UI testing openURL and universal links via iMessage

iMessage.swift

import Foundation
import XCTest

//This is based on https://blog.branch.io/ui-testing-universal-links-in-xcode-9/
final class iMessage {

    static func launch() -> XCUIApplication {
        // Open iMessage App
        let messageApp = XCUIApplication(bundleIdentifier: "com.apple.MobileSMS")
        
        // Launch iMessage app
        messageApp.launch()
        
        // Wait some seconds for launch
        XCTAssertTrue(messageApp.waitForExistence(timeout: 10))
        
        // Continues "Whats new" if present
        let continueButton = messageApp.buttons["Continue"]
        if (continueButton.exists) {
            continueButton.tap()
        }
        
        // Removes New Messages Sheet on iOS 13
        let cancelButton = messageApp.navigationBars.buttons["Cancel"]
        if cancelButton.exists {
            cancelButton.tap()
        }
        
        // Return application handle
        return messageApp
    }

    static func open(URLString urlString: String, inMessageApp app: XCUIApplication) {
        XCTContext.runActivity(named: "Open URL \(urlString) in iMessage") { _ in
            // Find Simulator Message
            let kateBell = app.cells.staticTexts["Kate Bell"]
            XCTAssertTrue(kateBell.waitForExistence(timeout: 10))
            kateBell.tap()

            // Tap message field
            app.textFields["iMessage"].tap()
                                                                            
            // Continues "Swipe to Text" Sheet
            let continueButton = app.buttons["Continue"]
            if continueButton.exists {
                continueButton.tap()
            }

            // Enter the URL string
            app.typeText("Open Link:\n")
            app.typeText(urlString)

            // Simulate sending link
            app.buttons["sendButton"].tap()

            //Wait for Main App to finish launching
            sleep(2)

            // The first link on the page
            let messageBubble = app.cells.links["com.apple.messages.URLBalloonProvider"]
            XCTAssertTrue(messageBubble.waitForExistence(timeout: 10))
            messageBubble.tap()
        }
    }

    static func openFromPasteboard(inMessageApp app: XCUIApplication) {
        XCTContext.runActivity(named: "Open URL from Pasetboard in iMessage") { _ in
            // Find Simulator Message
            let kateBell = app.cells.staticTexts["Kate Bell"]
            XCTAssertTrue(kateBell.waitForExistence(timeout: 10))
            kateBell.tap()
            
            // Add dummy text to workaround issue with link-only bubbles in iOS 12.4+
            app.textFields["iMessage"].tap()
            app.typeText("Open Link:\n")
            
            // Tap message field to open paste menu
            app.textFields["iMessage"].tap()
            
            sleep(1)
            app.menuItems["Paste"].tap()
            
            // Simulate sending link
            sleep(1)
            app.buttons["sendButton"].tap()
            
            //Wait for Main App to finish launching
            sleep(3)
            
            // The first link on the page
            let messageBubble = app.cells.links["com.apple.messages.URLBalloonProvider"]
            XCTAssertTrue(messageBubble.waitForExistence(timeout: 10))
            messageBubble.tap()
        }
    }
}

UniversialLinkTest.swift

import XCTest

class UniversialLinktTest: XCTestCase {
    var app: XCUIApplication!

    override func setUp() {
        super.setUp()
        continueAfterFailure = false
        app = XCUIApplication()
        app.launch()
    }

    func testItDeepLinksIntoApp() {
        // Open App via iMessage
        let messageApp = iMessage.launch()
        iMessage.open(URLString: "https://mydomain.com/verify/12345", inMessageApp: messageApp)
        
        // Do test here...
        let isInVerifyScreen = app.staticTexts["12345"].waitForExistence(timeout: 10)
        XCTAssertTrue(isInVerifyScreen)

        // For reliability terminate iMessage after test
        messageApp.terminate()
    }
    
}

Here is UI Test Helper class for testing deep linking into your app based on based on https://blog.branch.io/ui-testing-universal-links-in-xcode-9/

@say
This is not working without https:// ***. For instance, appName://google/search?search_keyword=tea
Should be call other method instead of URLString?
Also, here in this case, the messageBubble is different from one implemented.

