Resolving "Framework 'Pods_Runner' not found" error in iOS tests

If you're encountering the error "Framework 'Pods_Runner' not found" during iOS test execution on Codemagic, while your iOS build step works fine, this is likely related to architecture compatibility issues with your dependencies.

Root Cause

This error typically occurs when one of your dependencies (such as Google MLKit) does not support arm64 architecture in the iOS simulator. The issue manifests differently between local development and Codemagic:

• Local development: Tests may work because Rosetta is installed, allowing the simulator to run an x86 version of your Flutter app

• Codemagic VMs: Rosetta (or universal Xcode/simulator support) is not available, causing the build to fail

Identifying the Issue

You can identify this issue by the following symptoms:

• iOS build step completes successfully

• iOS test step fails with "Framework 'Pods_Runner' not found" error

• Tests run fine locally on your development machine

• The error occurs specifically with dependencies that lack arm64 simulator support

Solutions

Check Dependency Support

Review your project dependencies to identify any that may not support arm64 in the iOS simulator. Common culprits include:

• Google MLKit packages

• Other native iOS dependencies with limited architecture support

Update Dependencies

Check if newer versions of the problematic dependencies have added arm64 simulator support and update accordingly.

Alternative Testing Approach

If the dependency cannot be updated, consider restructuring your tests to work around the limitation or temporarily exclude tests that depend on the problematic package.

Additional Information

This is a known issue in the Flutter ecosystem, and there are ongoing efforts to improve error messaging to make the root cause clearer. You can track the progress of this improvement in the Flutter GitHub issue.