Ctrlk

Tutorial: Your First Mobile Test

Upload an Android APK, generate a test case from a plain-English prompt, execute it on a real device, and review the results — all in under ten minutes.

Who is this for? Testers and SDETs new to mobile testing in ContextQA. You will upload an app, create a test case with AI, run it on a real device, and review the results — the same workflow as web testing, adapted for mobile.

Mobile testing in ContextQA runs on a cloud-hosted farm of physical Android and iOS devices. Instead of pointing to a URL, you upload an APK or IPA, select a device, and describe the test in plain English. The AI generates steps, executes them on the real device, and captures video, screenshots, and AI logs for every run.

In this tutorial you will:

  1. Upload an Android APK to ContextQA

  2. Create a mobile test case using the AI assistant

  3. Select a device and execute the test

  4. Review per-step results, video, and AI logs

End result: A passing mobile test case that logs into your Android app on a real device, with a full evidence package — video recording, per-step screenshots, and AI confidence logs.

Note: This tutorial uses an Android APK. The workflow for iOS is identical except you upload an IPA file and must first upload a provisioning profile. See Prerequisites for iOS-specific requirements.

Prerequisites

  • A ContextQA account with at least one workspace (sign up)

  • An Android .apk file for the app you want to test (a debug build targeting API level 21 or higher)

  • A clear idea of one user flow to automate (for example, login, search, or form submission)

  • Familiarity with creating web test cases — mobile testing follows the same concepts with a different entry point

Step 1: Upload your APK

Before you can run a mobile test, ContextQA needs your app binary stored in the workspace.

  1. In the left sidebar, click the Test Development icon.

  2. Click the Uploads tab.

  3. Click the Upload button in the top-right area.

  4. Select your .apk file from your local filesystem.

  5. Rename the file to something descriptive — for example, myapp-v1.2-debug.apk. Including the version number makes it easier to manage multiple builds later.

  6. Click Upload to confirm.

ContextQA validates the file, detects it as an Android binary, and adds it to the uploads list.

Verify it worked: The uploads list shows your file with an Android platform icon, a Completed status, and the file size.

Tip: You can upload multiple versions of the same app over time. Open the file details panel and click Upload New Version to add a newer build without losing the previous one. See Uploading apps for version management details.

Step 2: Create a mobile test case with AI

  1. Navigate back to Test Development and click the + button to create a new test case.

  2. Select Start with AI Assistant.

  3. When prompted for the target platform, select Mobile Application.

    Selecting Mobile Application changes the test case context — instead of entering a URL, you will configure a device and app build when running the test.

  4. Enter a plain-English description of the user flow you want to test. Be specific about the actions and verifications. For example:

    Tips for writing effective mobile test prompts:

    • Name the exact fields, buttons, and screen labels as they appear in your app

    • Use natural gesture language when needed: "swipe left on the card", "scroll down to the footer", "long press the message"

    • Include at least one verification step ("verify", "confirm", "check that")

    • Keep each test focused on a single user flow

  5. Click Generate & Execute Test Case.

Step 3: Select a device and run the test

After clicking Generate & Execute Test Case, a device configuration dialog appears.

  1. Select the platform: Android.

  2. Open the App Build dropdown and select the APK you uploaded in Step 1.

  3. Select the target device from the available device list. For example, Pixel 7 — Android 14.

    If the App Build dropdown is empty, you have not uploaded an APK yet. Click the Go to Upload Page link in the dialog to navigate to the uploads section and complete Step 1.

  4. Review the concurrency indicators at the top of the dialog:

    Indicator
    Meaning

    Parallel X/Y (green)

    X tests running out of Y available device slots

    Queued X/Y (orange)

    X tests waiting in queue

    If all parallel slots are occupied, the button label changes to Skip and continue. Your test queues and starts automatically when a slot frees up.

  5. Click Start Execution.

ContextQA installs the app on the selected device and begins executing the AI-generated steps. The left panel shows a real-time execution log with per-step status updates. The right panel displays a live view of the device screen.

Verify it worked: Steps turn green as they pass. A typical 5–8 step login test completes in under 60 seconds.

Step 4: Review the generated test steps

When execution completes, click Back to Test Case.

The AI-generated prompt has been converted into a structured Spark script — ContextQA's internal step format. Each step is visible and editable in the step editor.

Review the steps to confirm they match your intent:

Step
Action

1

Navigate to the app's login screen

2

Type [email protected] in the Email field

3

Type Test1234 in the Password field

4

Tap the Sign In button

5

Verify that the Dashboard screen loads

6

Verify that the welcome message is visible

If any step does not match your intent, click the step to edit its description. You can also reorder, delete, or add steps before running again.

Step 5: Review execution results

Navigate to the Run History page for the test case. Click the most recent execution to open the detailed results.

AI logs

The AI Logs section provides the most detailed view of what happened:

  • Per-step status — pass or fail indicator for each step

  • Screenshots — captured at the exact moment each step executed

  • AI confidence scores — how confidently the AI identified each UI element

  • Assertion results — expected versus actual values for verification steps

Video recording

Click the Video tab to watch a full playback of the device session. Use this to:

  • Confirm the app navigated through the correct screens

  • Spot timing or animation issues not visible in screenshots

  • See the full flow in sequence, which helps diagnose failures caused by earlier steps

What to check

Result
What it means

All steps pass

Your mobile test case is working — the login flow on this device is verified

A step fails on element interaction

The AI could not find the expected element — check the screenshot to see what was on screen

A step fails on verification

The expected text or screen did not appear — the app may have navigated to a different state

Summary

You built and ran your first mobile test in five steps:

  1. Uploaded an APK to ContextQA's workspace via the Uploads section

  2. Created a mobile test case using the AI assistant with a plain-English prompt

  3. Selected a device from the cloud device farm and started execution

  4. Reviewed the generated steps in the step editor to confirm accuracy

  5. Inspected the results — per-step screenshots, AI logs, and video recording

One test case now validates a mobile login flow on a real Android device, with a full evidence package captured automatically.

Next steps

  • Test on iOS: Upload an IPA file and a provisioning profile, then follow the same workflow. See Prerequisites for iOS-specific signing requirements.

  • Add more gestures: Create test cases that use swipe, scroll, long press, pinch, and zoom. Write natural gesture language in your prompts — the AI maps them to the correct mobile actions. See Supported gestures.

  • Run across multiple devices: Create a test plan with several device/OS entries to validate your app on Android 13, Android 14, iOS 16, and iOS 17 in a single orchestrated run. See Mobile test plans.

  • Schedule nightly regression: Add your mobile test cases to a test suite, attach it to a test plan, and configure a daily schedule. See Mobile test plans — scheduling.

  • Combine with data-driven testing: Use a test data profile to run the same login test with multiple user roles — one test case, four credential sets, four independent results. See Tutorial: Data-driven testing.

Related pages

Test your Android and iOS apps on real devices — no code required. Start Free Trial → — Or Book a Demo → to see mobile testing with your app.

PreviousCreating Mobile TestsNextMobile Test Plans

Last updated

Was this helpful?