Troubleshooting

Device not appearing

Run `adb devices`. If the device is missing, try a different cable, USB port, or platform-tools installation. If it says unauthorized, unlock the phone and approve the prompt.

Companion install fails

Check install permissions, remove older builds, and confirm the device has enough storage. Some vendor Android builds require enabling "Install via USB" in Developer Options.

Mirror or logs not updating

Confirm Companion is running, the device is unlocked, and no other process is holding the ADB connection. Restarting ADB can clear stale sessions.

Practical checklist

• Keep the workflow readable enough that a QA engineer, developer, or product teammate can understand the intent without opening application source code.
• Prefer user-visible names, stable configuration, and clear evidence over hidden assumptions or brittle implementation details.
• Run the smallest useful check locally before adding it to CI, then verify that failures produce screenshots, logs, traces, or reports that explain what happened.
• Review this part of the suite regularly so outdated examples, stale setup, and obsolete workarounds do not reduce trust in the automation.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not add automation only to increase test count. Each page and test should protect a clear user journey, release risk, or debugging need.
• Do not hide important behavior inside helpers so deeply that the test no longer explains what the user is doing.
• Do not rely on fixed sleeps when the application can expose a meaningful ready state such as visible text, URL change, element availability, or completed evidence capture.
• Do not ignore failing artifacts. A report, screenshot, trace, or log entry should feed back into better product code, better waits, or clearer test data setup.