is compatible with.
• It offers an Android Driver Webview App that is built-in to test mobile web applications.
• It supports the Advanced User Interactions API for testing mobile device gestures, such as single and double taps, down and up swipes, etc.
• Selendroid may be used for automated testing on both real mobile devices and emulators.
• It supports “Dynamic Extendability,” which allows for the addition, editing, and modification of test scripts while the tests are running.

Components of Selendroid

Selendroid Server: it Runs on the mobile device(real or emulator) where the application under test(AUT) is running.

Web Driver Client: it is a Java client library, which is installed on the computer where test scripts will be written.

Selendroid-Standalone: It is used to install AUT and Selendroid Server.

Android Driver Webview App: It is a built-in driver to test the mobile web.

Appium

Because it supports Android, iOS, and Windows desktop applications, it is a more widely used option for mobile automation testing. For testing older Android application versions, Appium has a Selendroid mode built in. Like Selendroid, it makes use of the JSON Wire Protocol.

Features of Appium

• The client-server architecture is used by Appium.
• It has a Node.js-written HTTP server that facilitates communication between clients and mobile devices. The mobile device receives commands from the clients, which include Ruby, PHP, C#, and Python libraries.
• it offers automatic testing for Android and iOS (Hybrid, Native, and Web applications). It can also be used to evaluate Windows desktop programs.
• It is used for cross-platform testing because it is compatible with iOS, Windows, and Android.
• It is also free to use because it is open-source.
• Using the same API, the same test scripts may be used for iOS, Windows, and Android. As a result, it permits code reuse.
• Because Appium is more well-known, it has a sizable and vibrant user base.
• For Appium testing, you don’t need to reinstall the program if there is only a tiny amount of code changed. The application’s source code is not accessible for this reason. When any little modifications are made to the application being tested, other automation tools like Robotium and Selendroid demand a reinstallation or rebuild (AUT).
• Parallel testing of test scripts across several devices is also supported by Appium.

Components of Appium

Appium server: It is written with Node.js. It receives connection and command requests from the client written in JSON. After receiving the requests, it then executes them on the mobile devices. Appium server develops sessions to communicate with the devices on which mobile application is installed.

Appium client: The automation test scripts which are written in Java, C#Ruby, Python, etc. are clients for Appium.

End device: These are the mobile devices (real or emulator), the automated test scripts are executed on the end device.

Conclusion 

You now know that Appium and Selendroid are the best tools for mobile testing, and each has its own advantages and applications. They are applied based on the particular project testing requirements. For automating functional, regression, compatibility, and integration testing of Android and iOS applications, Appium is a suitable option.Selendroid is recommended if you are testing Android versions 10 through 17, as it offers backward compatibility. Additionally, Appium might be preferable if you need stronger community support. Before you can learn Appium and Selendroid, you need to understand how Selenium works. You can begin your journey by enrolling for  online Selenium training programs.