Automated Test Environment Requirements
Date: 2026-06-11
Purpose: Define what's needed for a fully automated test system
1. Current Test Infrastructure
What's Automated
| Area |
Status |
| Rust unit/integration tests |
✅ CI on Ubuntu |
| Rust static analysis (clippy) |
✅ Advisory |
| Flutter analyze + test |
✅ CI on Ubuntu |
| Supply-chain checks |
✅ CI |
| License inventories |
✅ CI |
| Audio benchmarks |
⚠️ Advisory only |
| iOS unsigned build |
✅ CI on macOS |
What's Missing
| Gap |
Impact |
| Android CI build or test |
Android verification blocked |
| iOS device/simulator test |
Audio session untested |
| Windows CI |
PTT and audio untested |
| macOS CI |
Native audio untested |
| Linux CI (non-Ubuntu) |
Portal behavior untested |
| Audio quality metrics |
No POLQA/PESQ/ViSQOL |
| Network condition simulation |
No latency/packet loss testing |
| Integration test with real server |
E2E excluded from CI |
| Performance regression gates |
Benchmarks advisory only |
2. Platform Requirements
iOS / iPadOS
| Requirement |
Details |
| Minimum OS |
iOS 16+ (CoreML Silero VAD) |
| Hardware |
Physical iPhone (A12+), physical iPad |
| Simulator |
UI/audio session mock testing |
| Platform features |
AVAudioSession, CoreML VAD, haptics, push-to-talk |
Android
| Requirement |
Details |
| Minimum SDK |
API 28 (Android 9) |
| Hardware |
Physical device (arm64), emulator for CI |
| Platform features |
Oboe audio, AudioManager, permissions, foreground service |
macOS
| Requirement |
Details |
| Minimum OS |
macOS 13+ (CoreML Silero VAD) |
| Hardware |
Apple Silicon Mac (primary), Intel Mac (compatibility) |
| Platform features |
CoreAudio VoiceProcessingIO, Event Tap PTT, permissions |
Windows
| Requirement |
Details |
| Minimum OS |
Windows 10+ |
| Hardware |
Windows PC with audio hardware |
| Platform features |
cpal audio, Raw Input PTT, Credential Manager |
Linux
| Requirement |
Details |
| Environment |
GNOME on Wayland |
| Hardware |
Linux PC with audio hardware |
| Platform features |
cpal capture, SDL2 playback, D-Bus GlobalShortcuts |
3. Physical Devices Needed
| Device |
Purpose |
Est. Cost |
| iPhone 14+ (A15+) |
iOS audio, CoreML VAD, PTT |
$600-800 |
| iPad (A12+) |
iPadOS layout, audio session |
$350-500 |
| Android phone (arm64) |
Android audio, Oboe |
$200-400 |
| Android tablet |
Layout testing |
$200-300 |
| Apple Silicon Mac |
macOS build/test, iOS Simulator |
(dev machine) |
| Intel Mac |
macOS x86_64 compatibility |
$500-800 (used) |
| Windows PC |
Windows PTT, audio |
$500-800 |
| Linux PC |
GNOME/Wayland, PipeWire |
$500-800 |
| USB headset |
Audio device switching |
$30-60 |
| Bluetooth earbuds |
Bluetooth audio route |
$50-150 |
| Total |
|
$2,400-4,200 |
4. Audio Testing Tools
| Tool |
Purpose |
Cost |
| ViSQOL (Google, open-source) |
Speech quality metric |
Free |
| PESQ / POLQA |
ITU-T speech quality |
$500-2000 (license) |
| Virtual audio devices |
Software loopback for CI |
Free (BlackHole, VB-Audio, snd-aloop) |
| Opus test vectors |
Codec conformance |
Free (IETF) |
| Custom DSP analysis |
THD, SNR, frequency response |
Build in-house |
5. Network Simulation Tools
| Tool |
Purpose |
Cost |
| tc (traffic control) |
Linux latency/jitter/packet loss |
Free |
| Network Link Conditioner |
Apple's built-in network impairment |
Free |
| clumsy / NetLimiter |
Windows network impairment |
Free / $30 |
| comcast |
Cross-platform network impairment |
Free |
| Toxiproxy |
TCP proxy with configurable latency |
Free |
6. Test Automation Architecture
Test Layers
Recommended Test Matrix
| Test Type |
Runner |
Frequency |
Blocking? |
Rust cargo test |
Ubuntu CI |
Every PR |
Yes |
Rust cargo clippy |
Ubuntu CI |
Every PR |
Advisory |
Flutter analyze + test |
Ubuntu CI |
Every PR |
Yes |
| Supply-chain |
Ubuntu CI |
Every PR |
Yes |
| iOS unsigned build |
macOS CI |
Every PR |
Yes |
| Android build (multi-ABI) |
Ubuntu CI + NDK |
Every PR |
Yes |
| Windows build + smoke |
Windows runner |
Every PR |
Yes |
| macOS build + smoke |
macOS runner |
Every PR |
Yes |
| Audio benchmarks |
Ubuntu CI |
Every PR |
Advisory |
| E2E (live server) |
Dedicated runner |
Nightly |
No |
| Audio quality (loopback) |
Device runners |
Weekly |
Advisory |
| Network condition tests |
Linux + tc |
Weekly |
Advisory |
7. Cloud Testing Services
| Service |
Use Case |
Est. Monthly Cost |
| Firebase Test Lab |
Android device matrix |
$0-150 (free tier) |
| BrowserStack App Live |
Real iOS + Android devices |
$200-400 |
| AWS Device Farm |
Automated device testing |
$0.17/device-minute |
| GitHub Actions |
Current CI baseline |
$0-100 |
| MacStadium |
macOS CI for signed builds |
$80-150 |
8. Cost Estimates
Hardware (One-Time)
| Item |
Cost |
| iPhone 14+ |
$700 |
| iPad |
$400 |
| Android phone |
$300 |
| Windows PC |
$600 |
| Linux PC |
$600 |
| Audio peripherals |
$100 |
| Total hardware |
$2,700 |
Cloud Services (Monthly)
| Service |
Cost |
| GitHub Actions (public) |
$0 |
| GitHub Actions (private) |
$0-40 |
| MacStadium macOS runner |
$80-150 |
| Firebase Test Lab |
$0-150 |
| Total monthly |
$80-740 |
Maintenance Effort
| Area |
Effort |
| CI workflow maintenance |
2-4 hrs/week |
| Test fixture updates |
1-2 hrs/week |
| Device OS updates |
2-4 hrs/month |
| Benchmark reviews |
1-2 hrs/month |
| Total maintenance |
~15-25 hrs/month |
9. Implementation Roadmap
Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)
Phase 2: Device Integration (Weeks 5-8)
Phase 3: Full Automation (Weeks 9-12)
Generated by test environment research agents on 2026-06-11