Using webmate Mobile Access

webmate Mobile Access lets you connect a local mobile device to the same testing infrastructure that webmate devices can reach. Use it when you need to test an internal web application, staging system, or enterprise app from a phone or tablet that is physically available to you.

Mobile Access is based on OpenVPN. webmate creates a temporary Mobile Access token, you activate the token on your mobile device, and the device receives a VPN profile for the reachable test infrastructure.

Before You Start

Make sure the following requirements are met:

• Mobile Access is enabled for your organization. If the Mobile Access view is not visible in your user profile, ask a webmate administrator to check the Mobile Access setting or contact webmate support.
• Your local mobile device can install and run OpenVPN Connect from OpenVPN Inc.
• You know the URL or app workflow that you want to test.
• The target system is reachable from the webmate testing infrastructure. Mobile Access does not expose arbitrary local networks; it uses the infrastructure access that has been configured for webmate.

Administrators can review and revoke Mobile Access usage as described in Manage webmate Mobile Access .

Create a Mobile Access Token

Open your user profile in webmate and select Mobile Access. This view is only shown when the feature is enabled for your organization.

Create a new Mobile Access token for the device you want to use. Treat the token like a credential: do not share it, do not paste it into support tickets, and do not store screenshots of its activation QR code outside your normal security process.

Mobile Access tokens are temporary. If a token expires before you finish testing, create or reactivate a token from the same view.

Activate the Token on the Mobile Device

Install OpenVPN Connect on the mobile device before activating the token.

In webmate, select the token and click Activate. webmate shows a QR code for the activation. Scan the QR code with the mobile device and allow OpenVPN Connect to import the VPN profile.

OpenVPN Connect may ask you to confirm the imported profile and enter the access data shown during activation. After the profile is added, start the VPN connection.

Run the Test

Keep the VPN connection active while you test. Then use the local device as you normally would:

• Open the mobile browser and navigate to the internal test URL.
• Open the app that needs access to the test back end.
• Reproduce the workflow or issue on the physical device.
• Record findings in your usual test run, ticket, or bug report.

The test happens on your local device, not inside a webmate Workbench session. webmate provides the network path; device interaction, screenshots, and logs come from the local device and your normal mobile tooling.

Finish and Clean Up

When the test is complete, disconnect the VPN in OpenVPN Connect. If the device should no longer have access, deactivate or delete the Mobile Access token in webmate.

Clean up the token immediately if the device is lost, transferred to another user, or no longer part of the test. If you cannot remove access yourself, ask an administrator to revoke it in Manage webmate Mobile Access or contact webmate support.

Troubleshooting

If the Mobile Access view is missing, the feature is probably not enabled for your organization or user. Ask an administrator to check Administration > Settings > Mobile Access.

If the VPN connects but the target system cannot be reached, verify the URL, DNS name, and network route with the team that manages the test infrastructure. Mobile Access can only reach systems that are available from the configured webmate infrastructure.

If OpenVPN Connect rejects the profile or the QR code is no longer valid, create a new activation from webmate and repeat the import on the mobile device.