Since iOS 12 posting the direct link to iMessage wouldn't work as the URL disappear after being pasted. To be able to make it work you should encapsulate the link inside a sentence, (e.g "Open the link https://appname.io.deeplink") to the iMessage app recognize it. I'm afraid this is a bug in the iMessage app in the Simulator as any URL posted would dissapear.

Encapsulate the link inside a sentence is a perfect workaround. Thanks @Vkt0r 🙂

@Vkt0r exactly, we had the same issue. I updated the gist. Also for iOS 13 it now dismisses the New Message Sheet.

@nagashreeabhilash100 good question, have you found a solution yet?

Whats XCUIApplication.launchInMemory() ? I'm guessing an extension you wrote b/c its not in any github code and not an apple function?

@jonchui exactly launchInMemory looks like this

func launchInMemory() {
     self.launchArguments.append("-NOFETCHDELAY")
     self.launch()
 }

I'll replace it in the gist. Sorry for the delayed response

@cornr this is not working with exampleapp://path. Could you help me?

@nvduc2910 correct. Currently this only works with HTTP(S) URLs wich present itself with a preview as an com.apple.messages.URLBalloonProvider. If you send a url scheme link to iMessage you'll have to find the bubble and make the UITest tap on it (instead of https://gist.github.com/cornr/46e14d1e8b160f981dc0fae53ba68b09#file-imessage-swift-L60). After that handle the Popup to open your App.

@cornr is there any way to make it works with the Deeplink scheme?

I already find the bubble and make the UITest tap on it but nothing happened.

@nvduc2910 have you tried open the deeplink url manually in Messages or Safari. This works for me in the simulator.
Have you set it up the URL Type in your Info.plist?

@cornr I tried open deeplink manual in messages (simulator) but it not works. It works well on devices.

I tried this approach manually with HTTP(S) URL. But it did not open the app, instead opened the web browser.

Looks like it's not working anymore with Xcode 12.2 / iOS 14.2 :(

Can confirm, iOS 14.2 Simulator completely breaks links being sent through iMessage.

Found a good way to launch links in UI tests: https://github.com/mattstanford/GhostHand

Obviously this doesn't help with testing aspects of iMessage, but it will let you launch a specific URL to test universal links or an app schema.

As of iOS 16.4, macOS 13.3, and Xcode 14.3, new XCTest UI Testing API's are available which let you do this in an even easier way.

You can open your application with a specific URL: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xctest/xcuiapplication/4108226-open

Or, open any URL in the default application for it: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xctest/xcuisystem/4108234-open

Thanks @harlynkingm for mentioning (and maybe even implementing 😀) that. I guess this workaround is obsolete now. ❤️

As of iOS 16.4, macOS 13.3, and Xcode 14.3, new XCTest UI Testing API's are available which let you do this in an even easier way.

You can open your application with a specific URL: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xctest/xcuiapplication/4108226-open

Or, open any URL in the default application for it: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xctest/xcuisystem/4108234-open

Have you been able to use the XCUIApplication open (_ url:)? I'm trying to replace UITests that were using Safari, but this just opens the app like XCUIApplication launch, ignoring the URL completely.

XCUIDevice.shared.system.open(url) works, but only if the app is already installed :( Otherwise, it fails Failed to open the default app for a URL: The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -10814.). I was thinking about a workaround to do app.launch / app.terminate before calling XCUIDevice.shared.system.open(url), but it would slow down tests and reduce benefits of directly opening urls.

Thanks!

There seem to be two known problems with the released APIs that are being investigated.

The first shows an un-skippable popup on the first call to XCUISystem.open when using a custom URL scheme. This might be able to be worked-around by calling XCUISystem.open from inside an async thread, then tapping the "Open" button from SpringBoard as described here:
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/25355

The second is that XCUIApplication().open() seems to be more flaky than XCUIApplication(bundleIdentifier:).open()

Hopefully, fixes for these issues will be available soon.

Yeah, I saw this thread just after I posted here. Seems we need to wait some more for a non-workaround (native) solution.