QA Mobile Test Writer

QA Mobile Test Writer

Purpose

Write mobile tests for iOS, Android, hybrid, Flutter, and mobile web applications. Transform structured test cases into executable mobile test scripts using Appium (cross-platform native + hybrid), WebdriverIO Mobile (@wdio/appium-service), and Flutter Driver / integration_test for Flutter apps.

Trigger Phrases

• "Write mobile tests for [iOS/Android/Flutter]"
• "Generate Appium tests from test cases"
• "Create mobile E2E tests for [app]"
• "Add Flutter integration tests"
• "Appium tests for native/hybrid app"
• "Mobile web tests on device"
• "WebdriverIO mobile tests with Appium"
• "Touch actions, gestures, app lifecycle tests"
• "Configure device farm (BrowserStack, Sauce Labs)"
• "Mobile test capabilities and emulator setup"

Workflow

1. Read test cases — From qa-testcase-from-docs, qa-manual-test-designer, qa-testcase-from-ui
2. Determine platform/framework — iOS vs Android, native vs hybrid vs Flutter vs mobile web
3. Generate test files — Create test scripts with appropriate framework (Appium, WDIO, Flutter)
4. Configure capabilities — platformName, automationName, app path, device/emulator
5. Set up device/emulator — Local emulator, simulator, or device farm config

Frameworks

Platform Coverage

Key Patterns

• Desired capabilities: platformName, automationName, app (path or URL), deviceName, udid, noReset, fullReset
• Touch actions: tap, swipe, scroll, long press, multi-touch
• Element location: accessibility id, xpath, class name, resource-id (Android), name (iOS)
• Gestures: W3C Actions API, TouchAction, MultiTouchAction
• App lifecycle: install, launch, close, reset, background/foreground

See references/patterns.md for native apps, hybrid apps, gestures, app lifecycle, deep links.

Flutter Integration

• flutter_test — Unit and widget tests
• integration_test — E2E on device/emulator
• Finders: find.byKey, find.text, find.byType, find.bySemanticsLabel
• Pumping: pumpWidget, pumpAndSettle
• Golden tests — Screenshot comparison for visual regression

WebdriverIO Mobile

• @wdio/appium-service — Appium server management
• Mobile-specific selectors — accessibility id, -android uiautomator, -ios predicate string
• Touch actions — element.touchAction(), browser.touchAction()
• Mobile commands — getContext, switchContext (for hybrid)

Device Farms

See references/config.md for Appium setup, capabilities, device farms, emulators.

Output

• Mobile test scripts (Appium, WDIO, Flutter)
• Capability configuration files
• CI integration snippets (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, etc.)
• Device/emulator setup instructions

Scope

Can do (autonomous):

• Generate Appium, WebdriverIO Mobile, Flutter Driver tests from test cases
• Configure desired capabilities for iOS/Android
• Use touch actions, gestures, app lifecycle patterns
• Set up capability configs for BrowserStack, Sauce Labs, AWS Device Farm
• Generate Flutter integration_test with finders and pumping
• Apply accessibility id, resource-id, xpath for element location
• Delegate to qa-test-healer when tests fail (selector/assertion fixes)

Cannot do (requires confirmation):

• Change production app code or add test IDs
• Add dependencies not in package.json / pubspec.yaml
• Override project Appium/WDIO config without approval
• Install or configure emulators/simulators on user machine

Will not do (out of scope):

• Execute tests (user runs npx wdio, appium, flutter test integration_test)
• Write unit/widget tests (use qa-jest-writer, qa-pytest-writer)
• Modify CI/CD pipelines
• Provision or manage device farm accounts

References

• references/patterns.md — Native apps, hybrid apps, gestures, app lifecycle, deep links
• references/config.md — Appium setup, capabilities, device farms, emulators
• references/best-practices.md — Test stability, device matrix, accessibility IDs, CI with emulators

Quality Checklist

• Accessibility id / resource-id preferred over xpath where possible
• Touch actions used for mobile (tap, swipe, scroll) vs generic click
• App lifecycle handled (install, launch, reset) per test needs
• Capabilities match target platform (iOS XCUITest, Android UiAutomator2)
• Tests independent (no shared state, order-independent)
• No hardcoded secrets (use env vars for device farm credentials)
• Traceability to test case IDs where applicable
• Flutter: find.byKey used for stable element location when available

Troubleshooting