Connect iOS mobile devices

You can connect iOS devices to the UFT Mobile server, or to a connector machine.

Before you start

Before connecting devices to UFT Mobile, check that your devices are supported, and remove all apps that were installed using a previous version of UFT Mobile.

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 UFT Mobile. These provide a communication channel between the device and UFT Mobile.

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.

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Initial device configuration

The first time that you connect a device, perform the following steps on each device you intend to connect to UFT Mobile. 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 11.1 or higher, make sure to insert a SIM card or a dummy 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. If required by the apps that you are testing, 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:
  8. iOS 11.1 and earlier: If you want use UI Automation, make sure that UI Automation is enabled (Settings > Developer > UI Automation). If you perform this step after connecting the device, you will need to restart the device, or unplug it and plug it in again.
    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 will require the user to authenticate through the security mechanism configured. This will require manual intervention with the device.
    iOS 16 Enable developer mode in Settings > Privacy & Security > Developer Mode. For more details on developer mode, see the Apple Developer documentation.

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Connect devices to UFT Mobile

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.

Devices can be connected via USB cable to the UFT Mobile server or to a connector machine. For iOS devices that support cellular networks, a SIM card should be in the device. 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 UFT Mobile server:

  1. Connect the device to the server machine using a USB cable.
  2. Note: On some devices, when you connect the device, there may be notification, trust, or location pop-ups. Accept these pop-ups.

  3. Wait until the Agent is running on the device.
  4. If the agent does not start up on the device, verify that the devices are recognized:

Additional considerations for iOS devices

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Troubleshooting iOS devices

iOS device best practices

Known issues and problem solving

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See also: