Hi there everyone,
I think this has been asked in some posts, but all of the ones that I’ve found have a couple years now, so I’d like to check with the community.
Swollen batteries seem to be commonplace among people using appium in a device 24/7. I’m trying to find a way to automate battery charging cycles, while keeping connectivity so that I can always be running tests. My tests often involve restarting the phone or turning airplane mode on/off.
I’m struggling to find a way that works for all devices. Android and iOS being so different suggests that it has to be an hardware solution. All I’ve found are USB hubs/plugs with an API. This could work by automating the phones wirelessly, but since what I have to do involves restarts and using airplane mode, it doesn’t seem like an option. I think there must be some kind of relay that could be used between a phone and the server machine, but I’m not sure what to look for here or if it even exists. Hacking the USB interface also seems weird to me, besides the fact that I have no idea how to do that.
Another option would be via some software solution. Samsung devices do have a feature that would allow me, it seems, to turn in or off charging, while having the cable plugged and server connectivity. But this doesn’t seem available to other androids. Supposedly, it is possible if the android device is rooted, but I don’t really understand the implications in the phones behavior and if it can really be done. I haven’t found anything promising so far regarding iPhones.
Any ideas?