It becomes crucial to make sure that applications simply work today as we find ourselves in a more complex digital world. In the web development context, there is often a strong concern with specific aspects of browsers and how computer programs run on them. Safari is one of the most widely used web browsers, though it can be a pain to develop and test for if you are working in a Windows environment.
Safari was originally available only on MacOS and IOS, so the developers and testers on Windows can’t directly run the tests within the browser
However, with the inclusion of other tools and techniques in testing, cross-browser Safari testing on Windows is now conceivable. Additionally, Safari for Windows has become one of the potential solutions for testing on this platform.
Understanding the Need for Cross-Platform Safari Testing
Now, let us discuss why Safari testing is important before moving to concrete methods and tools. Safari is among the most widely used browsers in the world with monthly active users in millions powered mostly on iPhone and iPad. Safari is commonly used personally as well as professionally, thus, it should be included in the list of browsers to test.
Taking into account that macOS and iOS devices have their specificity in terms of hardware and software and Apple’s environment, web applications may act differently from Chrome or Firefox. This uniqueness includes differences in rendering engines, JavaScript performance, CSS implementation, and overall UI consistency.
While Safari’s market share is smaller than Chrome or Firefox, ignoring Safari testing could lead to performance issues, layout bugs, or even broken functionality for a significant segment of your audience.
The Challenge: Testing Safari on Windows
The one fundamental problem of testing Safari on Windows is that Safari cannot be run natively on the Windows environment. Apple stopped the development of Safari for Windows as far back as 2012, and as such, there is no genuine method of running Safari on Windows.
Therefore, testers and developers are left with two primary concerns:
How to run Safari on Windows
How to simulate Safari’s behavior accurately
Without access to a native Safari browser, how can testers ensure that their web applications work seamlessly on Apple’s platform?
Best Practices for Cross-Platform Safari Testing on Windows
While the lack of a native version of Safari on Windows poses a challenge, several approaches and tools can help replicate the experience and perform effective testing. Let’s break down the best practices for cross-platform Safari testing on Windows.
1.Use Cloud-Based Testing Platforms
Cloud testing platforms are effective in scaling your testing workflow effectively on a wide range of browsers and OS combinations. These platforms provide access to real, remote devices and browsers, including Safari on macOS. With these tools, testers can run automated tests and manual interactions on virtual machines that run Safari in various versions. One such platform is LambdaTest.
It is an AI-powered test execution platform that lets you perform manual and automated tests across 3000+ browsers and OS combinations. This platform also allows you to effectively perform testing on Windows and Safari as well without maintaining physical devices. Windows users can also use Safari to test how their web and mobile applications appear and if they are functional or not.
Moreover, LambdaTest supports testing with Selenium, and users can leverage Selenium ChromeDriver to automate tests for Chrome on different operating systems. This ensures comprehensive cross-platform testing and the ability to evaluate how web applications perform on both Safari and Chrome without maintaining physical devices.
Key Features:
Real Device Testing: Test your website on real macOS devices running Safari, ensuring accurate results compared to emulators or simulators.
Cross-Browser Compatibility: You can conduct cross-browser testing in one location with LambdaTest’s support for not only Safari but also Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
Automated Testing: LambdaTest’s integration with Selenium enhances scalability and efficiency by enabling automated testing on actual Safari browsers.
Parallel Testing: To save time and expedite the testing process, run tests concurrently across several browsers and devices.
Responsive Design Testing: To guarantee a seamless mobile experience in Safari, test your web application’s performance across a range of screen sizes, particularly on iPhones and iPads.
Benefits:
No macOS Required: You don’t need a Mac to run Safari tests, as LambdaTest provides remote access to macOS devices.
Multiple Safari Versions: Test across different versions of Safari, from older releases to the latest ones.
Speed and Efficiency: Parallel testing and real-time test execution speed up the testing process.
LambdaTest simplifies cross-platform Safari testing, making it easier for teams working on Windows or other non-macOS platforms to ensure their web applications are compatible with Safari.
2.Leverage Virtualization and macOS Cloud Services.
If you need a macOS environment specifically for running Safari, you can rent a macOS cloud instance. It is a virtualized macOS environment that you can access remotely through your Windows machine. Popular services include:
MacStadium: MacStadium provides cloud macOS hosting, which means they let you lease a Mac for testing. You can always download Safari and perform a manual or an automatic test on the web application.
Amazon EC2 Mac Instances: EC2 instances running macOS are provided by Amazon Web Services, abbreviated as AWS. Some of these cases will enable you to rent a macOS machine in the cloud for running Safari and other applications built on macOS.
Using these services, testers can set up Safari on a virtual macOS environment, test their web applications, and ensure that everything functions correctly without requiring a physical Apple device.
3.Browser Emulation and Simulation Tools
While not the same as running a native version of Safari, browser emulators and simulators can offer insights into how your web application may appear or behave on Safari. These tools attempt to mimic the Safari browser’s rendering engine, behavior, and functionality.
Popular emulation tools include:
LambdaTest: It is worth mentioning here that although LambdaTest is a major online testing tool, it has a browser emulator that can help you with how your site looks in Safari.
Safari Developer Tools: To mimic different devices and sizes, the developers working on macOS can directly use the Safari browser’s developer tools. Even though it is a Mac OS X-only tool, it can be useful for testers who are testing with developers on Mac OS X systems.
While emulators and simulators are not perfect, they can still be useful for basic testing, such as checking layout and basic functionality. Keep in mind, however, that the behavior may differ from that of real Safari browsers in terms of performance, rendering, and advanced features.
4.Automated Testing with Selenium and WebDriver
Automation is essential for testers who need to scale their testing operations. One of the most widely used technologies for executing automated tests across several browsers, including Safari, is Selenium in conjunction with WebDriver. There are ways to use Selenium in a macOS environment (via cloud services or a virtual machine), even though running Selenium directly on Windows won’t get you access to Safari.
To use Selenium for cross-platform Safari testing, follow these steps:
Set Up Remote WebDriver: You can set up a remote WebDriver instance to run tests on Safari if you’re using a cloud-based service like LambdaTest. By doing this, you may use Safari to execute your automation scripts without having to install them locally.
Local MacOS Device: By installing WebDriver on your macOS computer and running tests remotely from a Windows computer, you can run Safari tests locally if you have a macOS computer available.
You may test a variety of features, such as form submissions, page loads, and more, on various Safari versions and devices by utilizing Selenium’s browser automation capabilities. Additionally, using Selenium ChromeDriver can enhance cross-browser testing and help ensure compatibility across different browser environments.
5.Manual Testing on macOS or iOS Devices
While automation can handle a large portion of testing, manual testing is still essential for validating complex UI interactions, responsive design, and other nuanced user experiences. Manual testing on macOS or iOS devices provides the most accurate results for Safari testing.
If you don’t have a Mac, think about renting or borrowing one for a while. As an alternative, remote access to macOS is provided via the previously mentioned cloud services, such as MacStadium or AWS EC2 Mac instances, and can be utilized for manual testing.
In addition, using real iOS devices (iPhone or iPad) for manual testing ensures that touch-based interactions and device-specific behaviors are tested effectively.
6.Test Across Multiple Safari Versions
It’s crucial to test your application across different Safari versions because earlier versions can support different web standards or render differently than more recent ones. Testing across different Safari versions helps ensure broader compatibility.
Version Matrix: Maintain a list of Safari versions that you want to test based on your target audience. Ensure that the versions you test are commonly used by your users (based on analytics) and include legacy versions if needed.
Use Real Device Testing: On macOS, you can use the Safari Developer Tools to simulate older versions of Safari. You can test against a variety of browser releases by selecting from a variety of Safari versions on many cloud-based testing services.
7.Utilize Cross-Browser Testing Suites
While testing specifically on Safari is important, it’s equally crucial to ensure that your website or application works well across all major browsers. Cross-browser testing suites allow you to run tests on multiple browsers simultaneously, including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. It ensures that issues identified in Safari are not isolated to just that browser but can be resolved across others, too.
Using a cross-browser testing suite helps:
Ensure Consistency: You can guarantee that users across different browsers have the same experience.
Improve Test Coverage: Test across a wider variety of configurations (browsers, devices, and OS versions), catching edge cases early.
Speed Up Testing: Run tests on multiple browsers at once, which helps identify potential issues faster.
8.Monitor Performance and Load Testing in Safari
Performance and load testing are critical aspects of ensuring that your web application works smoothly on Safari, particularly when dealing with heavy traffic or resource-intensive operations. It’s important to know how Safari handles performance, scalability, and load times.
Tools for Performance Testing:
Lighthouse (via Chrome DevTools): Lighthouse can be used to assess performance, accessibility, SEO, and more. Although it’s part of Chrome, it can also provide valuable insights into how your site performs in Safari.
WebPageTest: A powerful tool that allows you to test your application’s performance from real devices and locations, checking how it performs specifically in Safari.
Safari Developer Tools: Safari’s developer tools offer insights into performance metrics like CPU usage, memory consumption, and network activity.
Conclusion
Since there isn’t a native version of Safari on Windows, testing cross-platform Safari on Windows can be difficult. Nonetheless, testers may make sure that their web apps run smoothly on Safari on any device or version by using the appropriate tools and techniques.
Virtualization services like MacStadium, browser emulators and simulators, and cloud-based systems like LambdaTest provide strong options for carrying out efficient Safari testing. Additionally, automation tools like Selenium can help scale testing efforts, and manual testing on macOS or iOS devices can ensure accurate results.
By following these best practices and leveraging the tools available, QA professionals can deliver high-quality, cross-platform web applications that provide seamless experiences for Safari users, contributing to better performance, higher user satisfaction, and reduced post-release bugs.
