Since their introduction, mobile apps have become indispensable. Companies of all sizes want to join the expanding digital economy and differentiate themselves from rivals by creating cutting-edge, reliable applications.

Studies show that iOS is the market’s runner-up for the most popular mobile OS. That’s because there are some very compelling arguments in support of it. The first is that geographical or linguistic borders do not limit iOS. Second, it’s available in forty languages, expanding its global appeal.

Creating an easy-to-use app is only half the war won; you win the other half only when the app is entirely functional and leaves a lasting impact on its users. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct extensive automation testing on iOS apps.

iOS app testing must guarantee that the iOS application functions without a hitch. Using a framework like Appium, you can extensively test iOS apps on actual iOS devices. The end outcome is increased efficiency and effectiveness without sacrificing quality.

Advantages of automated iOS application testing with Appium

Appium has come a long way and is now the go-to mobile app automation solution, with 35% of enterprises favoring it above other free/open-source functional testing tools. This could be the right time for anyone looking for a career in the testing domain. Check out the Automation Testing Training today and learn from the industry experts.

Let’s highlight some of Appium testing’s significant advantages for iOS app testing. Although there are other options for automating iOS, none compare to Appium’s accessibility and active user base.

• Cross-platform

Since Appium is cross-platform, you can run the same Appium mobile testing on several systems (iOS, Android, Windows). You can use the APIs without modifying a single line of code; this contributes to the modularization of the test scripts.

• Avoid Installing Extra Dependencies

From version 1.15.0 onward, Appium can interact with physical iOS devices through appium-ios-device. So installing additional prerequisites is not a necessity. If you’re having trouble figuring out which packages you need, the official appium-xcuitest-driver documentation should be your first stop.

• Major iOS Version Support

Appium is compatible with the latest stable releases of iOS. Apple XCUITest supports iOS 9.3 and later, while Apple UI Automator supports iOS 9.2 and earlier. 

• Avoid App Recompilation

You can use Appium without having to recompile the app. We may skip adding any code changes to the application because of this. In contrast, other frameworks will necessitate alterations to your existing source code. It just implies that XCode isn’t needed to view the project files. If you want to automate the program, all you have to do is run the .app file.

Prerequisites For How To Automate Ios App Using Appium

What You Need to Know Before Automating an iOS App with Appium

In this article, we’ll discuss how to get started with automating an iOS app. Since the instructions below are mostly OS-specific, you should use the OS-specific ones (i.e., macOS, Windows).

Installing Java and an integrated development environment (IDE) comes first. Eclipse and IntelliJ IDE are good options to try. 

If you want to install JDK on your PC, Oracle has instructions on its website. Proceed directly to Step 2 if JDK is already installed on your PC.

Once you have installed the JDK and set up your development environment, you can install Eclipse.

Here’s how you can run test automation with Appium for iOS.

1. Install Xcode: Xcode is the IDE for macOS and is required for building and testing iOS applications.
2. Install Homebrew: Homebrew is a macOS package that enables easy installation of Appium and its dependencies.
3. Install Node.js: Appium is built on Node.js, so you’ll need to install it on your system to run Appium.
4. Install Appium: You can install Appium using npm, which comes with Node.js, by running this command: “npm install -g appium.”
5. Install Appium Doctor: Appium Doctor is a tool that helps you verify that all necessary dependencies are installed and configured correctly. Use the “npm install -g appium-doctor” command to install Appium Doctor.
6. Configure Xcode: You’ll need to configure Xcode to allow it to run automated tests. To do this, you’ll need to open Xcode, go to “Preferences,” then “Accounts,” and add your Apple ID.
7. Create a new iOS app project in Xcode: You’ll need to create a new iOS app project in Xcode against which to test. This app can be as simple as a “Hello World” or as complex as your own.
8. Connect iOS device to Mac: Using a USB cable, you’ll need to connect your iOS device to your Mac to run tests on it.
9. Start Appium: You can start Appium by running the following command in your terminal: “appium”.
10. Write your Appium tests: You can write your Appium tests using a language of your choice, such as Java, Ruby, or Python.
11. Run your tests: Once they are written, you can run them using the Appium GUI or the command line.

That’s it! You should now be able to perform test automation with Appium for iOS.