# Cross-Platform Strategy: Android and iOS

When to combine Android and iOS tests in one project vs. separate projects, and how to handle platform-specific locators with SHAFT Engine.

Canonical HTML: https://shafthq.github.io/docs/reference/guides/Cross_Platform_Strategy
Guide index: https://shafthq.github.io/llms.txt

One of the most common questions in mobile test automation is: **should Android and iOS tests live in the same project or in separate projects?** The answer depends on how similar the apps are.

---

## Same Project: When and Why

Combine both platforms in a **single project** when:

- The Android and iOS apps share the **same user flows and screens**.
- The business logic and test scenarios are **identical** across platforms.
- You want to **maximize code reuse** for test logic, utilities, and data.

### How It Works

Keep your test logic in shared classes and isolate platform differences in the **page object locators**:

```java title="LoginPage.java"

public class LoginPage {
 private final SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver driver;

 public LoginPage(SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver driver) {
 this.driver = driver;
 }

 // Platform-specific locators
 private By getUsernameInput() {
 return isAndroid()
 ? By.id("com.example:id/username")
 : By.name("username_field");
 }

 private By getPasswordInput() {
 return isAndroid()
 ? By.id("com.example:id/password")
 : By.name("password_field");
 }

 private By getLoginButton() {
 return isAndroid()
 ? By.id("com.example:id/login_btn")
 : By.xpath("//XCUIElementTypeButton[@name='Login']");
 }

 // Shared test logic
 public void login(String username, String password) {
 driver.element()
 .type(getUsernameInput(), username)
 .and().type(getPasswordInput(), password)
 .and().click(getLoginButton());
 }

 private boolean isAndroid() {
 return SHAFT.Properties.platform.targetPlatform()
 .equals(Platform.ANDROID.name());
 }
}
```

Your test class stays completely platform-agnostic:

```java title="LoginTest.java"
@Test(description = "Verify successful login")
public void testLogin() {
 new LoginPage(driver).login("user@example.com", "password123");
 // Validations work the same way on both platforms
}
```

:::tip
Switch platforms by changing a single property — no code changes needed:
```properties title="src/main/resources/properties/custom.properties"
targetOperatingSystem=ANDROID
```
Or override it from the command line:
```bash
mvn test -DtargetOperatingSystem=IOS
```
:::

---

## Separate Projects: When and Why

Use **separate projects** when:

- The Android and iOS apps have **significantly different UIs, flows, or features**.
- Each platform has **unique screens or interactions** that the other does not have.
- The teams maintaining Android and iOS tests are **different** and work independently.
- You need **different dependency versions** or build configurations for each platform.

### Shared Utilities as a Library

Even with separate projects, you can share common utilities (API clients, data generators, helper methods) by extracting them into a shared Maven/Gradle module:

```
my-company-tests/
├── shared-utils/ ← Common utilities module
│ └── src/main/java/
├── android-tests/ ← Android test project
│ └── pom.xml (depends on shared-utils)
└── ios-tests/ ← iOS test project
 └── pom.xml (depends on shared-utils)
```

---

## Decision Guide

| Factor | Same Project | Separate Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Identical user flows | ✅ Best fit | Overhead |
| Different UIs per platform | Complexity | ✅ Best fit |
| Shared test logic | ✅ Maximum reuse | Partial (via shared library) |
| Independent team ownership | Coordination needed | ✅ Best fit |
| CI/CD simplicity | ✅ One pipeline, parameterized | Two pipelines |

---

## Recommended Approach

For most teams, starting with a **single project** is the best default. You get maximum code reuse and a single source of truth for your test scenarios. If the apps diverge significantly over time, you can always split later.

:::info
SHAFT Engine's property-based platform switching makes it easy to run the same tests against both platforms from a single project. Just parameterize `targetOperatingSystem` in your CI/CD pipeline.
:::

## Related

- [Solution Design](/docs/reference/guides/Solution_Design)
- [Test Structure](/docs/reference/guides/Test_Structure)
- [Ci Cd Integration](/docs/reference/guides/CI_CD_Integration)
- [Quick Start](/docs/start/quick-start)