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Overview

Restart App fully terminates the app and relaunches it for a clean cold start. Unlike Activate App — which only brings an already-running app back to the foreground — Restart App kills the process first, so the app comes up in its initial state. Use it for steps that test cold-start or first-launch behavior, or to recover from a wedged screen.

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How to use

Write a step in plain language:
  • Restart the app
  • Kill and relaunch the app
  • Cold start the app

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Restarting a different app

By default Restart App targets the app under test. To restart (launch) a different app, include its identifier in the step:
  • iOS — the app’s bundle id, e.g. Restart app com.apple.Preferences
  • Android — the app’s package name, e.g. Restart app com.android.settings
This is the supported way to open another app mid-test (for example, the system Settings app to toggle a permission, then returning to your app).
Phrase it as restart or relaunch (not “open” or “activate”) and include the literal bundle id / package name so it is launched as a fresh app rather than the agent trying to tap an icon.
After launching a system app such as Settings, you can drive its UI with normal taps and types. When you’re done, restart your own app (by its bundle id / package name) or use Activate App to return to the app under test.

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Example use cases

  • Cold-start / first-launch testing — verify onboarding or splash behavior
  • Recovering a stuck screen — relaunch to a known state mid-test
  • Opening system Settings — e.g. Restart app com.apple.Preferences (iOS) / Restart app com.android.settings (Android) to change a system setting

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Platform support

Works on both iOS and Android.