The future pilot gets his first experience with simulators. It’s safer and cheaper. And only then flies with an instructor on a real aircraft. Surprisingly, such an approach is used in mobile app testing. It’s easier and cheaper to test certain features on virtual mobile devices like emulators and simulators, and then on real ones if they are available. In this article, we find out which peculiarities emulators and simulators have and whether real devices can be completely replaced by virtual ones during testing.
Emulator Specifications
Emulation is the reproduction of a program or system operation while preserving its key properties and principles of proceeding. Emulation executes program code in a similar environment for this code, consisting of the same components as the emulated object.
All major components of the device are being emulated. These are the processor, memory, and input/output devices.
An emulator is a fully functional analog of the original software, or its version, which may have several restrictions on the functionality, capabilities, and behavior of the software. The disadvantage of emulators is that there is no guarantee that in real conditions everything will work as intended. Another downside to this type of virtual device is that it starts slower than if you were using a real device.
Simulator and its Specifications
The simulation imitates the code execution without copying.
As a rule, a software simulator is an imitation of only individual properties, capabilities, or functions of the simulated program. It is as if you are working in a real program, but at the same time, the functionality is completely or almost completely “fake”. As a rule, it is written differently than in the original (for example, in a different programming language). But, working in a simulator, you understand how the real device will react to your actions.
A simulator is a virtual machine, a model of the original software. The simulator partially or fully implements the logic of the iOS operating system, imitates its behavior, and copies the interface. You can test the performance of the application on iPhone and iPad windows.
The inability to imitate battery status and communication interruptions is among the limitations of the simulator.
Is there Any Difference Between an Emulator and a Simulator
In many cases, emulators and simulators can replace each other and act as analogs. At the same time, emulators are usually used to test the Android operating system, and simulators are used for iOS operating systems. This is the key difference between emulators and simulators.
In addition, the simulator is narrower in terms of the completeness of functions/parameters taken into account than the emulator. An object is emulated, and its properties, functions, or behavior are simulated.
Let’s take a closer look at some differences between emulators and simulators.
| Comparison | Emulator | Simulator |
| Usage | Designed for software and hardware. | Designed for indoor configurations |
| Availability | Provided by mobile device manufacturers. | Provided by both mobile device manufacturers and third-party manufacturers. |
| Code | Written in machine-level languages. | Written in high-level languages |
| Test automation | Embedded in the automation process | Embedded in the automation process |
| Operating system | Mostly used for Android | Mostly used for iOS |
Can Tests on Emulators and Simulators Replace Testing on Real Devices?
Yes and no.
Theoretically, simple applications can be tested only on emulators and simulators. This method may be the only one that works for startups when every cent counts.
However, no system can 100% replace a real device. The QA team takes a risk by deciding to test the application only on virtual devices. Bugs may appear after the release when real users access the software through real devices. In such cases, correcting errors is costly.
Professionals advise using a mix of emulators, simulators, and real devices. Emulators and simulators can be used in the early stages of development, and real devices are used closer to release.
To save time, use Selenium grid. It allows you to run tests in parallel and speeds up the process of test execution several times.
To save money, it is better to turn to devise farms than to purchase, configure and maintain your own set of devices. Zebrunner device farm provides complete data security and allows you to get the necessary devices at the full disposal of the team during testing. Through the cloud, you get 24 hours access to the devices you are interested in and pay only for the time of using a particular one.
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