Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page will provide you with answers to frequently asked questions regarding webmate.

I am testing on a mobile device and cannot access internal pages

In order for Android devices to have access to your network, they must be connected to the correct WiFi via which they also have access to the internet. The device should also not have any mobile data or VPNs activated, otherwise tunneling into your network will not work.

To ensure that iOS devices have access to your network, you should make sure that they do not have WiFi, mobile data or VPNs activated. They receive their network via USB tethering from the host to which they are connected.

If in doubt, please create a ticket. We will be happy to take a look.

I see a black screen when I try to test on an Android device.

Unfortunately, this is a so-called ‘secure screen’ of the operating system.
The APIs used to access the screen are blocked by Google on the system side, so webmate cannot bypass this behavior. In some cases, you can still make an entry using the keyboard and then confirm with Enter.

I see a black screen when I try to test on an iOS device.

Unfortunately, this is a so-called ‘secure screen’ of the operating system.
The APIs used to access the screen are blocked by Apple on the system side, so webmate cannot bypass this behavior. Although the screen is black, you can still interact with it. For example, if you need to enter a PIN and know where the number buttons are located, you can still enter them by clicking the corresponding places on the screen.

The device feels slow or the video stream stutters in the Workbench.

If a mobile device becomes slow to control, reduce the image stream quality in the Workbench. Lower quality streams use less bandwidth and can make the device react faster, especially on slower networks or when the device is under load.

Open the stream quality control in the Workbench toolbar and select a lower quality level. Use the lowest level that still lets you recognize the app or website state clearly. You can switch back to a higher quality level whenever you need to inspect visual details.

The device is deployed but I cannot open a workbench session.

This behavior is usually due to the fact that, for whatever reason, the link between the device and webmate is broken. This happens from time to time, for example, with devices that have already been deployed for a longer period of time.

Here are some troubleshooting tips: Try to reconnect the device. To do this, click on the burger menu to the right of the delete button and select reconnect. The device will then switch to the busy state, but should be available again after a short time.

Try to deploy the device again. To do this, delete the device and redeploy it from the corresponding slot.

I want to update my mobile devices

Please do not perform OS updates on your own. This will cause the device to reboot and webmate will loose the connection to it. This will lead to a longer unavailability of the device, because we have to manually interact with the device in the data center to make it available for you again. If you want a device to be updated, see Request Mobile OS Updates .

I want to test how my app behaves when a device is offline

See Use Simulation Features to learn how to use network simulation. Please do not activate airplane mode or deactivate WiFi on the devices themselves. Doing this will cause a device to lose its connection to webmate and it can not be used. Please contact us if this occurred for one or more of your devices.

Why does my iOS device disconnect permanently when trusting a developer profile?

Developer profiles are signed bundles that allow devices to run and debug apps that are not distributed through the App Store, so they are essential whenever you need to sideload internal builds.
The profile remains cached on the device for a while but is removed once the last app from that developer is deleted, so installing a new version over the existing app is preferable to deleting it and reinstalling.
When such a profile is trusted, iOS immediately performs a reboot to finalize the trust relationship. The device then requires manual confirmation to complete booting, so it cannot automatically reconnect to webmate after the reboot. Please reach out to support so we can finish the reboot process on-site.

I want to change the system language on an iOS device

Please be advised that iOS devices will reboot upon changing the system language. Consequently, they may temporarily become unusable in our webmate platform. If a PIN is configured, the device will remain inaccessible until manually addressed by our support team. Therefore, we recommend changing the system language only when absolutely necessary to avoid any inconvenience.

Could not find what you were looking for?

You can contact support by email.

Additionally, you can contact us for any questions regarding webmate features and packages: sales@testfabrik.com .

If you want to use the ticketing system, please refer to this page for more information.