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Making mobile app testing work for you: Practical tips and techniques
Chief Executive Officer
Mobile apps have become an integral part of our daily lives, with applications ranging from banking and healthcare to food delivery, transportation, gaming, and more. The growing reliance on mobile technology offers numerous advantages for businesses, making mobile app development a crucial investment. Consequently, the need for rigorous testing of these apps has also increased significantly.
Mobile app testing: Overview
Mobile app testing ensures that applications developed for mobile devices deliver the best quality experience to end users. To achieve this, apps are tested from various perspectives, including:
Functionality: Ensuring that the app works as intended.
Usability: Making sure the app is user-friendly and accessible.
Stability: Verifying that the app runs smoothly without crashes or errors.
Some people mistakenly assume that web and mobile automated testing are very similar. While both involve using automation tools to test software quality, there are significant differences in their contexts, environments, and challenges. Let’s explore the key distinctions between web and mobile automated testing.
Key differences between web and mobile automated testing
| Aspect | Web automation | Mobile automation |
|---|---|---|
| Platform diversity | Across various browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and operating systems, which are relatively standardized. | Requires testing on a wide range of devices with different screen sizes, resolutions, and operating system versions (iOS, Android), demanding extensive device coverage. |
| User interaction | Primarily through mouse clicks, form filling, and keyboard actions. | Involves touch gestures (swipes, pinches, taps), hardware buttons, and sensors (GPS, accelerometer). |
| Environment control | Easily managed using virtual machines or cloud services. | Often requires physical devices or emulators. Emulators may not fully replicate real-world conditions, making physical devices necessary for comprehensive testing. |
| Security testing | Focuses on threats like SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF, with specific automated tools to detect these vulnerabilities. | Requires testing for secure data storage, encryption, secure communications, and permission handling, including interactions with other apps and services on the device. |
| Deployment and updates | Updates are frequent and instantly available to users through CI/CD pipelines. | Updates must be submitted to app stores and undergo review, making thorough testing essential to avoid post-deployment issues, as rollbacks are more complex. |
Pro tips for effective mobile app testing
Tip 1: Identify the type of mobile application
Before diving into testing, it's crucial to categorize your mobile app correctly. Each type of app - native, hybrid, or web - requires distinct testing strategies:
1. Native apps
What it is: Native apps are designed specifically for a particular platform, such as iOS or Android, utilizing platform-specific programming languages and tools.
Strategies to use:
Focus on thorough integration with the operating system. Test the app’s interaction with native device features like GPS, camera, and notifications.
Leverage platform-specific optimizations and features to ensure seamless performance.
Test for a smooth user experience, ensuring that the app feels natural and responsive on the target platform.
2. Hybrid apps
What it is: Hybrid apps combine elements of both web and native applications. They are built using web technologies (like HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript) wrapped in a native app shell, allowing them to run on multiple platforms.
Strategies to use:
Ensure the app functions consistently across different devices and operating systems. Test for UI/UX consistency and performance across platforms.
Focus on identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks that may arise from the web-to-native bridge.
Verify that the app renders correctly on various devices, screen sizes, and resolutions.
3. Web apps
What it is: Web apps are accessed through a web browser and are platform-independent. They rely on internet connectivity and are built using web technologies.
Strategies to use:
Test the app across multiple browsers to ensure consistent performance and appearance.
Evaluate how the app adapts to different screen sizes and orientations, ensuring a smooth experience on both mobile and desktop devices.
Test the app’s behavior under various network conditions, including poor connectivity and offline scenarios, to ensure robust performance.
Tip 2: Choose the right framework for automated testing
Choosing a framework that supports the specific needs of your app is vital for efficient automated testing. Here are some popular frameworks:
Appium
Platforms: Android, iOS, and Windows.
Key features:
Open-source and widely used for mobile automation testing.
Supports multiple programming languages (Java, Python, Ruby, etc.).
Compatible with native, hybrid, and mobile web applications.
Works with real devices, emulators, and simulators.
Based on the WebDriver protocol, allowing for cross-platform testing.
Best for: Teams needing a flexible, cross-platform solution with broad language support.
Espresso
Platform: Android.
Key features:
Developed by Google specifically for Android UI testing.
Provides fast and reliable testing by running on the device’s main thread.
Supports writing concise and clear UI tests.
Integrated with Android Studio, making it easy to use and set up.
Ideal for white-box testing, as it has access to the app’s internals.
Best for: Android-focused teams wanting seamless integration with Android development tools.
XCUITest
Platform: iOS.
Key features:
Developed by Apple for testing iOS applications.
Fully integrated with Xcode, the iOS development environment.
