If somebody asks you:
“What is the most crucial step in developing a successful mobile application?”
What will be your answer?
The Design?
The Framework?
Or will it be Testing?
According to a study by Blancco Technology Group (BTG), fifty-eight percent of iOS apps fail in the app stores due to poor performance resulting from improper testing.
The case is not different for Android apps. Continuous surveys have shown that users have no patience for apps that get stuck or crash continuously. Hence they are unwilling to give such apps even a second chance. Imagine your inner face when your PUBG crashes before the “chicken dinner” (if you are not into gaming., it is the victory stage in PUBG game).
With any other stage in the mobile app development cycle, one can come again. But with a testing error, your app is nearly dead in the market.
Imagine the mounting number of negative reviews and the poor feedbacks. It will be enough to sink your app, even if you plug the holes later.
So there is no other exercise which is as significant as app testing.
They say “Acceptance comes with understanding…”
So, let’s start with a real understanding of mobile testing…
Only then will you be able to accept why app testing is an inevitable process in mobile app development.
Then what is mobile app testing?
Defining it technically, mobile app testing techniques involve all those processes of testing an application to check for its quality, functionality, compatibility, usability, performance, etc.
Don’t be bogged down by the complicated words above; it’s not as difficult as it seems.
Simply stated mobile application testing is the testing of apps on your mobile devices. So, it is not about how your new iPhone is working, whether it is shutting down correctly or it is charging correctly.
Here, we are talking about the apps that you have downloaded from the App Store or the Google play store. These may be called native apps because they are platform specific for example Android apps or iOS apps.
The apps could also be web-based applications like Evernote, Netflix, etc. The platforms do not restrict these apps and hence have a universal characteristic.
At this point it is handy to know the three major types of mobile apps and their differences:
The nature of your app will determine the type of tool that you will need to choose for testing your app. The coding difference in the native, web-based and hybrid apps creates the need for different testing tools.
Table of Contents
When we consider the types of mobile testing devices, there are three primary strategies to carry out mobile testing, and they are :
“ But remember that you cannot ignore the testing on Real devices.”
Mobile applications are flooding the app stores in the market. But it is seen that most of them go the same way they come. Only a few apps survive the app storm, most of them make their way out the first day itself.
What makes some apps survive, and some other perish?
The answer is quite simple.
It is their mobile app development plan.
In the plan the role of the testing strategy is paramount.
Now the question arises naturally, what is the best testing strategy for a mobile app?
As such, there is no “one-size-fits-all” strategy, but the flow of the process as described below can be used as a general framework.
Depending on the intricacies and specialties of your app you may add, modify or change the methodologies to your sense.
⇒ Using Hybrid devices – you have to use a range of devices. First, check with the emulator or simulator to check for the essentials in an app. Then you may procure a real gadget to check for the experience.
⇒ Have a Real Plan – Create a priority list and requirements according to your idea. If you do not have test scenarios, data and criteria it will become utterly chaotic. You may have the whole process in a mix-up. So plan first.
⇒Create a Checklist – this checklist is to be kept for a variety of tasks to be tested especially those who are repetitive. For example, suppose you are testing the app at various levels of the battery. Then you may make a checklist of how it behaves at 25, 50, 75.
You may add to the list another task, like what happens when I minimize the Angry Birds app when taking a call at battery level 25,50,75, etc.
⇒Field Testing – it involves on the field testing like using the app in an atmosphere of too much traffic; in areas of less network coverage; out of coverage areas; while on the drive, etc.
⇒ Test in Different Settings – Test your app in various environments like, with the level of brightness dim to high; with Wi-Fi turned on and off; in airplane mode or silent mode; while using a keyboard, etc.
⇒ Automation Plan – It is essential in those testing aspects which are repetitive. It is also handy while developing or updating applications. You won’t have to go through the whole cycle of app creation which is one of the advantages of automation testing.
Also Read
Top 10 mobile app development frameworks for 2019
Now that you are in a position to churn out a framework it is time to understand the various testings in detail.
Some of the frequent interruptions which are tested are :
⇒ Incoming phone call
⇒ Incoming SMS
⇒ Plugged in for charging
⇒ Plugged out from charging
⇒ Device shut off
⇒ Application Update reminders
⇒ Alarm
⇒ Network connection loss
⇒ Network connection restoration
⇒ Low Battery
⇒ Full Battery notice
alsoRead
The Evolution of Android Over Years
In UI testing the key elements which will be tested are :
⇒ Buttons
⇒ Headings
⇒ Icons
⇒ Images
⇒ Selection fields
⇒ Text fields
⇒ Checkboxes
⇒ Colors and themes of the device
⇒ Nature of touch (multi or single)
⇒ Long press or short press
Some of the challenges of security testing are :
⇒ Threat analysis – conduct a study to cover the various interactions like security during third-party communications, when an app is downloaded, installed, etc.
⇒ Vulnerability analysis – check the app for countermeasures, for loopholes, the effectiveness of measures, etc.
⇒App permissions – often need a location, and confidential data, hence data and privacy need to be fortified safely.
⇒ Platform-based approach – iOS apps are more secure than Android just because Apple is a closed system.
It is an open source framework that allows you to write test cases for Android. It is particularly useful in UI testing.
The merits of Robotium are :
However, it doesn’t facilitate Flash components and can handle only one app at a time.
It is used for Android app testing. It is primarily designed to test mobile applications at the functional level. It provides API for controlling an Android mobile device or emulator outside the Android code.
The drawback of this tool is that one has to write scripts for each device. Further, each time you change the UI during test some adjustments will have to be made.
It is an automation tool developed by Apple. It helps to device a GUI – a graphic user interface- that allows you to group repetitive actions while testing iOS apps.
Key features :
It appears very basic compared to other tools for iOS.
Also Read,
iOS app architecture best practises
One of the most powerful tools available to control a Mac. Its design allows it to automate repetitive tasks between various applications and also by facilitating passage of data and documents.
Key Features :
The major shortcoming is the difficulty in learning it. Unless you are a programmer, it could be a daunting task to master it.
It is one of those tools that can aid you in developing Android and iOS apps. It is an open source acceptance testing framework. It enables you to write tests and execute them for both Android apps as well as iOS.
Key features :
The significant shortcomings are debugging, needs proficiency in writing. Scripts and maintenance of test data files.
It is a cloud platform that provides both manual and automated testing toolsacross native, hybrid and web apps.
Both Android and iOS apps can be tested in a real device environment.
Key features :
From the overall discussion, you might have grasped a rough idea about the testing process, its complexity and how vast the whole process is in reality.
A Smartphone is not just a talking or chatting device anymore. A Smartphone is the most potent power in the hands of a man. Earlier the man had to go to the world, with the smartphone, in his hand the world comes to the man.
Thus mobile testing is inevitable for developers in the coming days.
Mindster is a reputed Mobile app Development Company prioritizing on developing intuitive mobile apps. Some of our prestigious products are taxi dispatch software, grocery delivery app, classifieds solutions etc… Connect with our representatives to know more about our services. We have a well-organized team of qualified developers, who work around our customer’s necessities and offer them the best solutions by testing applications on real devices emulators, and simulators.
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