WeTest.Athens 2026

At first sight, testing mobile apps looks a lot like testing the web. You open the app, find elements, click a few buttons, and check the result. But then you meet the first swipe gesture, a missing selector, or an unexpected platform difference, and you see and feel that what works in a browser doesn’t always work on a phone. Suddenly, the familiar becomes frustrating, and your laptop almost becomes best friends with the wall.

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to make sense of that world using Appium and WebdriverIO. We’ll cover the essentials, from capabilities and locators to gestures and debugging, and you’ll spend most of the day writing and running tests yourself. The goal is simple: to leave knowing not only how to automate a mobile app, but why it works that way, so your laptop and the wall will never become best friends.

Session Outline/Plan
Setup check (30 minutes)
You’ll start by making sure everything works on your machine. Once ready, you’ll run your first simple Appium and WebdriverIO test to confirm the setup.
Appium core concepts (60 minutes)
You’ll learn how Appium communicates with devices, what drivers do, and how Android and iOS differ. You’ll also explore which capabilities are needed to start a session.
Locating and interacting with elements (90 minutes)
You’ll use Appium Inspector to find elements and try out different locator strategies. You’ll then write your first test in WebdriverIO and see how selectors work across platforms.
Working with gestures (90 minutes)
You’ll start with the tricky part of mobile automation, gestures. You’ll learn how W3C actions work, write gestures manually, and then simplify them using WebdriverIO’s built-in helpers.
Debugging and best practices (75 minutes)
You’ll read Appium and WebdriverIO logs to understand what’s going on under the hood. You’ll work through common issues like waits, animations, and flaky tests, and refactor your code into reusable helpers.
Bonus: mobile web and hybrid apps (30 minutes)
If time allows, you’ll see how the same setup can be used for mobile browsers or hybrid apps and learn the gotchas.
Wrap-up and Q&A (15 minutes)
We’ll recap the key lessons, get links to useful materials, and leave with a working setup and a clear understanding of how to continue your mobile automation journey.