Provides fast and efficient test execution.
Supports testing of native iOS apps with access to UI components.
Allows for parallel test execution on multiple devices.
Best for: iOS development teams looking for a framework tightly integrated with Apple’s ecosystem.
Robot
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Key features:
Open-source automation framework that supports keyword-driven testing.
Extensible with various libraries and tools, including Appium for mobile testing.
Suitable for both testers and developers due to its simple syntax.
Integrates with CI/CD pipelines for automated test execution.
Provides detailed logs and reports for analysis.
Best for: Teams needing a versatile, easy-to-use framework for mobile and other types of testing, with strong support for collaboration and integration.
Tip 3: Test on multiple mobile devices
To make sure your app works well for everyone, test it on a variety of devices:
Device variety: Check how your app performs on different models with varying screen sizes, resolutions, and hardware specs. This helps catch issues that might only appear on specific devices.
Orientation testing: Don’t forget to test in both portrait and landscape modes. Layout issues can sometimes be hidden if you only check one orientation.
Text size variability: Test with different text sizes to ensure your app is still usable and looks good. This is important for users who change text size for accessibility or personal preference.
OS versions: Make sure your app works across different versions of iOS and Android. Features and behaviors can vary between updates, so it’s crucial to check for compatibility.
Tip 4: Use both real devices and emulators
Real devices provide the most accurate representation of how an app performs under real-world conditions, while emulators are useful for quick tests early in development. Combining both strategies allows for comprehensive testing coverage across various environments.
Comparison of real devices vs. emulators in software testing: Benefits of a combined approach
| Aspect | Real devices | Emulators | Combined approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Most accurate; mirrors real-world performance and behavior. | Limited accuracy; may not fully replicate real-world conditions. | High accuracy; early tests on emulators followed by real device validation. |
| Cost | Expensive; requires purchasing and maintaining multiple devices. | Cost-effective; requires only software and a computer. | Balanced; reduce costs by minimizing reliance on real devices. |
| Testing speed | Slower; depends on physical device availability. | Faster; multiple emulators can be run simultaneously. | Optimized; quick tests on emulators, critical tests on real devices. |
| Environment simulation | Realistic; includes hardware-specific issues like battery drain, signal loss, etc. | Limited; may miss hardware-specific problems. | Comprehensive; use emulators for software tests, devices for hardware issues. |
| Ease of use | Requires setup and handling of physical devices. | Easy to set up and use within development environments. | Best of both; quick emulator setup with real device verification. |
| Network and connectivity testing | Accurate; real network conditions, signal strength, and data handling. | Simulated; may not accurately reflect network performance. | Effective; test network scenarios on real devices after emulator checks. |
| Scalability | Limited; managing multiple devices can be cumbersome. | Highly scalable; easy to test on multiple virtual devices. | Scalable and accurate; emulate scale, validate with real devices. |
| Bug detection | High potential to catch real-world bugs. | May miss bugs related to hardware interactions or environment. | Comprehensive; identify software bugs early, catch hardware issues later. |
Tip 5: Optimize locator strategies for efficient testing
Choosing the right locators, such as ID, XPath, or accessibility tags, can significantly impact test execution speed and reliability. For instance, using unique element IDs can enhance speed but may cause issues if IDs change frequently. XPath offers flexibility but can slow down tests with deep hierarchies. Accessibility tags are stable and useful, especially in cross-platform scenarios.
Tip 6: Establish a robust debugging system
A well-structured debugging system is crucial for quickly identifying and resolving issues during testing. Key practices include:
Comprehensive logging: Capture detailed information about each test run, including timestamps, actions, and system states, to trace issues effectively.
Screenshots and video recording: Use automated tools to capture screenshots and videos during tests, providing visual evidence to help diagnose errors, especially intermittent ones.
Centralized dashboard: Implement a dashboard that consolidates logs, screenshots, and videos, enabling quick access and efficient collaboration for faster issue resolution.
By integrating these practices, you’ll streamline debugging, reduce troubleshooting time, and improve software quality.
Tip 7: Validate app permissions thoroughly
Testing app permissions is essential to ensure secure and correct handling of user permissions. Automated tests should cover scenarios like accepting, rejecting, and modifying permissions dynamically during test execution to verify proper app behavior under various conditions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, effective mobile app testing is crucial for delivering high-quality, reliable applications in today’s diverse mobile landscape. By understanding the unique challenges of mobile automation, choosing the right tools, and implementing comprehensive testing strategies, you can ensure your app performs well across all devices and scenarios, providing a seamless experience for users. Contact us to uncover bugs and usability issues before your app goes public, preventing potential disasters and negative reviews.