React Native Visual Testing for iPhone

Test React Native apps visually across iPhone 11–17 families.

iPhone Screen Reference

Logical Dimensions (Points) — Use These for Layout Testing

Device Group	Width	Height	Scale	Physical	Diagonal
iPhone 11	414	896	2x	828×1792	6.1"
iPhone 11 Pro	375	812	3x	1125×2436	5.85"
iPhone 11 Pro Max	414	896	3x	1242×2688	6.46"
iPhone 12 mini / 13 mini	375	812	3x	1080×2340	5.42"
iPhone 12/12 Pro / 13/13 Pro	390	844	3x	1170×2532	6.06"
iPhone 12/13 Pro Max	428	926	3x	1284×2778	6.68"
iPhone 14 / 14 Pro / 15 / 15 Pro / 16 / 16e	393	852	3x	1179×2556	6.1"
iPhone 14 Plus / 15 Plus	428	926	3x	1284×2778	6.7"
iPhone 14 Pro Max / 15 Pro Max / 16 Plus	430	932	3x	1290×2796	6.7"
iPhone 16 Pro	402	874	3x	1206×2622	6.3"
iPhone 16 Pro Max / 17 Pro Max	440	956	3x	1320×2868	6.9"
iPhone 17 / 17 Pro	402	874	3x	1206×2622	6.3"
iPhone Air	420	912	3x	1260×2736	6.5"
iPhone SE (3rd gen)	375	667	2x	750×1334	4.7"

Unique Logical Sizes to Test (Minimum Coverage)

For comprehensive testing, cover these 8 unique logical dimensions:

375×667  — iPhone SE (smallest, no notch, home button)
375×812  — iPhone 11 Pro, 12/13 mini (notch)
390×844  — iPhone 12/13/13 Pro (notch)
393×852  — iPhone 14/14 Pro/15/15 Pro/16/16e (Dynamic Island on Pro)
402×874  — iPhone 16 Pro/17/17 Pro (Dynamic Island)
414×896  — iPhone 11/11 Pro Max (notch, largest of this era)
428×926  — iPhone 12/13 Pro Max, 14 Plus (notch/Dynamic Island)
430×932  — iPhone 14 Pro Max/15 Pro Max/16 Plus (Dynamic Island)
440×956  — iPhone 16 Pro Max/17 Pro Max (largest current)
420×912  — iPhone Air (newest form factor)

Testing Workflow

1. Configure Simulators

List available simulators:

xcrun simctl list devices available | grep -i iphone

Create missing simulators if needed:

xcrun simctl create "iPhone 15 Pro" "iPhone 15 Pro"

Boot simulator:

xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 15 Pro"

2. Run App on Simulator

npx react-native run-ios --simulator="iPhone 15 Pro"

Or for specific device:

npx react-native run-ios --device="iPhone 14"

3. Capture Screenshots

Using simctl:

xcrun simctl io booted screenshot ~/screenshots/iphone15pro_home.png

For all booted simulators:

for UDID in $(xcrun simctl list devices booted -j | jq -r '.devices[][] | select(.state=="Booted") | .udid'); do
  NAME=$(xcrun simctl list devices -j | jq -r ".devices[][] | select(.udid==\"$UDID\") | .name" | tr ' ' '_')
  xcrun simctl io $UDID screenshot ~/screenshots/${NAME}_$(date +%s).png
done

4. Set Demo Mode (Consistent Status Bar)

xcrun simctl status_bar booted override \
  --time "9:41" \
  --batteryState charged \
  --batteryLevel 100 \
  --cellularMode active \
  --cellularBars 4 \
  --wifiBars 3

Reset to normal:

xcrun simctl status_bar booted clear

Visual Testing Tools

Detox (Recommended for E2E)

// e2e/visual.test.js
describe('Visual Tests', () => {
  beforeAll(async () => {
    await device.launchApp();
    await device.setStatusBar({
      time: '9:41',
      batteryLevel: 100,
      batteryState: 'full',
    });
  });

  it('should match home screen baseline', async () => {
    await device.takeScreenshot('home_screen');
  });
});

