ExpectedConditions on Angular 2+ apps: Is Protractor’s sync reliable?

Goal

Developers want to use Protractor’s ExpectedConditions to wait for elements in an Angular 2+ application. The assumption is that the condition will only resolve when the Angular framework has finished rendering the target element.

Constraints & Uncertainty

• Protractor’s automatic synchronization via $browser.waitForAngular() relies on AngularJS digest hooks that are absent in Angular 2+ (Ivy).
• When browser.waitForAngularEnabled(true) is used, tests often hang or fail to locate elements on Angular 2+ pages.
• Disabling sync with browser.waitForAngularEnabled(false) allows ExpectedConditions to work, but requires manual management and can introduce flakiness if the flag is not toggled correctly between tests.

Unresolved Decision

Should Protractor maintain a separate synchronization path for Angular 2+ applications, or should it continue to rely on the developer to manually disable sync and manage waits?

Specific Questions

1. When using ExpectedConditions on an Angular 2+ page, does the condition guarantee that the page has finished rendering the target element, or does it only check the element’s current state?
2. Would a dedicated Angular 2+ synchronization mechanism in Protractor improve test stability, or is manual wait management sufficient?
3. What is the best practice for toggling waitForAngularEnabled across a test suite that includes both AngularJS and Angular 2+ pages to avoid cross‑test flakiness?