Master Mobile Automation with Airtest: From App Launch to Endless Swipes

Introduction

In the previous article we covered the basics of Airtest. This guide demonstrates practical operations such as launching apps, performing likes and comments, taking screenshots, enabling real‑time coordinate display, and automating continuous swipe actions.

Basic Operations

Use Airtest's cross‑platform API to interact with an APK. First, click Touch and select the app area; Airtest generates the corresponding script automatically.

After selecting the area, the script editor shows the generated code.

1. Open Target App and Wait for Loading

Because app launch times vary, you must wait until the app is fully loaded before proceeding. The example uses the short‑video app Weishi.

1) Open via Image Recognition

This method works only when the app icon is visible on the current screen.

2) Open via Package Name

First retrieve all package names, then launch the desired one.

dev = device()  # Get the current Android device object
print(dev.list_app())  # List installed apps
start_app('com.tencent.weishi')  # Launch Weishi by package name

2. Like, Comment, and Close

Using the Douyin short‑video app, capture the app’s image, wait for it to appear, then perform like and comment actions before exiting.

After entering a comment, close the comment panel and return to the home screen. Remember to add a short wait() before clicking an image to avoid errors.

3. Capture Screenshots and Swipe

Use snapshot() to take a screenshot (specify an absolute path).

snapshot(filename=r'C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\test.jpg', msg='截图成功')

Enable real‑time coordinate display to obtain exact positions for swipe actions.

After enabling coordinates, use swipe() to perform screen swipes.

4. Continuous Swiping Loop

Implement an infinite loop with random delays to keep swiping short videos.

import random

wait(Template(r"tpl1594203055954.png", record_pos=(0.356, 0.562), resolution=(1080, 2340)))
sleep(1)

touch(Template(r"tpl1594203066034.png", record_pos=(0.354, 0.564), resolution=(1080, 2340)))
sleep(2)

exists(Template(r"tpl1594203382253.png", record_pos=(0.415, 0.139), resolution=(1080, 2340)))
sleep(2)

snapshot(filename=r'C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\test.jpg', msg='截图成功')
sleep(2)

assert_exists(Template(r"tpl1594203920118.png", record_pos=(0.411, 0.33), resolution=(1080, 2340)), "请填写测试点")

while True:  # endless swipe loop
    aa = random.randint(1, 5)
    swipe((700, 1950), (700, 300))
    sleep(aa)

You can also embed additional actions such as likes or comments inside the loop.

Conclusion

By mastering Airtest, you can effortlessly automate short‑video app interactions—liking, commenting, swiping, and more—providing a powerful tool for mobile testing and growth hacking.