LocatorLens

Tracking since May 6, 2026.

Changelog

• May 23, 2026
  description

  LocatorLens – Appium Element Inspector & Locator Generator
  
  LocatorLens is a powerful Chrome extension that lets you inspect mobile apps in real time, generate reliable locators instantly, and interact with your app directly from the browser — all without modifying your app or writing code.
  
  Built for Appium users, LocatorLens works with any Android or iOS app on any device, making mobile test automation faster, simpler, and more intuitive.
  
  Why LocatorLens?
  
  If you’ve used the Appium Inspector, you already know it’s powerful for locating elements…
  but also slow, manual, and often frustrating.
  
  You set up capabilities.
  Start a session.
  Take a snapshot.
  Refresh again.
  Try a locator.
  Hope it works.
  
  LocatorLens keeps everything you like about Appium Inspector — and removes everything that slows you down.
  
  💡 What LocatorLens Changes
  
  LocatorLens is built on top of Appium, not instead of it.
  
  You still get the same trusted Appium engine - but with a real-time, browser-based experience that makes inspection fast and intuitive.
  
  ⚡ What It Feels Like to Use
  
  Open your app in simulator(Android and iOS) → click the extension → start inspecting.
  
  See your app screen live in your browser
  Click any element to instantly inspect it
  Get all locator strategies at once, ranked by reliability
  Know immediately if a locator is unique
  Copy and use it instantly in your tests
  
  No repeated setup for different apps. No stale screenshots and NO more going back and forth when screen changes!!

  LocatorLens – Appium Element Inspector & Locator Generator
  
  LocatorLens is a Chrome extension for mobile test automation engineers who use Appium. It lets you inspect Android apps and iOS simulators from your browser, view the live app screen, select elements visually, and copy reliable locator strategies faster.
  
  LocatorLens runs on top of your local Appium setup. It does not replace Appium. It gives you a faster, more visual workflow for inspecting elements and building stable automated tests.
  
  Why LocatorLens?
  
  Traditional Appium inspection can be slow:
  - Configure capabilities
  - Start a session
  - Capture a snapshot
  - Refresh manually
  - Try one locator at a time
  - Check uniqueness yourself
  
  LocatorLens makes that workflow faster.
  
  What You Can Do
  
  - Start local backend and Appium servers from the extension
  - Connect to Android devices/emulators and iOS simulators
  - View a live screen mirror in Chrome
  - Click any visible element to inspect it
  - Browse the XML/source tree with screen highlighting
  - Generate multiple locator strategies at once
  - See whether each locator is unique or matches multiple elements
  - Hide zero-match locators automatically
  - Prioritize reliable single-match locators
  - Copy raw locator values such as ID, XPath, Accessibility ID, class name, UiAutomator, iOS predicate, and iOS class chain
  - Highlight all elements that match the same locator
  - Tap and interact with the app from the browser
  - Send feedback directly from the extension
  
  LocatorLens helps reduce stale screenshots, repeated setup, and back-and-forth between tools when app screens change.
  
  Requirements
  
  LocatorLens uses a local companion and your local Appium installation.
  
  You need:
  - Node.js 18+
  - Appium 2.x
  - Android SDK / ADB for Android inspection
  - Xcode tools for iOS simulator inspection
  - LocatorLens local companion setup from the extension Settings page
  
  Privacy
  
  LocatorLens inspection data stays local. Mobile app screenshots, page source XML, locator selector values, app package names, and device names are not sent to external servers.
  
  Anonymous usage events may be sent to help improve the product. Optional feedback submissions are sent only when you choose to submit feedback.

• May 23, 2026
  host_permissions

  http://localhost/*

  http://localhost/*, https://locatorlens.com/*

Permissions & access

Permissions

storagenativeMessaging

Host access

http://localhost/*, https://locatorlens.com/*

Screenshots