Errors in UFT During Mobile Testing: Causes and Remedies

Anushree Chatterjee

What is Mobile Testing?

Mobile testing is the process of ensuring that mobile applications function correctly and deliver a positive user experience across various devices and operating systems. It involves testing different aspects of a mobile app, including:

• Functionality: Verifying if all the features of the app work as intended according to the requirements. This includes testing core functionalities, user flows, and edge cases. Read: Functional Testing Types: An In-Depth Look.
• Usability: Evaluating how easy and intuitive the app is to use for the target audience. This involves testing navigation, layout, clarity of information, and overall user experience. Read: Automating Usability Testing: Approaches and Tools.
• Performance: Assessing how well the app performs under different conditions, such as varying network speeds, battery levels, and device hardware. This includes testing factors like loading times, responsiveness, and resource usage. Read: 5G and Mobile Test Automation: What is the Impact?
• Compatibility: Ensuring the app functions flawlessly across different devices and operating systems (Android, iOS, etc.) with varying screen sizes and resolutions.
• Security: Testing the app for potential security vulnerabilities that could expose user data or compromise device security. Here is an example: Log4Shell Vulnerability: How Log4j Testing Failures Exposed Web Servers to Massive Risks.

Using UFT for Mobile Testing

A well-tested app with a positive user experience can give you an edge over competitors. Many test automation tools have provisions for mobile testing, UFT being one of them.

UFT can test native apps, hybrid apps, and web apps on both iOS and Android devices. You can extend UFT Developer to accommodate mobile testing through the Digital Lab (previously known as UFT Mobile).

Errors in UFT During Mobile Testing

As is with every test automation framework, UFT can also encounter issues during mobile testing. Here is a list of errors that you might encounter during mobile testing:

1. Device Not Recognized

Error: UFT Mobile does not recognize the connected mobile device.

Possible Causes:

• The device is not properly connected via USB.
• Drivers for the device are not installed.
• The device is not registered in UFT Mobile.

Solution:

• Ensure the device is properly connected and visible in the system’s device manager.
• Install the necessary drivers for the device.
• Register the device in UFT Mobile and ensure it is in the list of available devices.

2. Failed to Launch Application

Error: The mobile application fails to launch on the device.

Possible Causes:

• Incorrect application package or activity name.
• The application is not installed on the device.
• Device compatibility issues.

Solution:

• Verify the application package and activity names.
• Ensure the application is installed on the device.
• Check if the application is compatible with the device’s OS version.

3. Object Not Found

Error: UFT fails to identify or interact with a mobile object.

Possible Causes:

• Changes in the application UI or object properties.
• Incorrect object identification methods.
• Synchronization issues.

Solution:

• Update the object repository with the correct object properties.
• Use reliable identification methods (e.g., unique IDs).
• Implement synchronization points to ensure objects are available before interaction.

4. Timeout Errors

Error: Test scripts fail due to timeout errors while interacting with the mobile application.

Possible Causes:

• Network latency or connectivity issues.
• Slow application performance.
• Insufficient wait times in the script.

Solution:

• Increase the timeout values in the script.
• Optimize the application for better performance.
• Ensure a stable network connection during testing.

5. Connection Lost

Error: UFT Mobile loses connection to the mobile device during testing.

Possible Causes:

• Unstable USB or network connection.
• Device going into sleep mode.
• Interference from other applications or processes.

Solution:

• Ensure a stable and secure connection between the device and UFT Mobile.
• Disable sleep mode on the device during testing.
• Close unnecessary applications and processes.

6. Application Crashes

Error: The mobile application crashes during testing.

Possible Causes:

• Bugs in the application code.
• Memory leaks or resource management issues.
• Compatibility issues with the testing environment.

Solution:

• Debug and fix the application code.
• Monitor and manage application memory usage.
• Test on different devices and OS versions to identify compatibility issues.

7. License Issues

Error: UFT or UFT Mobile license errors prevent testing.

Possible Causes:

• Expired or invalid license.
• Incorrect license configuration.

Solution:

• Ensure the license is valid and up-to-date.
• Configure the license correctly in UFT and UFT Mobile.

8. Script Errors

Error: Syntax or logical errors in the test script.

Possible Causes:

• Incorrect programming language syntax.
• Logical flaws in the script logic.

Solution:

• Review and correct the script syntax.
• Debug the script to identify and fix logical errors.

9. Unsupported Features

Error: Attempting to use features not supported by UFT Mobile.

Possible Causes:

• Using unsupported APIs or functionalities.

Solution:

• Refer to the UFT Mobile documentation to understand supported features.
• Use alternative methods to achieve the desired functionality.

10. Inconsistent Test Results

Error: Test results are inconsistent across different runs.

Possible Causes:

• Flaky tests due to synchronization issues or unstable test environment.
• Variations in device state or configuration.

Solution:

• Implement robust synchronization and error-handling mechanisms.
• Ensure consistent device state and configuration before each test run.

Alternative to Mobile Testing in UFT

Having to debug the jargon in error messages during mobile testing or maintaining test scripts written in programming languages can be a hassle, especially if you are working with larger test suites or don’t have a team full of testers specializing in that programming language.

Luckily, there are other intelligent alternatives like testRigor that can be used to do mobile testing. Know How to do mobile testing using testRigor?

testRigor for Mobile Testing

testRigor is an AI-powered testing tool that can make your life easier and simpler. Through the tool’s use of generative AI, test scripts can be written in plain English language. These statements are, in fact, quite close to how testers write manual test scripts, thus making it easier for your whole team to participate in mobile testing, not just a select few. Hence testRigor supports BDD 2.0 or SDD (Specification-Driven Development). The same business specifications can be used for writing application code and test cases, with minor tweaks.

You can even use the record-and-playback feature to record test steps in plain English or the generative AI feature that can create functional test scripts with the provided description. You can convert your manual test cases in test management systems such as TestRail, Zephyr, PractiTest, etc. into automated tests directly by copy-pasting/importing them into testRigor.

This tool is not limited by platform or browser, hence allowing you to test all kinds of Android and iOS mobile apps like native, hybrid, and web-based ones with a single tool. No add-ons are needed to do this, either. The command library is rich, with commands to deal with mobile-specific operations like swipe, double tap, pinch, and long press. Read: How to perform mouse actions and clicks using testRigor?

check that email to "[email protected]" and "Confirm" in subject was received and show in mobile

Coming to the error messages displayed in testRigor, they are very easy to understand since they are written in plain English as well. If you still want the console log, then it is available as well at each step of execution. Get advanced reporting, logging, and video recording features in-built, eliminating the need of any third-party reporting tools. However, if you wish you can have all popular test case management, reporting, infrastructure, CI/CD tools integrated into testRigor seamlessly.

Conclusion

Mobile testing no longer remains an afterthought to web testing. Especially since everyone prefers accessing apps on the go, be it for work, personal chores, or entertainment. When automating mobile testing, you need to understand errors that occur during the process in the test automation framework that you use, translate them into action items, and then fix these issues.

Hence, it is important that you choose a smart test automation tool that makes the task of understanding errors arising during testing easier.

Additional Resources

• Complete Feature Set of testRigor
• Browser Navigation Errors in UFT Explained
• How to Avoid Synchronization Issues in UFT?
• How to Handle Runtime Errors in UFT?
• How do You Resolve Object Not Found Error in UFT?
• FAQ – We are using UFT/Ranorex/TestComplete, how different is testRigor?

“We spent so much time on maintenance when using Selenium, and we spend nearly zero time with maintenance using testRigor.”

Keith Powe VP Of Engineering - IDT