Connect iOS mobile devices
You can connect iOS devices to the Digital Lab server, or to a connector machine.
Before you start
Before connecting devices to Digital Lab, check that your devices are supported, and remove all apps that were installed using a previous version of Digital Lab.
Considerations for iOS 17
If you plan to connect iOS 17 devices directly to the server, a number of considerations should be taken into account.
Considerations | Details |
---|---|
OS |
UFT Digital Lab version 24.2 and ValueEdge Digital Lab: iOS 17 is currently supported only Linux Ubuntu (22.04.3) servers and connectors and on Mac connectors. UFT Digital Lab 23.4: iOS 17 is currently supported only on Mac connectors. For details on installing on a Linux see Linux Installation or Install the connector on a Linux machine. For details on installing on a Mac connector, see Install the connector on a Mac machine. |
Internet connection |
To fetch a signature key from Apple from time to time, the server machine must have access to the following:
OpenText recommends allowing access to all *.apple domains |
Support |
The following are not supported for iOS 17:
|
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 Digital Lab. These provide a communication channel between the device and Digital 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.
Initial device configuration
The first time that you connect a device, perform the following steps on each device you intend to connect to Digital Lab. These are one-time settings. After the initial connection has been set up, the device is "plug-and-play".
- 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 dummy SIM card in the device. Alternatively, set the Auto lock option to 30 seconds.
-
Turn off automatic updates in Settings > General > Software Update.
- For Safari browser support: Enable JavaScript and Web Inspector in Settings > Safari > Advanced.
- Make sure that the Display Zoom, under the Display and Brightness settings, is set to Standard, and not Zoomed
- Make sure that there is an active Internet connection.
-
Set your preferences (such as iCloud) to avoid unnecessary pop-ups.
- 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. |
Connect devices to Digital Lab
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 Digital 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 UFT Digital Lab 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 UFT Digital Lab server:
- Connect the device to the server machine using a USB cable.
- Wait until the Agent is running on the device.
- Navigate to the linux folder:
Server machine:<path to you server installation folder>/server/libimobiledevice/linux/
Default:/opt/UFTMobile/server/libimobiledevice/linux/
Connector machine:<path to your connector installation folder>/connector/libimobiledevice/linux/
Default:/opt/Digital Lab/connector/libimobiledevice/linux/
- Run
idevice_id –l
- Log in as root on the Digital Lab server or connector machine.
- Locate the process ID of “usbmuxd”"
ps aux | grep '[u]sbmuxd'
- Kill the process:
kill –9 <processID>
- Start usbmuxd again:
usbmuxd
- Run
idevice_id –l
again to see if the server recognizes the device. - 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
- Run the following command:
idevice_id –l
- 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.
Note: On some devices, when you connect the device, there may be notification, trust, or location pop-ups. Accept these pop-ups.
If the agent does not start up on the device, verify that the devices are recognized:
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:
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:
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.
Users who install apps signed with an Enterprise certificate (that do not use a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution) are prompted to trust the Enterprise developer the first time the app is installed. To trust the profile, go to Settings > General > Device Management, select the Enterprise developer profile, and trust it. These actions can be performed remotely on the device with Digital Lab.
All users who install your enterprise-signed app for the first time also need an internet connection. Once an Enterprise developer profile has been trusted on a device, additional apps with the same profile do not need to be trusted again, provided that the devices on which they are opened are connected to the internet. If the Enterprise developer profile of the application under test is not trusted, the Agent is not be able to open the app and a 1009 Error: "Cannot communicate with AUT" results.
Troubleshooting iOS devices
For help with troubleshooting iOS devices see iOS devices.
See also: