A Complete Guide to Test your Mobile App Effectively

Do you want to excel on the team as a tester? Or want to become a mobile app developer who aspires to create the best app available? Today, billions of people use smartphones across the globe. So, no wonder, the expansion of the mobile app development sector is no longer shocking. A study reveals that the Google Play Store alone releases  an average of 100,000 new apps each month. 

new apps

Due to increased mobile app usage, functional and user-friendly apps are extremely essential to stay competitive in today’s saturated market. You should ensure the mobile software’s quality, usability, and security and provide an impeccable app. Mobile App testing enables developers to improve the functionality of their applications and offer consumers useful, engaging apps. 

What is Mobile App Testing?

Mobile application testing is the process of running manual or automated tests on applications that are being created for mobile devices. The primary goal is to ensure that mobile applications are stable and usable – to survive in the fiercely competitive market.

There are apps for different purposes, such as entertainment, communication, and other purposes. They come in various forms, which you should be aware of since each one calls for a particular approach to mobile testing. The four types of mobile apps are as follows: 

Native Apps– Apps that are primarily for iOS and Android are called native apps. 

Hybrid Apps– A native application wrapper not dependent on Android or iOS is present in hybrid apps. These apps have a wider market reach than native apps because they are developed using web standards, like CSS, HTML5, and JavaScript. 

Web Apps– Apps that can be accessed through web browsers, like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, are referred to as web apps. 

Progressive Web Apps-Devices that can be downloaded and installed on iOS and Android devices are Progressive Web Apps. Such as Instagram and Twitter. 

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Importance of Mobile App Testing:

Over 80% of users give up because of bugs and other issues in a few minutes of using an app. When users encounter problems in applications, that fail to provide a positive user experience, they uninstall these applications and give negative reviews.  

But don’t worry! We have a solution for you. 

This article will benefit anyone who needs to improve their approach to testing mobile applications to minimize application bugs and issues. 

Importance of Mobile App Testing

How to Test Mobile Apps Effectively:

Mobile app testing can be challenging, especially if you’re new to it as creating an error-free app is a difficult task. .  

Consider the following tips to perform mobile app testing effectively: 

1. Decide what you want to accomplish:

Before you begin the testing, you must plan what you want to achieve. List the things and actions you must take to create a successful app. So, create product roadmaps whenever   you tend to work on app testing.

2. Test Right Platform:

. Since the performance and functionality can differ depending on the tested mobile device, choosing the appropriate mobile testing device is an essential step in the entire process.  because different devices have different display resolution, processing power, and even hardware components that are integrated into the apps. The following important tips should be kept in mind when selecting a mobile device for testing: 

  1. OS Version: You must test your app on various OS and their versions to ensure it supports various platforms. Your market share will shrink if you concentrate on a single platform and move more slowly into new markets. The updates you release must also function properly across various OS versions. 
  2. Screen Size and Resolution: Because mobile devices have various screen sizes and resolutions, it is essential to consider the screen size of the devices when determining UI compatibility. 
  3. Hardware: The features and attributes vary depending on the phone’s model. You must consider the device’s screen size, resolution, PPI, and other hardware features that may affect the performance of your app while choosing a device for testing. You should also check how much data and disk space your app uses. The processing speed of various devices has an impact on your app as well. 

3. Increase Productivity and Efficiency through Test Automation

You may be able to address some of your software’s defects and errors by manually testing mobile applications. However, it can, take a lot of time and resources and is prone to errors. 

Additionally, the manual testing approach may not provide adequate coverage, and testers might overlook significant steps due to the repetitive tasks, resulting in inconsistencies. 

You can expedite the testing process while maintaining the high accuracy and reliability that you require with the help of an efficient mobile test automation framework. Regression testing, repetitive test execution, and general performance testing are best done using automation. 

You can use it to quickly check for updates or changes to an application to find and fix bugs, flaws, and vulnerabilities. 

 4. Test Your App on Several Devices 

All customers don’t use the same smartphones. Different devices have different specifications. Thus, it’s crucial to test your app on various devices to ensure it works properly. Also, don’t forget to test your app in both portrait and landscape modes. When the viewport sizes change, this is where many bugs appear. 

5. Keep an eye on the app’s power consumption:

Apps with various exciting features and concepts can capture the attention of many users. However, if these functions require much power, they can quickly drain the batteries of mobile devices, causing them inconvenience.  That’s why Instead of focusing only on app speed and performance, work on optimizing your mobile app for minimal energy consumption without sacrificing user experience. So, battery and CPU utilization are critical because people will uninstall it if the app consumes too much battery. . 

6. Determine Your App’s Scope

Do you intend to create a local app? Software that only functions in a few regions. Or do you want people all over the world to use your app? Make sure your application is relevant to your target locations and that it can be translated into their language if you want to broaden the scope of it. Otherwise, your intended users might not use your app. 

 7. Consider the perspectives of the customer

A successful app must possess the qualities that make it valuable for users. Consider the user’s needs and put yourself in their role when designing or testing your app. Remember to include accessibility testing as well. Make sure accessibility IDs are added to all the elements in your application.  It makes the app automation simpler and more dependable, also making it more accessible. 

 8. Test App Upgrade: 

App upgrade testing is also crucial for mobile testers. Ensure your app doesn’t crash after the upgrade because the development team might have matched the version numbers incorrectly. 

When upgrading an app, the user should be able to keep any preferences he has saved in the previous version. Therefore, data retention is important. 

 9. Functionality First: 

Any app’s core functionality is its main selling point, so it must be extremely reliable. People download apps to carry out specific tasks. Making sure the primary functions are fully implemented and tested before moving on will prevent abandonment due to insufficient or incomplete functionality. Before finalizing things, it is better to fully implement and test primary functions to ensure a successful market launch. 

10. Offline Testing of Online Apps:

As a tester, make sure the app doesn’t crash when the user is using it offline or when the user goes offline. Offline operations and behavior provide essential support for a smooth and secure user experience rather than just being a nice-to-have feature. It might not make it an error-free app, but it will undoubtedly make it more stable and attract potential customers. 

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Conclusion: 

Your mobile app’s effectiveness is essential to your company’s success. However, it takes time to produce top-notch mobile software. To prevent errors, meet your app requirements, and guarantee the best user experience, you must go through several processes, including mobile testing. Therefore, plan everything out before releasing your app  to the market. Identify the best testing methods and tools for your app  We hope the above-listed strategies will give you a roadmap to create a useful and functional app that gets audiences, sells, and sustains competition.