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 @ List devices adb devices Install APK adb install -r Run unit tests ./gradlew test Run instrumented tests (connected) ./gradlew connectedAndroidTest Run instrumented tests (GMD) ./gradlew AndroidTest List GMD tasks `./gradlew tasks --all Clear app data adb shell pm clear 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 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