diff -r 000000000000 -r 6474c204b198 mobile/android/tests/background/junit3/src/helpers/BackgroundServiceTestCase.java
--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/mobile/android/tests/background/junit3/src/helpers/BackgroundServiceTestCase.java	Wed Dec 31 06:09:35 2014 +0100
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/* Any copyright is dedicated to the Public Domain.
+   http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ */
+
+package org.mozilla.gecko.background.helpers;
+
+import android.app.AlarmManager;
+import android.app.PendingIntent;
+import android.app.Service;
+import android.content.Context;
+import android.content.Intent;
+import android.content.SharedPreferences;
+import android.test.ServiceTestCase;
+import java.util.concurrent.BrokenBarrierException;
+import java.util.concurrent.CyclicBarrier;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import org.mozilla.gecko.background.common.GlobalConstants;
+
+/**
+ * An abstract test class for testing background services. Since we have to wait for background
+ * services to finish before asserting the changed state, this class provides much of the
+ * functionality to do this. Extending classes need still need to implement some of the components -
+ * see {@link TestHealthReportBroadcastService} for an example.
+ */
+public abstract class BackgroundServiceTestCase<T extends Service> extends ServiceTestCase<T> {
+  private static final String SHARED_PREFS_PREFIX = "BackgroundServiceTestCase-";
+  // Ideally, this would not be static so multiple test classes can be run in parallel. However,
+  // mServiceClass can only retrieve this reference statically because mServiceClass cannot get a
+  // reference to the Test* class as ServiceTestCase instantiates it via reflection and we can't
+  // pass it as a constructor arg.
+  protected static String sharedPrefsName;
+
+  private final Class<T> mServiceClass;
+
+  protected static CyclicBarrier barrier;
+  protected Intent intent;
+
+  public BackgroundServiceTestCase(Class<T> serviceClass) {
+    super(serviceClass);
+    mServiceClass = serviceClass;
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void setUp() throws Exception {
+    barrier = new CyclicBarrier(2);
+    intent = new Intent(getContext(), mServiceClass);
+    sharedPrefsName = SHARED_PREFS_PREFIX + mServiceClass.getName() + "-" + UUID.randomUUID();
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public void tearDown() throws Exception {
+    barrier = null;
+    intent = null;
+    clearSharedPrefs(); // Not necessary but reduces file system cruft.
+  }
+
+  protected SharedPreferences getSharedPreferences() {
+    return getContext().getSharedPreferences(sharedPrefsName,
+        GlobalConstants.SHARED_PREFERENCES_MODE);
+  }
+
+  protected void clearSharedPrefs() {
+    getSharedPreferences().edit()
+        .clear()
+        .commit();
+  }
+
+  protected void await() {
+    try {
+      barrier.await();
+    } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+      fail("Test runner thread should not be interrupted.");
+    } catch (BrokenBarrierException e) {
+      fail("Background services should not timeout or be interrupted");
+    }
+  }
+
+  protected void cancelAlarm(Intent intent) {
+    final AlarmManager am = (AlarmManager) getContext().getSystemService(Context.ALARM_SERVICE);
+    final PendingIntent pi = PendingIntent.getService(getContext(), 0, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
+    am.cancel(pi);
+    pi.cancel();
+  }
+
+  protected boolean isServiceAlarmSet(Intent intent) {
+    return PendingIntent.getService(getContext(), 0, intent, PendingIntent.FLAG_NO_CREATE) != null;
+  }
+}