Mastering Safari Browser Testing: Approaches

In the digital age, websites and online apps are the first point of client contact across sectors. To keep customers happy and engaged, these digital content must work across browsers. Safari browser online compatibility testing ensures that your web apps work properly on the browsers, giving users a high-quality experience.

Compatibility testing improves user interface and experience, brand integrity, and operational efficiency. It helps developers identify and address flaws that might alienate people or reduce usability, resulting in lower user happiness and income.

Safari, a popular browser on iOS and macOS, provides distinct problems for web developers and testers. Safari is exclusive to Apple devices, unlike Chrome and Firefox.  This limitation imposes a constraint on testing environments and accessibility for developers who may not use Apple products.

In this blog, we will delve into effective strategies and methodologies to overcome these challenges and master Safari browser testing, ensuring your websites provide a robust and consistent user experience across all platforms.

Why Is Safari Browser Testing Crucial For Web Developers?

Testing on the Safari browser is crucial for web developers for several key reasons:

1. Significant Market Share

Apple’s default browser for iPhones and iPads gives Safari a large share of the worldwide browser market, particularly among mobile users. Ignoring Safari during testing may alienate a big user base, resulting in lost revenue and user engagement.

2. Unique User Base

Safari users mostly utilize Apple devices, which have distinct user behavior and purchasing power. Many studies show that iOS consumers buy online more and spend more than Android users. Organizations, especially e-commerce ones, might benefit from Safari compatibility.

3. Exclusive Features and Behavior

Safari often includes features and security measures that are not present in other browsers. For example, its approach to privacy and security with features like Intelligent Tracking Prevention can affect how cookies and tracking scripts work.

Web developers need to ensure their sites function correctly within these constraints to deliver a consistent experience.

4. Compliance with Web Standards

Safari is recognized for following web standards, yet it occasionally interprets or implements them differently. This affects CSS rendering and JavaScript execution. Testing specifically for Safari ensures that web applications adhere to its interpretation of standards and display correctly.

5. Frequent Updates

Apple updates Safari regularly, often incorporating new features and changing existing behaviors. Each update can potentially break existing web functionality if not tested for compatibility. Staying abreast of these updates and testing extensively each time ensures that web applications remain functional and secure.

Setting Up the Testing Environment

Several important steps need to be taken to set up a good testing setup for Safari browser testing so that your web apps work properly on all versions of Safari and all relevant devices.

It’s easy to set up the testing setup with this step-by-step guide:

1. Identify Safari Versions to Test

Find out which versions of Safari your group uses the most. Analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, can help you figure out which versions your users like the most. Include both earlier and newer forms to make sure that a lot of people can use them.

2. Choose Testing Platforms

• Local Testing: Set up Macs with different macOS versions to test desktop versions of Safari. For mobile testing, use various iOS devices like iPhones and iPads.
• Virtual computers: You can run different versions of macOS and iOS on virtual computers. It can be helpful to have tools like VMWare or Parallels Desktop.
• Service-Based Testing in the Cloud: Platforms like LambdaTest let you test on real computers and devices in the cloud. They let you use different versions of Safari on desktop computers and mobile phones without having to use real devices.

3. Configure Testing Tools

• Automation Tools: Tools like Selenium WebDriver, Appium, and XCTest can automate testing processes in Safari. To set them up, you have to install the tools they need and make sure they are set up so they work with Safari properly.
• Tools for Continuous Integration (CI): You can connect your testing package to CI tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, or GitHub Actions to make testing happen automatically every time you commit code or during certain stages of development.

4. Set Up Mobile and Desktop Environments

• Desktop: Ensure that the Safari browser’s developer tools are enabled to facilitate debugging. Also, consider the screen resolutions and window sizes that need to be tested.
• Mobile: Use Xcode’s Simulator for preliminary testing on various iOS devices and configurations. For more accurate results, test on real devices.

5. Create a Test Suite

• Functional Testing: Check core functionalities like form submissions, login/logout procedures, and interactive elements.
• Visual Regression Testing: Use tools like Percy to take screenshots and compare visual elements across different versions of Safari to detect unintended changes.
• Performance Testing: Use tools like Lighthouse or WebPageTest specifically configured for Safari to measure performance metrics like load time and responsiveness.

6. Develop a Testing Strategy

• Manual vs. Automated Testing: Determine the balance between manual and automated testing depending on your web application’s complexity and frequency of changes.
• Responsive and Accessibility Testing: Test responsive design across device sizes and WCAG compliance.

7. Documentation and Reporting

• Document your testing environment and procedures so that they can be replicated or audited. Use reporting tools to track bugs and performance over time.
• Safari needs a complete testing environment to provide a perfect user experience across Apple devices. These methods will guarantee that your online apps work properly and look well on Safari, improving customer happiness and engagement.

Types of Testing For Safari

To guarantee web apps work well across all versions and devices, Safari browser testing should include a range of testing methods.

