Connect devices to Digital Lab

You can connect an unlimited number of devices to Digital Lab. This section covers the types of devices that you can connect to the device lab for testing mobile apps.

For details on running tests on cloud desktop browsers, see Browser lab.

Connect on-premises and cloud devices

You can connect on-premises devices and cloud devices to Digital Lab. You can connect physical devices or emulators/simulators.

The following on-premises devices can be connected to Digital Lab:

On-premises devices Details
Physical devices Physical devices can be plugged directly into the Digital Lab server machine, or into a different machine using the standalone connector. For details on how to connect physical devices to Digital Lab, see Connect Android mobile devices and Connect iOS mobile devices. To connect devices directly to the UFT Digital Lab server, the server must be installed with the embedded connector. For details, see Windows Installation or Linux Installation.

Emulators/ Simulators

You can connect the following to Digital Lab:

  • Android AVD emulators

  • Genymotion desktop emulated devices (Relevant only for UFT Digital Lab)
  • iOS simulators

For details on connecting local emulators, see Connect emulators.

For details on connecting simulated iOS devices, see iOS simulator (Tech preview).

The following cloud devices can be connected to Digital Lab:

Cloud device types Details
OpenText hosted devices

You can access OpenText hosted devices from Digital Lab. This enables you to test your app on a larger selection of devices, without having to acquire and maintain the devices. After you set up the OpenText hosted device lab integration, you can connect OpenText hosted devices from Digital Lab. For details, see OpenText hosted lab integration.

Both public and private hosted devices are available:

  • Private hosted devices are devices that OpenText procures and deploys on your behalf. These devices are available for your exclusive use during the contract period, and only accessible to members of your organization. For more details, see Connect OpenText hosted private devices

  • Public hosted devices are shared with other organizations. For more details, see Connect OpenText hosted public devices.

  • A thorough clean-up is performed on public devices at the end of every session.

  • UFT Digital Lab version 24.2 and ValueEdge Digital Lab: You can configure Digital Lab so that you can use cloud devices for local testing of apps hosted on a private network. For details, see Administration settings.
AWS Device Farm

After you set up the AWS Device Farm integration, you can connect ADF devices from Digital Lab.

For more details, see Connect AWS Device Farm devices.

Relevant only for UFT Digital Lab and UFT Digital Lab managed SaaS.
Genymotion Cloud Android emulators

After you set up the Genymotion Cloud integration, you can connect Genymotion Cloud emulators from Digital Lab.

For more details, see Connect a Genymotion Cloud emulator.

Relevant only for UFT Digital Lab and UFTDigital Lab managed SaaS.
WeTest Tencent devices

After you set up the Tencent WeTest Device Farm integration, you can connect private devices hosted by WeTest from Digital Lab.

For more details, see Connect a Tencent WeTest device.

Relevant only for UFT Digital Lab and UFT Digital Lab managed SaaS.

Back to top

Supported and certified devices

Before connecting a device, check that the operating system of your device is supported by Digital Lab. For details on supported and certified devices, see the Support matrix. For limitations regarding specific operating systems, see the Known issues section of the Support matrix.

Back to top

Physical device connectivity

Follow these guidelines when connecting your devices to a server or connector machine:

USB connection Configure the USB connection to connect your device to Digital Lab. On most devices, the File transfer/MTP option should be used, however this may differ depending on your device. If the device fails to connect, use the USB connection option specified by your device’s user guide.
USB cables

Connect the devices with a genuine USB cable. A non-genuine cable may cause a connection failure.

You can connect devices with a USB cable to a Digital Lab connector machine. You can also connect devices with a USB cable directly to a server machine if you installed the server with the embedded connector option selected.
USB ports

The following ports are supported:

  • USB 2.0 ports.

  • USB 3.0 ports are supported provided that both the USB port and USB hubs are USB 3.0 compliant
USB hubs

USB hubs are supported for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 with power adapters that comply with the Battery Charging (BC) 1.2 standard.

For recommended models, see Installation and configuration best practices.

