Bypass Screenshot Restriction
If you test Android mobile apps on Sauce Labs real devices and you see a black screen in your live testing session or in your video recording, you might need to enable Bypass Screenshot Restriction.
This black screen is caused by a setting called FLAG_SECURE that is sometimes added to Android apps. This prevents videos or screenshots from being taken of the app.
Under the right conditions, when a user enables Bypass Screenshot Restriction, this allows Sauce Labs to work around the FLAG_SECURE setting so that the app can be tested. However, your ability to work around this setting is limited as described in Workarounds for FLAG_SECURE Apps.
Legacy app storage in Sauce Labs does not support this setting.
The results of this setting vary based on the type of testing you’re doing:
- Live - If you attempt to run a live test on a real device, you will not be able to interact with any screens that have this setting.
- Automated - You can run automated tests on real devices, but you will not be able to see video for the screens that have this setting (the test itself is not affected by this).
About FLAG_SECURE
The FLAG_SECURE flag is intended to let app developers designate sensitive screens in applications as secure. This means the designated windows can’t appear in screenshots, streaming video, or other displays deemed insecure.
For more information, see FLAG_SECURE.
Workarounds for FLAG_SECURE Apps
Your ability to work around this setting to test will depend on a few factors:
- Who owns the app:
- If your developers have created this app, they should be able to provide you with a version that does not have the FLAG_SECURE flag enabled.
- If your company has built this app on top of another company’s technology, your ability to request a version of the app without this flag is limited.
- Whether Bypass Screenshot Restriction is an option:
- If your developers have created this app and they can’t provide you with an app that doesn’t use FLAG_SECURE, the Bypass Screenshot Restriction is an option.
- If you’re testing a scenario that includes interacting with an app owned by another company, Bypass Screenshot Restriction won’t work. For example, if you need to use Google Pay to purchase something on your app, you won’t see the video for that part of the purchase process.
- If your app is built on another company’s technology, Bypass Screenshot Restriction won’t work.
In cases where you’re using a third party app, you might be able to test your data directly on that app using live testing on a web browser.
Enable Bypass Screenshot Restriction
If you are testing your company’s proprietary app on a real device, you might be able to work around the FLAG_SECURE setting by enabling Bypass Screenshot Restriction on that app under certain circumstances (see Workarounds for FLAG_SECURE Apps).
Live Testing
To bypass screenshot restriction in Live Tests, you'll need to have:
- An app added to Sauce Labs app storage (see Mobile App Storage for more information)
- An understanding of the limitations of this option (see Workarounds for FLAG_SECURE Apps)
Editing the App
- Go to App Management.
- Hover over the app you want to test.
- Click Settings and App Versions.
- Under Settings > App Settings > Instrumentation on the right, find Bypass Screenshot Restriction.
- Click the slider to Enabled.
- Click App Management at the top to test your app.
Appium Test
See the Appium Test Configuration Documentation