Samsung device preparation

This section details the preparation steps required for Samsung Android devices before automated testing.

Checklist

Before Prepare, by hand:

1. Enable Developer Options and turn on USB debugging.
2. Turn on Stay awake and Disable adb authorization timeout.
3. Turn off Auto update system.
4. If the phone has a PIN, pattern or password, remove it (Unlock Screen): Prepare cannot remove it.

Connect the phone to the Test Node, accept Allow USB debugging, and complete its Mobile ID on the Mobile ID's page: a descriptive name and the real MSISDN, National Format, IMSI and IMEI (Phone Preparation).

Run Prepare from the Mobile ID's page (Phone Preparation). It applies the steps marked Done by Prepare below and emails you the result of each step.

After Prepare, by hand:

1. Erase the remaining call forwarding with ##002# (Disable Call Forwarding Settings).
2. Do any step that the Prepare email lists as failed: each step marked Done by Prepare has a Set it by hand section for this.

Printable checklists for all brands (PDF)

1. Unlock Screen

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

The screen lock must be set to None. The menu depends on the One UI version (Settings > About phone > Software information):

• One UI 8.5: Settings > Security and privacy > Screen lock and biometrics, then select None.
• One UI 6.1 to 8.0: Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Screen lock type > None.
• One UI 6.0 and older: Settings > Lock screen > Screen lock type > None.

2. Enable Developer Options

Manual step

Prepare does not change this setting. Set it by hand before you run Prepare.

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to About phone.
3. Tap Software information.
4. Tap Build number 7 times.
5. Enter the device PIN, pattern, or password if prompted.
6. Return to Settings.
7. Confirm that Developer options is now visible at the bottom of the Settings menu.

After Developer Options is visible, continue with Check if Developer Options is Enabled to enable USB debugging and the required automation settings.

3. Check if Developer Options is Enabled

Manual step

Prepare does not change this setting. Set it by hand before you run Prepare.

Enable Developer Options – Samsung

If Developer options is not visible yet, complete Enable Developer Options first.

Go to Settings → Developer options and make sure the following options are set:

• Developer options – ON (the switch at the top)
• Stay awake – ON
• USB debugging – ON
• Disable adb authorization timeout – ON (spelled "authorisation" when the phone is set to UK English)

With Android 11+, the system disables ADB authorization after 7 days if the device isn’t reconnected. Enabling this option prevents that timeout.

Note: You will see the following dialog when you connect your device to a PC for the first time:

Click "Always allow from this computer" and press OK to allow USB debugging.
If you accidentally click Cancel, unplug and replug the device to trigger the dialog again.

TIP: TEO's Automatic Device Discovery requires the phone to be authorized the first time it's connected. If the device isn't shown in the UI, reconnect it.

4. Enable Stay Awake

Manual step

Prepare does not change this setting. Set it by hand before you run Prepare.

The Stay Awake feature keeps the screen on while the device is charging, which is essential for automated testing to prevent the screen from locking during test execution.

Steps

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap on Developer options.
3. Find the Stay awake option.
4. Toggle it to the ON position.

When enabled, this setting prevents the device screen from turning off while connected to a charger. This is particularly important during automated testing as it ensures continuous interaction with the device without interruptions from screen timeouts.

5. Disable Adb Authorization Timeout

Manual step

Prepare does not change this setting. Set it by hand before you run Prepare.

Disabling the ADB authorization timeout prevents the device from automatically revoking ADB authorization, which is essential for maintaining a continuous debugging or automation session.

Steps

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap on Developer options.
3. Find Disable adb authorization timeout ("authorisation" on UK English phones).
4. Turn it on.

With this option on, the phone keeps the USB debugging authorization of the Test Node even when it has not been connected for 7 days, so the Test Node does not need to be authorized again.

6. Turn Off Connections

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on Connections.
3. Tap on Wi-Fi.
4. Turn Wi-Fi off.

Prepare turns Wi-Fi off and airplane mode off on every Android phone. Test steps that need Wi-Fi (for example WIFI or ADD_TEMP_ESIM) switch it on themselves.

7. Airplane Mode

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

Airplane mode must be off.

1. Swipe down to open the Quick panel.
2. Make sure Airplane mode is off.

8. Disable Screen Rotation

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

Automatic screen rotation must be switched off.

1. Swipe down to open the Quick panel.
2. Tap Auto rotate so that the tile shows Portrait.

Prepare also turns off landscape mode for the Home screen (Settings > Home screen > Rotate to landscape mode).

9. Disable Accidental Touch Protection

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

Accidental Touch protection must be turned Off as default. In order to do this, go to Settings ➔ Display ➔ Accidental touch protection (Off).

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on Display.
3. Tap on Accidental touch protection to toggle it off.

10. Mute Device

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

Set the sound mode to Mute: open Settings > Sounds and vibration and select Mute, or use the Quick panel:

Steps

1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open the full Quick panel.
2. Tap the sound mode button until it shows Mute (a crossed-out speaker). The mode changes between:
   • 🔊 Sound = All sounds on
   • 🔈 Vibrate = Ringtone muted, vibration active
   • 🔇 Mute = All sounds off

On One UI 8.5 the sound mode button is next to the volume slider; on older versions it is one of the quick settings buttons.

