Connect iOS mobile devices

You can connect iOS devices to the OpenText Functional Testing Lab server, or to a connector machine.

In this topic:

Before you start

Before connecting devices, check that your devices are supported, and remove all apps that were installed using a previous version of OpenText Functional Testing Lab.

Back to top

Considerations for iOS 17 and later

If you plan to connect devices running on iOS 17 and later, a number of considerations should be taken into account.

Consideration	Details
Supported OS	Linux and macOS: iOS 17 and later is supported on the following: Mac connector. For iOS 18, macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later is required. Linux Ubuntu standalone or embedded connector. RedHat Enterprise Linux standalone or embedded connector. Windows: Only iOS version 17.4 and later is supported on the Windows connector.
Internet connection	To fetch a signature key from Apple from time to time, the connector machine must have access to the following: http://gs.apple.com OpenText recommends allowing access to all *.apple domains.
Other considerations for iOS 17 and later	Dev access is not supported. Connecting AWS Device Farm and WeTest devices is not supported. Force quit application is not supported.

Back to top

Re-sign the Agent apps

The Agent apps are standard iOS applications that need to be installed on each device that you want to use with OpenText Functional Testing Lab. These provide a communication channel between the device and the lab.

The Agent apps must be re-signed with a development certificate of an Apple Developer Account, and a development provisioning profile belonging to the same account. These provide the identity of the developer, and the list of devices on which distribution of the app is allowed.

For details on how to re-sign these apps, see Re-sign the Agent apps.

Back to top

Initial device configuration

The first time that you connect a device, perform the following steps on each device you intend to connect to the lab. These are one-time settings. After the initial connection has been set up, the device is "plug-and-play".

1. In Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-lock set the maximum time. When using a device running on iOS 12 or higher, make sure to insert a SIM card or a sample SIM card in the device. Alternatively, set the Auto lock option to 30 seconds.

2. Turn off automatic updates in Settings > General > Software Update.

3. For Safari browser support: Enable JavaScript and Web Inspector in Settings > Safari > Advanced.
4. Make sure that the Display Zoom, under the Display and Brightness settings, is set to Standard, and not Zoomed
5. Make sure that there is an active Internet connection.

6. Set your preferences (such as iCloud) to avoid unnecessary pop-ups.

7. Additional steps for specific iOS versions:
   

Version	Details
iOS 15 and later	We recommend not setting a passcode/ TouchID/ FaceID for iOS 15 and later unless it is necessary. If the passcode, TouchID or FaceID is not turned off on the device, when the WebdriverAgent-runner is launched, iOS requires the user to authenticate through the security mechanism configured. This requires manual intervention with the device.
iOS 16 and later	Developer mode must be enabled. Developer mode is enabled automatically for devices running on iOS 16 and later. Developer mode can only be enabled automatically if there is no passcode set on the device. We recommend not setting a passcode on devices used for testing. If the device has a passcode, enable the Developer mode option in Settings > Privacy & Security > Developer Mode. For more details on developer mode, see the Apple Developer documentation.

Back to top

Connect devices

If you have not already done so, make sure that you have re-signed the Agent apps with your development certificate. For details, see Re-sign the Agent apps.

Using a USB cable, you can connect devices to the OpenText Functional Testing Lab server or to a connector machine. For iOS devices that support cellular networks, a SIM card should be in the device. To connect devices directly to the server, the server must be installed with the embedded connector. For details, see Windows Installation or Linux Installation.If you are connecting devices to a connector machine, see Install the connector on a Linux machine, Install the connector on a Windows machine or Install the connector on a Mac machine.

To connect a device to the server:

1. Connect the device to the server machine using a USB cable.
   

Note: On some devices, when you connect the device, there may be notification, trust, or location pop-ups. Accept these pop-ups.

2. Wait until the Agent is running on the device.

If the agent does not start up on the device, verify that the devices are recognized:


Linux
1. Navigate to the linux folder:
   Server machine:<path to you server installation folder>/server/libimobiledevice/linux/ Default: /opt/FunctionalTestingLabForMobileAndWeb/server/libimobiledevice/linux/
   Connector machine:<path to your connector installation folder>/connector/libimobiledevice/linux/ Default: /opt/FunctionalTestingLabForMobileAndWeb/connector/libimobiledevice/linux/
   
2. Run idevice_id –l

The result of this command should be a list of devices IDs (UDID). If the command returns an empty result or ERROR message, try the following:
1. Log in as root on the OpenText Functional Testing Lab server or connector machine.
2. Locate the process ID of “usbmuxd”"
   ps aux | grep '[u]sbmuxd'
3. Kill the process:
   kill –9 <processID>
4. Start usbmuxd again:
   usbmuxd
5. Run idevice_id –l again to see if the server recognizes the device.
Windows
1. Open a command prompt window and navigate to the following folder:
   Devices connected to server machine:<Path to your Windows server folder>server\libimobiledevice\win or
   Devices connected to standalone connector: <Path to your Windows Connector folder>\libimobiledevice\win
2. Run the following command: idevice_id –l
The result of this command should be a list of devices IDs (UDID). If there are no devices listed when a device is connected to USB port, this may mean that:
• The USB port is not working (hardware problem)
• iTunes is not installed, or you are not using the most up-to-date version of iTunes on the Connector computer. In this case, you should download the latest version of iTunes.

Additional considerations for iOS devices

If you have not already done so, enable UI Automation on the device in Settings > Developer > Enable UI Automation. Disconnect the device, wait 5 seconds, and then reconnect it.

Back to top

Troubleshooting iOS devices

For help with troubleshooting iOS devices see iOS devices.

Back to top

See also:

• Manage devices
• iOS options
• Workflow to connect a device
• Troubleshooting the Windows connector
• Troubleshoot