Audio testing

With Perfecto, you can test audio input and output on real iOS and Android devices. Audio testing helps you understand how applications handle sounds such as media playback, notifications, voice calls, and accessibility feedback, and how these audio streams behave under different platform and device conditions.

Audio feature availability varies based on several factors, including the type of audio, the mobile platform, the device model, the operating system version, and the cloud‑level audio configuration. Some audio capabilities are available by default, while others require explicit enablement by Perfecto Support. Because audio behavior can differ across platforms and configurations, it is important to understand these variations before planning or interpreting audio‑related test results.

On this page:

What you can do by default

You can use the following audio features without special configuration:

Application audio output: Capture in-app sounds, media, notifications, and system sounds (iOS 15+ and Android 12 +).
Execution video audio (automation): Record application audio as part of the execution video when audio playback is enabled (automation only).
Accessibility audio (limited): Hear VoiceOver/TalkBack audio output, depending on platform, configuration, and licensing.

Typical audio testing scenarios you can cover by default include:

Validating media and in‑app audio playback, such as videos, music, and sound effects, to ensure audio is played correctly across devices and OS versions.
Testing how your app responds to audio interruptions, for example when notifications or system sounds occur and the app needs to pause, duck, or resume audio playback.
Verifying accessibility audio output, such as VoiceOver or TalkBack announcements, during common user flows like navigation and screen transitions.

Features you can enable with Perfecto Support

The following advanced audio features are available when enabled by Perfecto Support:

Voice call audio (output and injection), supported on iOS 17–26 devices with a valid SIM.
Voice call audio capture and injection on Android, depending on cloud-level configuration.
Application audio injection on iOS to simulate microphone input.

When enabled, advanced audio features allow you to test a wider range of audio‑driven application scenarios, such as:

Voice call testing, including validating carrier call connectivity and audio quality on real devices.
VoIP and in‑app calling, such as testing WebRTC- or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)-based voice communication flows.
Audio injection and dictation testing, for validating voice‑to‑text or spoken input scenarios.
AI voice bot and interactive voice response (IVR) workflows, including injecting caller audio and validating spoken responses.
Regulated call recording scenarios, where captured audio is required as test evidence.

Platform-specific behavior and limitations

Be aware of the following platform-specific behaviors and limitations:

Android: On Android, voice call audio and application audio use separate modes. When voice call mode is enabled, application and media audio output are typically unavailable during the session.

Actual behavior can vary by device model and manufacturer.
iOS: On iOS, voice call audio, application audio, and accessibility audio are not always available at the same time.
Depending on the active audio configuration, enabling voice call audio may disable accessibility audio.
Cross-platform notes:
- Audio settings are applied at the device pool (HSS) level. Within the same cloud, different device pools may support different audio capabilities, and users cannot switch a device’s audio mode during a session.
- Virtual devices (iOS Simulator, Android Emulator) do not support audio features.

For a detailed breakdown of supported audio input and output scenarios across platforms and audio modes, see Audio testing support matrix.

Supported platforms and devices

The following platforms and devices support audio features:

iOS: 15 and later
Android: 13 and later

The following Android devices are known to support voice call audio input. Device availability and behavior may change based on OS version, manufacturer, and cloud configuration.

Pixel 5 (Android 14)
Galaxy S23 Ultra (Android 14)
Samsung Galaxy S24 (Android 14)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Android 14)
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Android 14)

This list reflects devices thoroughly tested and verified by QA. Additional models will be added over time.

How to enable advanced audio features

Some audio capabilities require cloud-level configuration and enablement by Perfecto Support. If you want to test voice call audio or inject application audio, contact Perfecto Support for assistance.

Where to go from here

The following resources provide more detailed information about audio testing in different workflows.

Some details on older audio injection pages are being aligned with the updated audio testing model described here. If you encounter differences, this page reflects the current behavior.

Automation testing

Read the following topics if you run automated tests and need to configure, inject, capture, or validate audio:

Audio functions: Learn how to start and stop audio recording, validate audio output, and work with audio in automated tests.
Reference for capabilities in Perfecto: Review supported capabilities, including audio‑related settings such as audioPlayback.
Guidance on using capabilities in Perfecto: Learn how capability settings interact and how to apply them correctly in different test scenarios.

AI Scriptless

Read the following topics if you build tests visually and want to inject or validate audio without writing code:

Audio commands: Learn which audio‑related commands and checkpoints are available in Scriptless Mobile.
Inject an audio file: Simulate microphone input by injecting a pre‑recorded audio file into your test.

Manual testing

Read the following topic if you test interactively and need to work with audio input on real devices:

Inject an audio file: Inject audio during a live device session to simulate microphone input.

Accessibility testing

Read the following topics if your audio testing includes accessibility scenarios such as screen reader output and spoken feedback:

Test accessibility with VoiceOver or TalkBack (manual testing): Validate screen reader audio output during interactive sessions, including spoken labels, hints, and navigation feedback.
Accessibility testing (automation testing): Learn how to include accessibility validations that rely on audio output, such as VoiceOver or TalkBack feedback, when running automated tests.