Inspect Mobile Applications

Appium Inspector can be used to inspect Android applications and identify elements when creating selectors for mobile tests.

The sample configuration below assumes that:

• An Android emulator is already running

• The emulator instance name is emulator-5554 (the default emulator name in most Android SDK installations)

Appium Inspector is commonly used during test development to inspect application elements and identify selectors that can be used in mobile test steps.

Install Appium Server

Run:

npm install -g appium

Install UiAutomator2 Driver

Run:

appium driver install uiautomator2

Install Appium Inspector

Download and install Appium Inspector from:

https://github.com/appium/appium-inspector/releases

Start Appium Server

Run:

appium

Leave the Appium server running while using Appium Inspector.

Open Appium Inspector

Launch Appium Inspector and create a new session.

In Capability Builder → JSON Representation, enter the following configuration:

{
  "platformName": "Android",
  "appium:automationName": "UiAutomator2",
  "appium:deviceName": "emulator-5554",
  "appium:udid": "emulator-5554",
  "appium:noReset": true
}

Save the Configuration

1. Click Save As

2. Enter a name (for example, local android)

3. Click Save

The saved configuration can be reused for future sessions.

Start the Session

Click Start Session.

Appium Inspector will connect to the running emulator and display the application hierarchy, allowing you to inspect elements and identify selectors for use in your mobile tests.