You cannot release modern applications without implementing web testing. This is because it helps guarantee the proper functioning of your websites and apps on multiple browsers and platforms. Accessing Safari on Windows is one of the major challenges of implementing web testing.
This is because although Safari is a dominant browser on Apple, it has been long incompatible with the Windows platform. This creates a unique series of challenges for all the testers who are trying to implement cross-browser compatibility on their web apps.
Are you struggling with Safari on Windows? Don’t worry! We are here for you! Our article will help you understand all the obstacles of Safari on Windows and also find the most practical solutions to overcome them.
Why Safari Testing?
Before we start understanding how to test Safari on Windows, let us take a step back and understand why should you bother about Safari testing in the first place. Safari is the default browser on the entire Apple ecosystem. This means that it is the most commonly used browser on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Safari also uses a WebKit rendering engine, which has unique features and rendering styles compared to other Chromium-based browsers. So, you must test your apps on Safari to eliminate inconsistencies in rendering, functionality, and performance. These factors can alienate a huge segment of your audience and also reduce the overall scope of your application.
However, the lack of an official Safari version for the Windows operating system further complicates this entire process. This means that you will have to come across various innovative workarounds to maintain the quality of your overall testing infrastructure.
Challenges of Testing Safari on Windows
Below, we have mentioned some of the major challenges of testing Safari on Windows. We have carefully chosen those challenges that are most common to occur and yet will have the most drastic impact on your overall testing efficiency.
1. No Native Safari Version for Windows
The final official version of Safari for Windows was version 5.1.7. After this, the testers were left without an up-to-date native application of Safari to continue their testing processes. So you no longer have a straightforward way to replicate Apple’s browsing environment on your Windows machine.
2. WebKit Rendering Variations
Although Safari uses the WebKit engine, its implementation is slightly different compared to other WebKit based browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Due to these differences, you will notice certain rendering changes in the application.
All these differences make it all the more important to ensure proper testing of your application on this browser.
3. Accessing Safari-Specific Features
The latest version of Safari comes with various unique features like intelligent tracking prevention, built-in privacy controls, and custom HTML5 implementation. It is very important for the testers to verify the proper functioning of all these new features on their applications to provide a smooth user experience.
However, it becomes almost impossible to perform these processes without direct access to the Safari environment.
4. Device and Operating System Constraints
Currently, the only official way of accessing modern Safari versions is through any Apple device. So, if you’re a tester who does not have access to these devices, you will face various barriers in achieving comprehensive test coverage in the application testing cycle.
5. Limited Automation Tools Support
Most of the modern automation frameworks often struggle while implementing cross-browser testing on Apple Safari. For example Selenium requires additional configurations and dependencies so that you can run automation testing with it on Safari.
6. Debugging Challenges
Finally, the lack of native Safari debugging tools on Windows will hamper your ability to identify and resolve browser-specific issues. You will also face various false positives and false negatives during the application testing process.
Solutions for Testing Safari on Windows
Although the challenges of running Safari on Windows may seem huge, there are various tools and strategies which can help you to easily perform this process. To assist the new developers and testers in this process, we have mentioned the most effective solutions below:
Using Online Browser Testing Platforms
There are various cloud-based platforms like LambdaTest that allow you to access thousands of different browsers and devices through a remote device lab.
For reference, LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that lets you perform manual and automation testing at scale with over 3000 real devices, browsers, and OS combinations. You can also integrate Selenium WebDriver with LambdaTest to execute automated cross-browser testing. For example, you will require the Selenium ChromeDriver to initiate this process on the Google Chrome browser.
To further understand this process, we have mentioned the code snippet to use the Selenium ChromeDriver for executing automated cross-browser testing with LambdaTest.
Advantages
The advantages of using cloud platforms like LambdaTest for Safari testing include:
- Testers can eliminate the hassle of setting up and maintaining an expensive physical Apple hardware library.
- Testers can have instant access to different Safari versions, even on the legacy ones which are no longer operational.
- Cloud platforms provide scalable testing capabilities as the developers and testers can address the available devices and browser combinations as per the changing requirements of the application.
- LambdaTest also generates a comprehensive test report to assist the testers during the debugging process for Safari testing.
Virtualization And Emulation
The testers can also consider setting up a virtual macOS environment on their Windows machine. For this purpose, they can use tools like VirtualBox or VMware. Alternatively, the testers can also use emulators like PlayWright and WebKit Engine, which can help them natively simulate the Safari browser behavior.
Advantages
The advantages of using a virtual machine for running Safari on Windows and executing the test cases include:
- Testers will have full access to Mac operating system-specific tools and configurations without buying a Mac device.
- It is a very cost-effective solution for teams that have already invested in virtualization for any segment of the testing process.
Although, we would like to caution the testers that emulation is not only a resource-intensive process, but it also comes with several drawbacks in terms of testing accuracy. For example, an emulator cannot help you understand the behavior of your app as per the physical parameters of your device. This means you cannot understand how factors like low battery or user errors can impact your app performance.
Remote Access To macOS Devices
Using remote desktop tools like TeamViewer or Chrome Remote Desktop can also help the testers to access Mac devices. In this process, the testers can access the Safari instance that is running on a completely different device from anywhere in the world. After this, the testers can remotely execute the application testing processes.
Advantages
The advantages of using remote access to run Safari on Windows include:
- It is a very cost-effective way for teams with shared resources. It is also useful for individual developers and small companies which cannot afford to invest in the subscription charges of cloud-based services.
- Teams that are aiming to use remote access can easily set up this process and start using the service. This is because the testers simply have to follow a few on-screen instructions for the entire step.
Similar to virtualization, remote access also comes with serious drawbacks. For example, since this process entirely relies on your bandwidth, you will need a stable Internet connection to ensure a proper testing experience. Remote access is also dependent on the external hardware that will be natively running the macOS. This means that if you don’t have an optimal hardware configuration, you will experience lags during the testing process.
Best Practices For Testing Safari On Windows
Let us go through some of the best practices that will help you to maximize the efficiency of Safari testing on Windows:
- We strongly advise the testers to focus on features that are heavily used by end users. For example, testing functionality like payment gateways, multimedia playback, and form submissions will ensure that at least the core infrastructure of the user interface is functional at all instances.
- It is also important to use performance testing tools for evaluating Safari rendering speed and resource consumption. It is a critical approach to ensure a smooth user experience on your application.
- You can use cloud platforms like LambdaTest to ensure the compatibility of your web app across multiple versions of Safari and different devices at the same time.
- As a software tester, you must ensure that the testing setup reflects the latest software releases and configurations. This is a critical practice for identifying issues productively and maintaining a stable user experience.
- Finally, you should focus on creating a collaborative effort between the developers and testers for addressing browser-specific issues and challenges at the earliest.
Emerging Trends And Technologies For Safari Testing
The world of web testing will only continue to evolve and go upwards. So, you must keep an eye out for all the upcoming trends to ensure that you are properly incorporating them into your testing practices. We have mentioned some of the most important trends that you must watch out for in the coming years:
- AI tools will predict and highlight the compatibility issues on Safari to reduce the overall manual effort.
- With the continuing rise of remote work, cloud platforms will play a larger role in browser testing practices.
- Testers need to implement continuous testing as Safari will continue to evolve its web standards for proper functionality on multiple devices.
- Developers will start incorporating Safari testing with continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines to create a more rapid deployment system without compromising the overall quality of the application.
The Bottom Line
Based on all the factors that we analyzed in this article, we can safely say that testing Safari on Windows will come with unique challenges. However, by using all the right strategies and tools, you can ensure your web app delivers a consistent and reliable experience for all Apple users.
We have mentioned some of the most effective solutions that can help you get through these obstacles while ensuring the quality and efficiency of your entire testing cycle. Moreover, by adopting the best practices that we mentioned in this article, you can stay ahead of the competition and also grasp all the emerging trends.
Finally, all the above factors will help you to further optimize your testing efforts and also achieve superior results across all platforms. These goals will play a critical role in building a proper team reputation and helping you consistently expand your target audience.