Back to top

Best practice guidelines for devices

The following are some best practices for devices:

  • Place the devices in a cool space to prevent overheating.
  • Reduce the screen brightness of devices to the minimum, to reduce power consumption and heat generation.
  • Use certified USB hubs that can provide adequate charging power.
  • Place the devices in a vertical position to facilitate a smooth change in orientation (portrait to landscape) in the remote device view.
  • Perform manual battery charging cycles as part of the device maintenance, by disconnecting the device from Digital Lab and letting the battery drain completely.
  • Make sure the battery is within a reasonable time of its recommended life, as specified by the manufacturer and covered by the warranty.
  • Once a week, perform a visual inspection of the battery, and remove any devices with swollen batteries.

Swollen Batteries

Swollen batteries are a common problem with any device using lithium-ion batteries, such as mobile devices, laptops, and smart watches. When lithium-ion batteries are overheated, overcharged, or several years old, the inner cells of the battery may emit a flammable electrolyte mixture, causing the battery to swell. Following the best practices may help to avoid swollen batteries.

Back to top

Workflow for connecting a device

Use the flowchart to guide you through the process of connecting a device to Digital Lab. For details, see Workflow to connect a device.

Back to top

Known device issues

General

  • Due to a customized home screen package on devices such as the Sony Xperia F8331 or the HTC U Ultra, objects on the home page may not be recognized.
  • On certain Android devices, for example OnePlus devices, we recommend that you disable the battery saver/optimization feature. If this feature is enabled, the device may freeze during recording.
  • Foldable devices are supported but switching between screens is currently not supported. When a foldable device is opened remotely, the screen that is active is displayed and cannot be switched.

Huawei devices

  • To ensure that a device remains connected to Digital Lab when the USB mode is changed to Charge only, we recommend turning on Developer options > Allow ADB debugging in charge only mode.

  • Huawei Mobile services (HMS) are not supported.

  • Huawei devices use a security option that prevents the automatic installation of apps, and that may cause the device not to connect to Digital Lab.
    Workaround: In Developer Options, disable the option Monitor apps installed by ADB.

  • Black screen in the device access window when recording an object.
    Workaround: Turn off the Settings > System > Language & Input >Secure Input option.

  • You can connect Harmony OS devices to Digital Lab and test your Android (.apk apps) on them. The device is displayed in the lab console according to the Android version. Harmony OS apps are currently not supported.
  • Huawei Ascend P7-L10 4G: Activate USB debugging each time you reconnect the device to Digital Lab.
  • Huawei Ascend T1/ Huawei P10 Plus, P20: The record and replay mechanisms are unable to identify certain objects in non-packaged apps.

Meizu devices

  • Meizu devices use a security option that prevents the automatic installation of apps.
    Workaround: Open the Security system app, Navigate to Permissions> USB app installation and disable the USB installation monitor.

  • Certain Meizu devices use a security option during installation, that prevents the packaging of apps. This security option also prevents the recording and replaying of packaged apps.
    Workaround: The security setting is per app. Disable the security option for the app that you are testing.

Xiaomi devices

  • You need to activate the Install app via USB in the Developer options settings. This requires you to have a registered Xiaomi account.
  • On devices with a MIUI version 8 or higher operating system, you must manually enable USB Debugging (Security settings) to allow proper integration with Digital Lab.
  • Disable the Turn on MIUI optimization feature in the Developer options. MIUI optimization enables popup windows that may prevent apps from being installed.
    Note: On Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 or higher the Turn on MIUI optimization option is hidden by default. In Developer options, tap Reset to default values 4 times to display the option. You can now disable Turn on MIUI optimization.

Device emulator issues

  • Changing device orientation is not supported for emulators.

  • The remote view for Android SDK emulators is supported only when you work without hardware acceleration. You can use acceleration when working in unattended mode.
    You can deactivate hardware acceleration in one of the following ways:

    Tool Details
    AVD window Launch the AVD (Android Virtual Devices) tool, and deselect the Use Host GPU setting in the Emulation Options section.
    Android Studio
    1. Open the AVD manager.
    2. In the Verify Configuration page, select Software - xxxx as the Emulated Performance > Graphics option.

For details on configuring hardware acceleration for the Android emulator, see the Android Studio user guide.

For additional guidelines for working with emulators, see Troubleshooting and tips.

See also: