To automate email OTP testing, use the FakeSignup Chrome extension to capture verification codes directly in your browser's side panel. This eliminates the need for a physical second device or constantly switching between email clients, streamlining your testing workflow. You can capture 6-digit codes sent to temporary email addresses with minimal friction.
Capture OTP Codes Directly in the Browser
When testing signup flows that require email verification, you often need to retrieve a One-Time Password (OTP) sent to a temporary email address. Manually checking a separate inbox, especially on a different device, adds significant overhead. The FakeSignup extension provides a dedicated inbox within your browser's sidebar. When an email arrives at the temporary address associated with your FakeSignup session, the OTP code is extracted and displayed directly in this inbox. This means you can grab the 6-digit code and paste it into your signup form without ever leaving the current tab.
Installing and Opening the Extension
Getting started is straightforward. Install the FakeSignup extension from the Chrome Web Store.
FakeSignup on the Chrome Web Store
Once installed, you can open the FakeSignup side panel by clicking the extension icon in your browser toolbar. This panel will serve as your temporary inbox. When you initiate a signup process and provide a temporary email address generated by FakeSignup, any verification emails sent to that address will appear here.
Setting Up a Test Scenario
To automate email OTP testing effectively, you need a reproducible setup. This involves generating a temporary email address and triggering the verification email.
- Generate a Temporary Email: Open the FakeSignup side panel. Click the "New Email" button. This will provide you with a unique, disposable email address. Copy this address.
- Initiate Signup: Navigate to the website you are testing. Enter the copied temporary email address into the signup form's email field. Complete any other required fields.
- Submit and Wait: Submit the signup form. The website will send a verification email to your temporary address.
- Retrieve the OTP: Switch back to the FakeSignup side panel. The verification email should appear. Look for the 6-digit OTP code within the email content. The extension automatically parses common OTP formats.
- Enter the OTP: Copy the 6-digit code from the FakeSignup inbox and paste it into the OTP verification field on the signup website.
- Complete Signup: Submit the OTP. If correct, the signup process should complete.
This process allows you to test the entire email verification flow using a single browser window and the integrated FakeSignup inbox.
Handling Different OTP Formats and Failures
While FakeSignup is designed to capture standard 6-digit OTPs, verification emails can vary. Some might embed the code within a sentence, while others use a direct link that also contains the code. The extension parses common patterns. If an OTP isn't automatically detected, you can still manually copy it from the email text displayed in the side panel.
For scenarios where the OTP email doesn't arrive, or the code is invalid, the FakeSignup inbox also logs received emails. This provides a record of what was sent to the temporary address, helping you diagnose delivery issues or confirm that no email was sent at all by the target application. Repeatedly trying the same temporary email address for signups is generally not recommended, as many sites will flag it as a duplicate attempt. Generate a new temporary email for each distinct test case.
Saving and Reusing Test Accounts
For repeated testing of specific user flows, you might want to retain access to a "created" account. FakeSignup allows you to save the temporary email address and its associated inbox data within your browser's local storage. This means you can close and reopen your browser, and the saved temporary email address and its inbox history will still be available. This is useful for testing password resets or other account-specific actions without having to re-register each time. The saved accounts reside locally in Chrome, ensuring they are not shared and only accessible to you within your browser profile. This feature is part of the premium offering, Full Auto.