What is Xamarin Test Cloud for?

Question

I am working on developing a Xamarin hybrid (html+js+css) application for Android using Visual Studio for iOS.

My client wants to upload builds (of the app) to the Xamarin Test Cloud. I am new to Xamarin, so I have no idea about Xamarin Test Cloud. I have done some research and found that we can write test cases in our application and send them to Xamarin Test Cloud.

So far I understand it, Xamarin Test Cloud is only for app testing purposes, not for sharing buildAs with multiple users or clients. Am I right or not?

Please let me know more about Xamarin Test Cloud, i.e what are the uses of it.

Answer 1

You are partly correct.

Xamarin Test Cloud is an automated testing solution. You are able to run UI-tests on every platform. This will allow you to see how the application performs on the many android devices and versions, as well as the different versions of iOS. Xamarin Test Cloud however is limited to UI testing (and crash reporting based on your testing scenario). Unit Tests and Integration tests (mostly technical tests) cannot be performed by Xamarin Test Cloud.

In order to distribute the app to test-users you should use HockeyApp. HockeyApp has recently be acquired by microsoft (source) and allows you to distribute your app to a closed group of people for feedback (usually used for User Acceptance Tests (UAT)). Note: HockeyApp will soon be integrated with Microsofts' Application Insights service where it offers more features (insights in performance of your app, time used, time looked at Activity X etc) - see how to set this up

So in short:

• Xamarin Test Cloud - Automated UI Testing on hundreds of devices
• HockeyApp - User Acceptance Tests with distribution
• Xamarin Insights (or Microsoft Application Insights) - insight in the usage of your app on different levels.

Answer 2

Correct. TestCloud is used to run your app on thousands of devices at once to figure out how your app behaves and how it looks on many different device quickly and without having to actually buy thousands of devices. It is not for sharing your app with specific users. If you want to share your app with specific users, you can either use HockeyApp for iOS and Android or you can use TestFlight for iOS and the Google Play Store's Beta program for Android.