Android Marshmallow: Test permissions with Espresso?

Question

The new permissions scheme introduced by Android Marshmallow requires checking for specific permissions at runtime, which implies the need to provide different flows depending on whether the user denies or allows access.

As we use Espresso to run automated UI tests on our app, how can we mock or update the state of the permissions in order to test different scenarios?

Answer 1

With the new release of the Android Testing Support Library 1.0, there's a GrantPermissionRule that you can use in your tests to grant a permission before starting any tests.

@Rule public GrantPermissionRule permissionRule = GrantPermissionRule.grant(android.Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION);

Kotlin solution

@get:Rule var permissionRule = GrantPermissionRule.grant(android.Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION)

@get:Rule must be used in order to avoid java.lang.Exception: The @Rule 'permissionRule' must be public. More info here.