fake_image_picker

A ready-to-use fake for the Flutter image_picker plugin. Add it to your dev_dependencies, call one line of setup, and control exactly what your unit tests receive from the image picker — no manual mocks, no platform channels, no filesystem side effects.

Target image_picker version: 1.2.2
Supported platforms in tests: Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, Web.

Why?

Testing code that uses image_picker normally requires mocking ImagePickerPlatform, dealing with method channels, or creating temporary files. fake_image_picker gives you:

Zero-config registration — FakeImagePicker.register() replaces the platform instance globally.
Dependency-injection friendly — construct FakeImagePickerPlatform and inject it directly.
Custom, random, or deterministic data — choose the data source that fits your test.
Platform simulation — test Android lost-data flows, desktop camera delegation, web limits, and more.
Behavior injection — simulate delays, cancellations, permission errors, and "plugin already in use".

Copy-paste test snippet

import 'package:fake_image_picker/fake_image_picker.dart';
import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
import 'package:image_picker/image_picker.dart';

void main() {
  setUp(() => FakeImagePicker.register());
  tearDown(() => FakeImagePicker.unregister());

  test('user picks a gallery image', () async {
    final picker = ImagePicker();
    final image = await picker.pickImage(source: ImageSource.gallery);

    expect(image, isNotNull);
    expect(image!.path, startsWith('fake:///image_'));
  });
}

Getting started

Add the package to your pubspec.yaml under dev_dependencies:

dev_dependencies:
  fake_image_picker: ^1.0.0

Then run:

flutter pub get

In your test file, register the fake before tests and unregister after:

setUp(() => FakeImagePicker.register());
tearDown(() => FakeImagePicker.unregister());

You can now use the real ImagePicker API in your tests; it will talk to the fake platform behind the scenes.

Usage

Global registration

FakeImagePicker.register();

final picker = ImagePicker();
final image = await picker.pickImage(source: ImageSource.gallery);

FakeImagePicker.unregister();

Dependency injection

final platform = FakeImagePickerPlatform(
  configuration: FakeImagePickerConfiguration(
    dataSource: CustomFakeDataSource()..queueImage(myXFile),
    platform: FakePlatform.android.constraints,
  ),
);

final repository = MyRepository(imagePickerPlatform: platform);

Custom responses

final myFile = XFile.fromData(
  bytes,
  path: 'fake:///profile.jpg',
  name: 'profile.jpg',
  mimeType: 'image/jpeg',
);

FakeImagePicker.register(
  configuration: FakeImagePickerConfiguration(
    dataSource: CustomFakeDataSource()..queueImage(myFile),
  ),
);

Simulate cancellation

FakeImagePicker.register(
  configuration: FakeImagePickerConfiguration(
    dataSource: EmptyFakeDataSource(),
  ),
);

final image = await ImagePicker().pickImage(source: ImageSource.gallery);
expect(image, isNull);

Simulate errors

FakeImagePicker.register(
  configuration: FakeImagePickerConfiguration(
    behavior: FakeImagePickerBehavior(
      platformException: PlatformException(
        code: 'photo_access_denied',
        message: 'User did not allow photo access.',
      ),
    ),
  ),
);

await expectLater(
  () => ImagePicker().pickImage(source: ImageSource.gallery),
  throwsA(isA<PlatformException>()),
);

Data sources

Data source	Description
`PredefinedFakeDataSource`	Deterministic fake files (`fake:///image_1.jpg`, `fake:///video_1.mp4`). Default.
`RandomFakeDataSource`	Random file names, sizes, and bytes. Optionally seeded for reproducibility.
`CustomFakeDataSource`	Queue exact `XFile?`, `List<XFile>`, `LostDataResponse`, or error responses.
`EmptyFakeDataSource`	Always returns `null` or empty lists to simulate cancellation.

Platform simulation

Use FakePlatform presets to simulate the behavior of different platforms:

Platform	`ImageSource.gallery`	`ImageSource.camera`	Lost data	Notes
`FakePlatform.android`	✅	✅	✅	Full mobile behavior.
`FakePlatform.ios`	✅	✅	❌	Matches iOS limitations.
`FakePlatform.macos`	✅	❌*	❌	Camera requires a `cameraDelegate`.
`FakePlatform.windows`	✅	❌*	❌	Camera requires a `cameraDelegate`.
`FakePlatform.linux`	✅	❌*	❌	Camera requires a `cameraDelegate`.
`FakePlatform.web`	✅	✅	❌	`limit` is ignored, like the web plugin.
`FakePlatform.universal`	✅	✅	✅	Everything enabled; great for quick tests.

* Camera is supported only if a cameraDelegate is supplied, matching the real desktop implementations.

FakeImagePicker.register(
  configuration: FakeImagePickerConfiguration(
    platform: FakePlatform.android.constraints,
  ),
);

final response = await ImagePicker().retrieveLostData();
expect(response.isEmpty, isFalse);

Behavior injection

FakeImagePickerBehavior lets you inject runtime behavior without touching the data source:

FakeImagePicker.register(
  configuration: FakeImagePickerConfiguration(
    behavior: const FakeImagePickerBehavior(
      responseDelay: Duration(seconds: 1),
      autoCancel: true,
      maxSequentialPicks: 2,
    ),
  ),
);

Available options:

responseDelay — delay every response.
autoCancel — always return null or empty lists.
exception / platformException — throw on the next call.
maxSequentialPicks — throw PlatformException(code: 'already_active') after N picks.

API overview