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Accessibility Testing with Deque axe DevTools® Mobile Drivers

Real Devices

Deque's axe™ is a leading digital accessibility toolkit. The axe DevTools® for Mobile SDK extends this functionality to mobile platforms, enabling automated accessibility testing directly in your Appium workflows for both Android and iOS apps. This feature supports compliance with accessibility standards such as WCAG and the European Accessibility Act, ensuring your apps are inclusive for all users.

With this integration, you can:

  • Detect and address accessibility issues early in the development cycle.
  • Automate mobile accessibility testing using Sauce Labs' secure and scalable cloud infrastructure.
  • Gain actionable insights to improve compliance with global accessibility standards.

The following guide explains how to set up Sauce Labs’ integration with axe DevTools® for Mobile and leverage its powerful tools to optimize accessibility testing in your mobile apps.

What You'll Need​

Appium 2 Version: appium2-deque-accessibility​

Sauce Labs offers various versions of Appium 2 in our cloud. One of these is the appium2-deque-accessibility version, designed to support accessibility testing on mobile apps for both iOS and Android. This version integrates Appium drivers developed by the Deque team, enabling seamless integration of accessibility scans into your existing test automation workflows.

You can find more details on Sauce Labs' Appium versions documentation.

Key Features of appium2-deque-accessibility​

  • Includes Deque Drivers : This version incorporates the following accessibility drivers provided by Deque:
    • axe-appium-uiautomator2-driver: Automation name is AxeUIAutomator2
    • axe-appium-xcuitest-driver: Automation name is AxeXCUITEST
Min iOS Version for axe-appium-xcuitest-driver:
  • You can use the axe-appium-xcuitest-driver only for devices with iOS 17 or above.
  • To ensure compatibility, set the appium:platformVersion capability in your Appium configuration based on the iOS versions supported by the axe-appium-xcuitest-driver. Refer to the Deque documentation for detailed requirements and supported versions.
  • Backward Compatibility with Deprecated Plugin: While Deque’s axeDevToolsMobile Appium Plugin has been deprecated, Sauce Labs will continue hosting it until January 31st 2025, allowing users time to migrate to the new drivers.

How to Use appium2-deque-accessibility​

Follow these steps to set up and execute accessibility tests using the appium2-deque-accessibility image, leveraging Deque's Appium drivers for Android and iOS.

  1. Set Up Your Appium Capabilities
const capabilities = {
  platformName: 'Android',
  'appium:platformVersion': '1[0-9]',
  'appium:automationName': 'AxeUIAutomator2', // New Automation name goes here
  'appium:app': 'storage:filename=XXXXXXXXXx',
  'appium:appPackage': 'xxxxxxxxxx',
  'appium:autoGrantPermissions': true,
  'appium:autoAcceptAlerts': true,
  'appium:newCommandTimeout': 90,
  'sauce:options': {
    name: "Android Driver - Testing appium2-deque-accessibility",
    appiumVersion: 'appium2-deque-accessibility',
  },
}

  1. Obtain Your Deque API Key Log in to your axe Deque account setting page and retrieve your API key. This key is required to authenticate and initiate accessibility scans during your tests.

  2. Prepare Your Testing Script Once you have your API key, include it in your test script to perform a scan using the mobile: axeScan command. Below is an example script:

describe("Test appium2-deque-accessibility - Using Drivers Android/iOS", () => {
    it('test appium2-deque-accessibility', async () => {
        const apiKey = process.env.DEQUE_API_KEY;
        const settings = { apiKey: apiKey }

        await driver.execute('mobile: axeScan', settings);
    });
});

Migrating from the Deprecated Plugin to Deque New Drivers​

Deque's axeDevToolsMobile Appium Plugin is deprecated and will no longer be supported after January 31st 2025. Moving forward, the following drivers should be used to ensure compatibility and continued support for accessibility testing:

  • Android: axe-appium-uiautomator2-driver: Automation name is AxeUIAutomator2
  • iOS : axe-appium-xcuitest-driver: Automation name is AxeXCUITEST

Why Migrate?​

  • Continued Support: The plugin will no longer receive updates, fixes, or enhancements.
  • Expanded Capabilities: The drivers offer better integration and updated functionalities for Android and iOS platforms.
  • Compliance with Modern Requirements: For iOS, the new driver supports devices running iOS 17 and above.

Migration Steps​

  1. Update Your Appium Capabilities

Replace the old plugin reference with the appropriate new driver. Choose the correct automationName based on your platform:

  • Use AxeUIAutomator2 for Android.
  • Use AxeXCUITEST for iOS.

Additionally, specify the appiumVersion as appium2-deque-accessibility.

const capabilities = {
  platformName: 'Android',
  'appium:platformVersion': '1[0-9]',
  'appium:automationName': 'AxeUIAutomator2', // New Automation name goes here
  ...
  'sauce:options': {
    ...
    appiumVersion: 'appium2-deque-accessibility',
  },
}
  1. Update Your Testing Scripts The axe:Scan command used with the deprecated plugin should now be replaced with the new mobile: axeScan command.

This command works with the new drivers and requires the same API key setup.

await driver.execute('mobile: axeScan', scanSettings);

Additional Notes​

  • Ensure your Appium server is correctly set up to use the appium2-deque-accessibility version.
  • Validate that your app and environment meet the OS version requirements for the selected Deque drivers.
  • For iOS, remember that the AxeXCUITEST driver only works on devices running iOS 17 or above.
  • The axeDevToolsMobile plugin will remain available in the Sauce Labs cloud until January 31st 2025.
  • Use the Deque documentation for further driver-specific details.