React Native Owl

// owl.config.json
{
  "ios": {
    "workspace": "ios/YourApp.xcworkspace",
    "scheme": "YourApp",
    "device": "iPhone 15 Pro"
  },
  "baseline": ".owl/baseline",
  "screenshots": ".owl/screenshots"
}

// __tests__/Home.owl.js
import { takeScreenshot } from 'react-native-owl';

describe('Home Screen', () => {
  it('matches baseline', async () => {
    const screen = await takeScreenshot('home');
    expect(screen).toMatchBaseline();
  });
});

Critical Checkpoints

Safe Area Validation

Verify content respects safe areas on all devices:

import { useSafeAreaInsets } from 'react-native-safe-area-context';

// Test that insets are applied correctly:
// - iPhone SE: no top inset (home button device)
// - iPhone 11/12/13: ~47pt top (notch)  
// - iPhone 14 Pro+: ~59pt top (Dynamic Island)

Dynamic Island / Notch Compatibility

Device	Top Element
iPhone SE	No notch, 20pt status bar
iPhone 11–13 (non-Pro 14)	Notch, ~47pt safe area
iPhone 14 Pro+ / 15 Pro+ / 16+	Dynamic Island, ~59pt safe area

Orientation Testing

Test both portrait and landscape:

xcrun simctl io booted screenshot --type=png ~/portrait.png
xcrun simctl spawn booted notifyutil -s com.apple.springboard.orientation 1
sleep 1
xcrun simctl io booted screenshot --type=png ~/landscape.png

Automated Multi-Device Script

#!/bin/bash
# test-all-iphones.sh

DEVICES=(
  "iPhone SE (3rd generation)"
  "iPhone 11"
  "iPhone 12 mini"
  "iPhone 13 Pro"
  "iPhone 14"
  "iPhone 14 Pro Max"
  "iPhone 15"
  "iPhone 15 Pro Max"
  "iPhone 16"
  "iPhone 16 Pro Max"
)

SCREENSHOTS_DIR="./visual-tests/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"
mkdir -p "$SCREENSHOTS_DIR"

for DEVICE in "${DEVICES[@]}"; do
  echo "Testing on $DEVICE..."
  
  # Boot and wait
  xcrun simctl boot "$DEVICE" 2>/dev/null || true
  sleep 5
  
  # Set demo mode
  xcrun simctl status_bar "$DEVICE" override --time "9:41" --batteryState charged --batteryLevel 100
  
  # Build and run
  npx react-native run-ios --simulator="$DEVICE" --no-packager &
  sleep 30
  
  # Capture screenshot
  SAFE_NAME=$(echo "$DEVICE" | tr ' ()' '_')
  xcrun simctl io "$DEVICE" screenshot "$SCREENSHOTS_DIR/${SAFE_NAME}.png"
  
  # Shutdown
  xcrun simctl shutdown "$DEVICE"
done

echo "Screenshots saved to $SCREENSHOTS_DIR"

Common Issues

Issue	Solution
Layout clips on iPhone SE	Use flexbox, avoid fixed heights >667pt
Content under Dynamic Island	Use SafeAreaView or useSafeAreaInsets()
Different font rendering	Check allowFontScaling prop
Status bar overlap	Set StatusBar translucent and handle insets
Inconsistent screenshots	Enable demo mode before capture
Bottom home indicator overlap	Check SafeAreaView bottom inset

Pixel-Perfect Checklist

1. ☐ Text readable at all sizes (no truncation)
2. ☐ Touch targets ≥44pt on all devices
3. ☐ Images scale correctly (use resizeMode)
4. ☐ Safe areas respected (top and bottom)
5. ☐ Horizontal scrolling only where intended
6. ☐ No content under notch/Dynamic Island
7. ☐ Home indicator area clear
8. ☐ Landscape mode functional (if supported)
9. ☐ Dark mode appearance correct
10. ☐ Dynamic Type/font scaling handled