QA Testing (Android) Skill

QA Testing (Android)

Android testing automation with Espresso, UIAutomator, and Compose Testing.

Core References: Android Testing Docs, Espresso, Compose Testing

Quick Reference

| Task | Command | |------|---------| | List emulators | emulator -list-avds | | Start emulator | emulator @<avd_name> | | List devices | adb devices | | Install APK | adb install -r <path-to-apk> | | Run unit tests | ./gradlew test | | Run instrumented tests (connected) | ./gradlew connectedAndroidTest | | Run instrumented tests (GMD) | ./gradlew <device><variant>AndroidTest | | List GMD tasks | ./gradlew tasks --all | rg -n \"AndroidTest|managedDevice|ManagedDevices\" | | Clear app data | adb shell pm clear <applicationId> |

Quick Start (2026 Defaults)

Prefer Gradle Managed Devices (GMD) + ATD images for CI; use connectedAndroidTest for local ad-hoc runs.
Enable test isolation via AndroidX Test Orchestrator for instrumented tests.
Disable animations via Gradle testOptions (preferred) instead of per-runner ADB steps.
Keep selectors stable: withId() (Views), testTag (Compose), resource-id/content-desc (UIAutomator).

Recommended Gradle defaults for stable instrumented tests (version catalog names vary by project):

android {
    testOptions {
        animationsDisabled = true
        execution = "ANDROIDX_TEST_ORCHESTRATOR"
    }
}

dependencies {
    androidTestUtil(libs.androidx.test.orchestrator)
}

When to Use

Debug or stabilize flaky Android UI tests
Add Espresso tests for View-based UIs
Add Compose UI tests for composables
Add UIAutomator tests for system UI or cross-app flows
Set up an Android test gate in CI

Inputs to Gather

UI stack: Views, Compose, or mixed
Test layer: unit, Robolectric, instrumented UI, UIAutomator/system
CI target: PR gate vs nightly vs release; emulator vs device farm
Device matrix: min/target API, form factors, locales (if relevant)
Flake symptoms: timeouts, missing nodes, idling/sync, device-only issues
App seams: DI hooks for fakes, feature flags, test accounts/test data

Testing Layers

| Layer | Framework | Scope | |-------|-----------|-------| | Unit | JUnit + Mockito | JVM, no Android | | Unit (Android) | Robolectric | JVM, simulated | | UI (Views) | Espresso | Instrumented | | UI (Compose) | Compose Testing | Instrumented | | System | UIAutomator | Cross-app |

Core Principles (Stability)

Device Matrix

Default: emulators for PR gates; real devices for release
Cover: min supported API level, target API level, plus tablet/foldable if supported

Flake Control

Prefer Gradle testOptions { animationsDisabled = true } for instrumented tests
Use AndroidX Test Orchestrator to isolate state and recover from crashes
Use IdlingResources / Compose idling + waitUntil instead of sleeps
Mock network with MockWebServer (or your DI fake) and avoid live backends
Reset app state per test (test account/data, storage, feature flags)

Writing Tests

Espresso (Views): open references/espresso-patterns.md
Compose: open references/compose-testing.md
UIAutomator (system/cross-app): open references/uiautomator.md

Workflows

Add a New UI Test (Instrumented)

Pick framework: Espresso (Views) vs Compose Testing vs UIAutomator boundary.
Add stable selectors: View id, Compose Modifier.testTag, system resource-id/content-desc.
Control externals: fake/mock network + deterministic test data.
Add waits: IdlingResources / Compose idling + waitUntil (avoid sleeps).
Run locally: ./gradlew connectedAndroidTest (or a single test via runner args).

Diagnose a Flaky Instrumented Test

Confirm reproduces: run the test 10x; isolate to one device/API if needed.
Remove nondeterminism: network, clock/timezone, locale, feature flags, animations.
Replace sleeps with idling/explicit waits; validate your IdlingResource actually idles.
Capture artifacts: logcat + screenshot + screen recording for failures.
If still flaky, isolate app state (orchestrator + clear data) and bisect the interaction steps.

Add a CI Gate (Preferred: GMD)

Configure GMD + ATD images (see references/gradle-managed-devices.md).
Run PR gate on a small matrix; expand via groups for nightly/release.
Ensure artifacts upload on failure: **/build/reports/androidTests/, screenshots/logcat.

ADB Commands (Triage)

# Screenshot
adb exec-out screencap -p > screenshot.png

# Screen recording
adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/demo.mp4

CI Integration

Preferred: Gradle Managed Devices (GMD). See references/gradle-managed-devices.md.

# .github/workflows/android.yml
name: Android CI
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'
      - uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@v3
      - run: ./gradlew test pixel6api34DebugAndroidTest

Navigating References

The reference guides are intentionally large; search within them instead of loading everything:

rg -n \"^## \" frameworks/shared-skills/skills/qa-testing-android/references/compose-testing.md
rg -n \"Idling|waitUntil|Synchronization\" frameworks/shared-skills/skills/qa-testing-android/references/compose-testing.md
rg -n \"RecyclerView|Intents\" frameworks/shared-skills/skills/qa-testing-android/references/espresso-patterns.md

Do / Avoid

Do

Prefer orchestrator + per-test isolation for instrumented tests
Use IdlingResources / waitUntil for async waits
Use Robot/Page Object patterns for readability and reuse
Run a small device matrix on PRs; expand on nightly/release

Avoid

Thread.sleep() for synchronization
Tests depending on live network/backends
Flaky selectors (localized text, position-only selectors)

Resources

| Resource | Purpose | |----------|---------| | references/espresso-patterns.md | Espresso matchers, actions | | references/compose-testing.md | Compose testing guide | | references/uiautomator.md | UIAutomator patterns (system UI) | | references/gradle-managed-devices.md | Managed Devices for CI | | references/screenshot-testing.md | Visual regression for Android | | references/test-orchestrator-patterns.md | AndroidX Test Orchestrator patterns | | references/android-ci-optimization.md | CI pipeline optimization | | data/sources.json | Documentation links |

Templates

| Template | Purpose | |----------|---------| | assets/template-android-test-checklist.md | Stability checklist |

Related Skills

| Skill | Purpose | |-------|---------| | software-mobile | Android development | | qa-testing-strategy | Test strategy | | qa-testing-mobile | Cross-platform mobile |

Fact-Checking

Use web search/web fetch to verify current external facts, versions, pricing, deadlines, regulations, or platform behavior before final answers.
Prefer primary sources; report source links and dates for volatile information.
If web access is unavailable, state the limitation and mark guidance as unverified.

Agent Skills: QA Testing (Android)

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