Adding an Apple TV device to Suitest

Suitest supports Apple TV devices running tvOS version 11.2 or later. After setting up an Apple TV device you will be able to run automated end-to-end tests on Apple TV apps.

Apple TV devices are operated by SuitestDrive. Before adding Apple TV device to your Suitest account, you need to pair your SuitestDrive with your Suitest organization.

To successfully add your Apple TV device you will need to have administration rights for the Mac host (the one running SuitestDrive and Xcode). If you do not have these rights you will have to contact your friendly system administrator to obtain them.

Preparing Apple TV

To add the device to Suitest a couple of settings in the devices system will have to be changed.

Enable UI Automation

Navigate to Settings > Developer then switch on Enable UI Automation.

Sleep settings

Navigate to Settings > General > Sleep After in the pop-up change the option from 10 hours to never.

Installing Xcode

SuitestDrive relies on Xcode CLI tools to communicate with the Apple TV.

Issues when building with Xcode 12 or higher

Xcode versions higher than 11.7 have issues (e.g. [1], [2], [3]) related to official Apple libraries that are used by Suitest. This prevents Suitest from working properly. Please use an older Xcode version instead. You can download older versions from Apple developer website.

Installing Apple Configurator 2

Install Apple Configurator 2 from the Mac App Store. Once the Apple Configurator 2 is installed, choose Install Automation Tools from the app's menu in order to install the command line tool. Please see Apple Configurator 2 User Guide if necessary.

Apple Configurator 2 - Install Automation Tools
Apple Configurator 2 - Install Automation Tools

Pairing Xcode and Apple TV

Once you have Xcode and SuitestDrive set up on your Mac, you can proceed with pairing your Xcode with the Apple TV. Suitest supports 4th generation Apple TV's and newer, if you are unsure about the generation of your Apple TV refer to Identify your Apple TV model.

The 4th gen Apple TV can connect to your Mac via USB-C while the Apple TV 4K has to pair via network (WiFi or Ethernet). The Xcode Mac host and the Apple TV need to be located on the same network to allow pairing.

If you are pairing via network then open Settings > Remotes and Devices > Remote App and Devices on the Apple TV and leave it at this page. Ignore this step if you are connected via USB.

Next, on your Xcode host, open Xcode > Window > Devices and Simulators or press [SHIFT] + [CMD] + 2. Your Apple TV should be displayed in the discovered section, select it and press Pair.

Devices and simulators - discovered section
Devices and simulators - discovered section

For verification purposes the Apple TV will display a 6 digit code.

6 digit code displayed
6 digit code displayed

Enter the code into Xcode and wait for the connection to be established. Please be patient, this process can take a few minutes.

Enter 6 digit verification code into Xcode
Enter 6 digit verification code into Xcode

To be sure that the device is connected correctly, open your Terminal and type instruments -s. If you see the Apple TV in the output list the pairing has been successful.

Login into Xcode

Please make sure that your account is assigned to Standard Apple Developer Team. Assignment to Enterprise Apple Developer Team prevents Suitest from being able to generate a provisioning profile for your application.

Login into Xcode, to avoid a code signing issue later on. In Xcode navigate to Settings > Account then login with your developer account.

Add new account - by pressing "+"
Add new account - by pressing "+"

Add the Apple TV device to Suitest

Please make sure that the device UDID of your Apple TV is registered to your Apple Developer account.

Open the Device wizard, select Add physical device, choose Apple TV from the platform list and then press Next.

Apple TV device details
Apple TV device details

  • UDID - The unique identifier of this Apple TV device. If you don't know the UDID then open Xcode and navigate to Window > Devices and Simulators. From the connected section choose the device you are adding. The UDID is listed as Identifier.

    Apple TV device UDID
    Apple TV device UDID

  • Team Id - The Apple membership Team Id. Can be found in your Apple Developer account under Membership.

  • IP Address - Navigate to Settings > Network then under Status find IP Address.

    Apple TV Device IP Address
    Apple TV Device IP Address

Fill in all the fields and press Next. SuitestDrive will now install all the dependencies, please be patient. Suitest will then verify that it can connect to your device. After verification, the Apple TV device will become available in your Suitest account.

Now that you have your Apple TV device configured, it's time to instrument your app and start testing.

Something went wrong?

Please check the Apple TV troubleshooting section for guidance.