Mobile Testing Quick Reference

A lookup page for mobile testing: device planning, the commands to drive devices, Appium config, and the mobile-specific checklists.

How to use this page

New to mobile testing? Start with the mobile testing cheat sheet. For the ordered plan, see the mobile learning path.

Plan: Device matrix · Emulator vs real · Checklists

Drive devices: Playwright emulation · adb · simctl

Appium: Capabilities · Locators · Gestures

Reference: Network & permissions · Store readiness · Tools

Device matrix

Source: <analytics / market share>, <date range>
Tier "must":   <top iOS device> <latest & latest-1 iOS> | <top Android> <latest & latest-1 Android>
Tier "should": <mid-range Android> | <oldest supported iOS>
Tier "edge":   <low-end Android> | <tablet> | <foldable>
OS support:    iOS <min>–<latest> | Android <min API>–<latest>

Playwright emulated-device sizes (from the built-in descriptors):

Device	Viewport (CSS px)	DPR	Mobile	Touch
iPhone 15 / 15 Pro	393 × 659	3	yes	yes
Pixel 7	412 × 839	2.625	yes	yes
Galaxy S9+	320 × 658	4.5	yes	yes
iPad Pro 11	834 × 1194	2	yes	yes

Emulator vs real

Use	Emulator/Simulator	Real device	Device cloud
Functional, layout, CI	✅	✅	✅
Performance, battery	❌	✅	✅
Camera, GPS, biometrics, sensors	⚠️ limited	✅	⚠️ varies
Wide model coverage	❌	❌	✅
Offline / deep hardware	⚠️	✅	⚠️

Checklists

Mobile-specific:

[ ] Fresh install; update from live store version (data kept); uninstall
[ ] Interruptions: call, notification, app switch, lock, OS-kill
[ ] Permissions: grant / deny / ask-later / revoke-after-grant
[ ] Network: slow, Wi-Fi↔cellular, airplane, offline→sync
[ ] Orientation: portrait/landscape; rotate mid-flow
[ ] Screens: small, large, notch, foldable, large font/display size
[ ] Resources: low battery, low storage, low-end memory
[ ] Push: received, tapped opens right screen, app-killed
[ ] Deep links open the right screen, logged in or out
[ ] Gestures: tap, long-press, swipe, pinch, pull-to-refresh

Store readiness: see below.

Playwright emulation

import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
  projects: [
    { name: 'iPhone 15', use: { ...devices['iPhone 15'] } },
    { name: 'Pixel 7',   use: { ...devices['Pixel 7'] } },
  ],
});
// in a test:
test('mobile', async ({ page, isMobile }) => { /* isMobile true; page.tap() works */ });
await page.setViewportSize({ width: h, height: w });   // rotate

Mobile web only. For native apps, use Appium.

adb

adb devices                                   # list
adb install -r app.apk                         # install/replace
adb uninstall <package>
adb shell pm grant <pkg> android.permission.CAMERA     # grant permission
adb shell pm revoke <pkg> android.permission.CAMERA    # revoke
adb shell input tap 500 1200                   # tap x y
adb shell input swipe 500 1500 500 500 300     # swipe (x1 y1 x2 y2 ms)
adb shell input text "hello"                    # type
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_HOME|BACK|26  # 26 = power/lock
adb logcat --pid $(adb shell pidof <pkg>)      # app logs
adb shell dumpsys battery set level 5           # fake low battery
adb shell cmd connectivity airplane-mode enable # airplane mode
adb shell am start -W -n <pkg>/<activity>       # cold-start timing
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "myapp://order/12"   # deep link
adb emu geo fix <lon> <lat>                     # set emulator GPS

simctl

xcrun simctl list devices                       # list simulators
xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 15"                    # boot
xcrun simctl install booted App.app              # install
xcrun simctl launch booted <bundle-id>           # launch
xcrun simctl openurl booted "myapp://order/12"   # deep link
xcrun simctl privacy booted grant camera <bundle-id>   # grant permission
xcrun simctl push booted <bundle-id> payload.json      # test a push notification
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot shot.png       # screenshot

