How to test App on iPhone using Xcode?

iOS App Testing is a process where an iOS application (.ipa files) is tested on real Apple devices to review their functionality as per the particular user actions like UI/UX, installation time, appearance, functionality, property, performance, load time, OS version support, App Store listing, etc. across different Apple devices.

Why is iOS App Testing required?

iOS App Testing is needed as all Apple devices as dealing with iOS fragmentation is quite necessary. Hence, your iOS App must fit all iOS versions and devices.

There are some well-known bugs in the iOS application, as mentioned below –

• One of the most annoying issues when using Apple devices is that apps sometimes can crash during execution. 
• iOS apps may run smoothly on the current version of the iOS, but when it receives an upgrade, it may stop functioning owing to unsuitability issues.
• Moreover, security vulnerabilities in iOS enable hackers to attack iOS devices and access private details. 
• Memory leakages are blocks of allotted memory that the program does not use anymore. It can also result in a crash of the iOS applications.

What is Xcode?

Xcode is Apple’s authorized Integrated Development Environment or IDE. It came out in 2003 to create applications specifically for Apple devices. It is the only approved tool for building and distributing apps on the Apple App Store. 

• IDEs are consolidated environments that comprise the different parts of creating software, and unlike other IDEs, Xcode is exclusive for macOS.
• As a result, a developer can use Xcode to build apps for all Apple devices like iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV (iOS app). 
• Xcode 14.1 is the latest version of this IDE. 
• Furthermore, it comes with all the resources one needs to develop an app within a single source of truth, including a compiler, a naming system, and a text editor. 

This makes it possible to write and compile and debug an app. Then, once you finish writing the code, you can submit your app to the App Store without any hassle.

Programming Languages for XCode:

• Swift
• Objective C
• Objective C++
• Java
• AppleScript
• Python
• Ruby on Rails

How to test an app on iPhone Xcode?

1. Creating Apple ID – Once agreed on all the service policies from Apple,  an account was gets created successfully and it gave a message as – ‘Apple Connect ’.
2. Installing Xcode – Just go to the Apple store and install Xcode.
3. How to open Xcode – Go to File > Export > iOS. It will show a message like ‘No Bundle ID specified. But it’s not a problem at all because it’s not necessary for app testing. So, click on the ‘continue’ button.
4. Export app to iOS – To open Xcode, we must create a folder for our iOS project file (.xcodeproj). Then from PTPlayer, we find a General menu for setting up the required data for ‘Team’, ‘Xcode Managed Profile’, and ‘Signing Certificate for iOS Developer’. 
5. Team – For Team, we must sign in to Xcode with your Apple ID by providing your Apple ID and password. In this stage, we have to plug our iPhone into our macOS for a successful Xcode profile setup. Otherwise, there may be a chance to get some error messages.
6. Trusting the app certificate – Whenever our Xcode profile gets a successful setup, an automated sign-in certificate will be added to the profile.

In this case, one final thing to do is verify the certificate and trust it. 

Go to General > Device Management to connect iPhone and select the developer app certificate to trust it.

Test process is almost the same as previously discussed. But here, let’s go through some features of Xcode 11.

Supported Configurations:

• It requires macOS 10.14.3 or later and includes SDKs for iOS 13, iPad OS 13, Swift 5.1.
• Supports multiple versions of Xcode app and any associated tools like Simulator.

However, if you are looking for a simple, hassle-free testing option, consider BrowserStack to access a real cloud devices for iOS testing. 

BrowserStack App Live for App testing on iPhone

• App Live helps to test native (including iOS) and hybrid apps on a wide range of physical mobile and tablet devices for the most accurate test results.
• Test app UI and functionality on a wide range of OS versions from iOS 8 to 16 to Android 4.4 to 13. 
• Interact with your mobile app remotely, just as you would with a real device. Use the trackpad to scroll, swipe, tap, long press, and pinch to zoom.
• Test your native and hybrid apps on internal development and staging environments.
• It covers up to 15+ native device features like GPS, network simulation, and localization to replicate real user conditions.

Also, you can integrate App Live with specific frameworks to test iPhone Xcode. XCTest is an example of that framework that allows Unit tests for iOS applications, UI, and XCode projects. It uses Swift for writing unit tests.

Here are the brief steps to perform UI testing with XCTest –

• Create test cases to initialize the XCUIApplication class for ultimate launch and monitor the original test application for UI test.
• The next step is to create test functions. They help find different application elements with the help of queries. Also, screenshot() method helps to take screenshots from physical devices and simulators. XCUIScreen and XCUIScreenshot classes contain this method.
• Then, the test cases should be checked by XCode whether it becomes successful or failed as per the requirements.
• Finally, run the test cases with the xcodebuild command and find the test report from the .xcresult file.

Closing Notes

• Though testing an iPhone using XCode is not easy, using BrowserStack App Live becomes easier. It simply occupies a few steps, starting with a free sign-up.
• BrowserStack also integrates with popular iOS testing frameworks XCTest and XCUITest, which support XCode. As a result, they ensure a bug-free app experience for their users.

• Also, with  BrowserStack, testers can choose their iPhones and iOS apps without any complex setup or configurations.
•  In addition, it offers more than 3000+ devices-browser-OS combinations which enable the iOS app testing directly on their web browsers.

Start Testing apps on Real iPhones