Here’s a breakdown of essential types of testing tailored specifically for Safari:

1. Functional Testing

Functional testing verifies that all features of the website work as intended on Safari. This includes:

• Form Testing: Ensuring that all forms submit correctly without errors.
• Navigation Testing: Checking that all menu items and links lead to the correct pages.
• E-commerce Transactions: Simulating purchases to verify checkout processes and payment integrations.

2. Visual Testing

This type of testing focuses on the visual aspects to ensure that the UI appears correctly across different devices and resolutions. Tools help you automate visual comparisons:

• Layout Consistency: Ensuring that layouts are displayed correctly without broken elements.
• Test for Responsive Design: When you test a site for responsive design, you look at how it changes to fit different screen sizes, especially iPhones and iPads.

3. Compatibility Testing

Safari has unique rendering behaviors due to its WebKit engine:

• CSS/HTML Compatibility: Testing for any discrepancies in how CSS and HTML are rendered compared to other browsers.
• JavaScript Compatibility: Verifying that JavaScript functions correctly, particularly features like animations or AJAX requests.

4. Performance Testing

Performance is crucial, especially on mobile devices:

• Page Load Testing: Using WebPageTest to measure page load times under different scenarios.
• Resource Usage: Checking how the site affects CPU and memory utilization, especially on mobile devices.

5. Security Testing

Since Safari often includes unique security features and settings:

• Session Management: Testing for vulnerabilities related to session handling, especially given Safari’s stringent privacy features.
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and CSRF Testing: XSS and CSRF testing look for security holes that cross-site scripting or CSRF could use.

6. Usability Testing

This involves assessing the site’s navigability, accessibility, and overall user experience on Safari:

• User Interaction: Observing real users as they interact with the site on Safari to identify any usability issues.
• Accessibility Testing: Ensuring that the site meets accessibility standards, particularly in how accessible it is for users with disabilities using Apple’s specific accessibility features.

7. Regression Testing

Whenever updates are made to Safari, it’s crucial to perform regression testing to ensure that new updates do not break existing functionality:

• Automated Regression Suites: Utilizing automated tests to quickly verify that core functionalities continue to work after each update to Safari or the web application.

8. Cross-Device Testing

Testing how the site performs across different Apple devices using Safari:

• Multiple Devices: Older iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks are just some of the devices that are used for tests to make sure there is full coverage.
• Real Device Testing: “Real device testing” means using real devices along with models and apps to get more accurate test results.

Make sure your website or app runs smoothly and enjoyably on all Safari users’ devices and versions by including these tests in your QA process.

Mastering Safari Browser Testing – Tips and tricks

It takes a mix of methods, tools, and best practices to get good at testing in the Safari browser and get accurate results. Here are some tricks and tips that will help you get good at testing the Safari browser:

1. Stay Updated with Safari Releases

• Keep track of Safari’s release schedule to anticipate changes in browser behavior and features.
• Test your website or application on beta versions of Safari to identify and address compatibility issues before they affect your users.

2. Use Safari Technology Preview

• Safari Technology Preview provides early access to upcoming Safari features and improvements.
• Use it to test your site against future Safari versions and ensure compatibility in advance.

3. Leverage Developer Tools

• The Web Inspector in Safari has strong analysis tools.
• Learn how to use its functions, such as looking at HTML/CSS, fixing bugs in JavaScript, and keeping an eye on network activity.

4. Test on Real Devices

• For more realistic testing, use real devices along with simulations and apps.
• Test on iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks to make sure it works with Apple devices.

5. Optimize for Performance

• When it comes to Safari, speed and battery life are very important.
• Tools like WebPageTest and Lighthouse can help you test and speed up your site on Safari.

6. Address Safari-Specific Bugs

• Safari may exhibit unique bugs and quirks that don’t occur in other browsers.
• Keep a list of common Safari-specific issues and workarounds to expedite bug fixing.

7. Test for Accessibility

• Make sure that everyone can use your site, even those who are using Apple’s disability tools.
• Test for keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and color contrast on Safari.

8. Implement Responsive Design

• Mobile users mostly use Safari, so flexible design is very important.
• Check to see how your site works on Safari on screens of various sizes, shapes, and resolutions.

By using these tips and tricks when testing the Safari browser, you’ll be better able to make sure that Safari users on all devices and versions have a smooth and uniform experience.

With LambdaTest, mastering Safari browser testing becomes a seamless and efficient process.

LambdaTest provides access to real Safari browsers running on genuine macOS hardware, eliminating the unreliability of emulators. Test your website or web app on Safari versions from Legacy to Latest with ease, ensuring pixel-perfect rendering and functionality.

With over 3000 real browsers and devices available instantly, LambdaTest offers the highest browser coverage in the industry. Test on Safari browsers of all versions, from Safari 5.1 to Safari 17, to make sure it works with everything in the Safari environment.

With LambdaTest, you can make sure that your testing setting is safe and reliable. Get iOS and Android devices that are only for your team, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, behind your fence. Make changes to your testing setup so that it works with your process.

Conclusion

Finally, testing websites and applications via Safari is crucial to ensuring they run on all Apple devices. This tutorial covers many methodologies, tactics, and best practices to assist you navigate Safari testing’s challenges.