Appium capabilities

// Android
{ "platformName": "Android", "appium:automationName": "UiAutomator2",
  "appium:deviceName": "Pixel_7_API_34", "appium:app": "/path/app.apk",
  "appium:autoGrantPermissions": true, "appium:language": "en", "appium:locale": "US" }

// iOS
{ "platformName": "iOS", "appium:automationName": "XCUITest",
  "appium:deviceName": "iPhone 15", "appium:platformVersion": "17.5", "appium:app": "/path/App.app" }

appium driver install uiautomator2   # Android driver
appium driver install xcuitest       # iOS driver
appium                               # start server (http://127.0.0.1:4723)

Appium locators

Strategy	Appium (Java)	Prefer?
Accessibility id	`AppiumBy.accessibilityId("login_button")`	✅ cross-platform, stable
Android id	`AppiumBy.id("com.app:id/login")`	Android only
iOS predicate	`AppiumBy.iOSNsPredicateString("label == 'Login'")`	iOS only
Class chain (iOS)	`AppiumBy.iOSClassChain("**/XCUIElementTypeButton[`label == 'Login'`]")`	iOS
UiAutomator (Android)	`AppiumBy.androidUIAutomator("new UiSelector().text(\"Login\")")`	Android, scrolling
XPath	`AppiumBy.xpath("//android.widget.Button")`	last resort (slow)

Common actions: .click(), .sendKeys("text"), .clear(), .getText(), .isDisplayed().

Appium gestures

// Appium 2 "mobile:" commands
driver.executeScript("mobile: swipeGesture", Map.of("left",100,"top",800,"width",200,"height",400,"direction","up","percent",0.75));
driver.executeScript("mobile: longClickGesture", Map.of("elementId",el.getId(),"duration",1000));
driver.executeScript("mobile: pinchCloseGesture", Map.of("elementId",el.getId(),"percent",0.5));
driver.executeScript("mobile: scrollGesture", Map.of("left",100,"top",300,"width",200,"height",800,"direction","down","percent",1.0));
// background the app to test interruptions
driver.executeScript("mobile: backgroundApp", Map.of("seconds",5));

Network & permissions

Condition	Emulator/real	Appium / cloud
Slow network	Emulator settings; `adb` shaping	Cloud network profiles
Airplane / offline	`adb shell cmd connectivity airplane-mode enable`	`driver.setConnection(...)` (Android)
Wi-Fi toggle	`adb shell svc wifi disable/enable`	cloud controls
Permission grant/deny	`adb shell pm grant/revoke`; `simctl privacy`	capability `autoGrantPermissions`
Low battery	`adb shell dumpsys battery set level 5`	limited
GPS location	`adb emu geo fix`; `simctl location`	cloud location

Store readiness

iOS (App Store Review):
[ ] No crashes, no broken links, no placeholder/demo content
[ ] Sign-in works for the reviewer (or a demo account provided)
[ ] App Privacy details match what's collected; permission prompts have clear reasons
[ ] Screenshots and description current; correct age rating

Android (Play):
[ ] Target API level meets the current requirement
[ ] Data safety form accurate; permissions justified
[ ] Update from the live version keeps user data; no forced logout
[ ] Content rating questionnaire complete

Tools

Need	Tools
Native automation	Appium; XCUITest (iOS), Espresso (Android); Maestro (low-code); Detox (React Native)
Device cloud	BrowserStack, Sauce Labs, LambdaTest, AWS Device Farm, Firebase Test Lab
Mobile web	Playwright / Selenium device emulation; real device via cloud
Debugging	Android Studio Logcat/Profiler; Xcode Instruments; Charles/Proxyman (network)
Accessibility	Android Accessibility Scanner; Xcode Accessibility Inspector
Performance	`adb` gfxinfo/am start; Instruments; Battery Historian

Need more detail? Cheat sheet · Best practices · Learning path · Appium guide

Quick Navigation​

Device matrix​

Emulator vs real​

Checklists​

Playwright emulation​

adb​

simctl​

Appium capabilities​

Appium locators​

Appium gestures​

Network & permissions​

Store readiness​

Tools​

Quick Navigation