11. Set Time Format to 24 Hours

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on General management.
3. Tap Date and time.
4. Turn on Use 24-hour format.

Prepare also turns on Automatic date and time and Automatic time zone on this page (see Set Timezone).

12. Set Timezone

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

To ensure consistent time representation across different test runs, it's important to set the device to use automatic date & time and timezone settings.

Steps

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to General management.
3. Tap on Date and time.
4. Turn on Automatic date and time and Automatic time zone.

This ensures that the device's time settings are synchronized with network time, providing consistent timestamps for testing and logs.

13. Disable Software Updates

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

Disabling automatic software updates is important during testing to prevent unexpected system changes that could interfere with test execution.

Steps

On Samsung devices, the automation system disables the update service via command line. This is handled programmatically and doesn't require manual intervention.

The automation system will:

1. Use ADB commands to disable the system update service
2. Prevent update notifications from appearing
3. Ensure the device remains on the same software version throughout testing

This helps maintain a consistent testing environment and prevents interruptions from update notifications or automatic downloads.

If Prepare reports this step as failed, turn off automatic downloads by hand: Settings > Software update > Auto download over Wi-Fi off.

14. Disable System Auto Update

Manual step

Prepare does not change this setting. Set it by hand before you run Prepare.

Disabling system auto-update prevents the device from automatically updating system components during testing, which could interrupt test execution or change device behavior.

Steps

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap on Developer options.
3. Find Auto update system ("Apply updates when the phone restarts").
4. Turn it off.

Disabling this feature ensures that the device's system components remain consistent throughout the testing process, preventing unexpected changes in behavior that could affect test results.

15. Set SMS App

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

Android 14 and later

The Samsung Messages settings below apply to Samsung phones on Android 13. On Android 14 and later, Samsung phones use Google Messages, and Prepare sets it up the same way as on Xiaomi and Pixel phones (see Pixel: Set SMS App).

Samsung Messages App – Required Configuration for Test Validation

To ensure SMS and MMS features function correctly during testing, configure the Samsung Messages app as follows:

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📩 Enable MMS Auto Download (Normal + Roaming)

1. Open the Samsung Messages app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) ➔ Settings ➔ More settings ➔ Multimedia messages.
3. Enable both of the following:
   • Download automatically – ON
   • Download automatically while roaming – ON

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💬 Disable RCS / Chat Features (If Available)

Some Samsung devices support RCS (Rich Communication Services) via the Samsung Messages app. This must be disabled for compatibility with basic SMS/MMS testing.

To disable RCS:

1. Open the Samsung Messages app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) ➔ Settings ➔ Chat settings.
3. If Chat features is visible:
   • Toggle Chat features → OFF.
   • Set Default message type to Text or multimedia (not Chat).

🔍 If the Chat settings menu does not exist, RCS is not active on the device—no further action is needed.

16. Set SMS Input Mode

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

This step applies to Samsung phones on Android 13 (Samsung Messages). Setting the SMS input mode to Automatic ensures proper handling of special characters and message encoding during SMS testing.

Steps

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
3. Go to Settings.
4. Navigate to More settings → Text messages → Input mode.
5. Select Automatic.

Setting the input mode to Automatic helps prevent issues with: - Special characters in SMS messages - Message encoding problems - Message splitting - Character count limitations

This ensures consistent behavior during SMS-based test automation.

17. Prepare Chrome for Development

Done by Prepare

Prepare applies this setting automatically.

Set it by hand (only if Prepare reports this step as failed)

Before running the first automated test, Chrome must be manually opened and prepared on the device to avoid pop-up interruptions and permission blocks.

Manual Preparation Steps

1. Open the Chrome browser on the target device.

2. If prompted, accept or decline the following:

   • Welcome screen or initial setup wizard
   • “Set as default browser” prompt
   • Sync with Google Account prompt (select "No Thanks")
   • Terms and conditions (accept if shown)
   • Location, notifications, or other permissions (select "Deny" or "Allow" as needed)

3. Close any tutorials, tips, or popup cards that may appear.

4. Once the browser is fully ready and no prompts remain, exit Chrome.

✅ This ensures that the first automated test will execute smoothly without interruptions from UI dialogs or system pop-ups.

18. Disable Call Forwarding Settings

Partly done by Prepare

Prepare erases unconditional call forwarding. Forwarding when busy, unanswered or unreachable is not changed: erase it with Option 1 below.

To reset all Call Forwarding (CF) settings on a device:

Option 1: Using USSD Code

Run the following code from the Phone app:

##002#

This code erases all types of call forwarding (unconditional, busy, unanswered, unreachable). It depends on the network and also removes forwarding to voicemail.

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Option 2: Manual Reset on Samsung Devices

If the USSD code does not work, follow these steps to manually disable all CF settings on Samsung devices:

Steps:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the ⋮ three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
3. Go to Settings.
4. Tap Supplementary services.
5. Select Call forwarding (then Voice calls, if shown).
6. Disable each of the following options manually:
   • Always forward
   • Forward when busy
   • Forward when unanswered
   • Forward when unreachable

⚠️ Make sure to disable all four options to completely remove CF.

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Note

If you are manually controlling the phone for testing purposes, please make sure to revert all CF settings back to default once testing is complete.