The number of active mobile applications has reached over 7.5 billion. mobile applications are not only enabling customers to communicate but also to shop and pay bills. Hence, the importance of understanding the concept of mobile testing is becoming crucial. Furthermore, mobile automation testing ensures cost-effectiveness and also delivers a faster Return of Investment (ROI).
Mobile automation testing is a process of testing mobile applications via tools like TestComplete Mobile, AI Test Creation and Analytics For iOS and Android, Appium (Android and iOS), and many more. It helps in reducing the time taken for testing mobile applications. Mobile automation testing is a technique of building application software by testing its usability, consistency, and functionality.
The mobile solutions delivered should be tested very well. The aim is to promote mobile testing or improve the knowledge of those who have switched to it lately. Nowadays, mobility solutions have gripped the market. People do not wish to switch on their laptops/PCs to look for or learn everything. They want handy devices such as smartphones to solve their queries quickly.
We are here to guide you about everything you need to know and understand about mobile automation testing. Our main goal is to provide you with every tip and trick of mobile automation and create a clear picture of this concept.
Why should businesses leverage mobile test automation?
Today, there are millions of smartphone users. This can help achieve growth in the mobile apps' space in business operations. Hence, with so many enterprises producing millions of apps and smartphones, mobile automation testing is important to ensure app safety and effectiveness. Here are some of the reasons why businesses should leverage mobile test automation.
- App functionality- Mobile automation testing ensures app functionality by checking whether the mobile app functions as specified in the design document for several testing specifications.
- App performance- Mobile performance automation testing assesses operation capacity, the app's readiness, app responsiveness, and performance while it has several users at the same time.
- App usability- Application usability testing is necessary nowadays as users prefer apps that deliver better usability. It ensures that users manage to perform intended tasks with satisfaction.
- App security- Application security testing verifies storage security issues, data integrity, and security of activity logs.
- App accessibility- Nowadays, it is becoming mandatory that all mobile apps have access to various abled populations that ensure easy usage and access.
- Across browsers, OS, various mobile applications- Mobile test automation should be done using different mobile automation tools to ensure that mobile apps work functionally across various operating systems, browsers, and mobile applications.
Types of mobile application testing
Mobile automation testing produces a high quality product and improves the app development process. Here are different types of mobile app testing:
- Usability Testing- Usability testing is ideal for determining how an app makes it easier for users to accomplish their intended tasks.
- Performance Testing - Performance testing is implemented on mobile applications to check their performance and response to the increasing workload. These tests are mandatory to check how the mobile device will perform under varied loads.
- Security Testing- 80% of the users uninstall apps due to security reasons. Hence, security testing is implemented to focus on app behavior and data security in various permission schemes.
- Manual Testing-Manual testing ensures that the mobile product is working as expected. It includes complex testing, exploratory testing, and physical interface tests.
- Interruption Testing- Interruption testing ensures and checks the behavior of mobile applications in an interrupted state. For instance, interruptions include incoming SMS or phone calls, push notifications, battery low notification, and many more.
- Functional Testing- Functional testing ensures that mobile applications work as per the requirements. Functionality tests ensure consumer satisfaction, provide a quality product, and meet device requirements.
- Localization Testing- Localization testing ensures the responsiveness of mobile apps to a specific culture and language-related aspects of a specific region.
- Compatibility Testing- Checking compatibility is an important test to do on mobile applications. It is necessary to make sure that mobile applications are compatible with every device you aim to support. A compatibility test is crucial to check the standard usage and performance of mobile applications.
- Installation Testing- Installation testing verifies that a mobile app is properly installed and uninstalled. It also ensures that app updates are free of errors.
- Automated Testing- Automated testing along with manual testing ensures quality and helps in producing a better quality product at a faster rate.
How to select the right device for testing your mobile application?
When you know the answer to the following questions, you'll be saving a lot of your time and money. In addition, it decreases the number of devices needed for testing.
- What is the target device type? Smartphones, tablets or both.
- Which devices will be best for your target audience?
- Which Operating System (OS) version is suitable for your mobile application?
- Which screen sizes are not in high demand?
- What is the minimum hardware configuration required for the device (2GB/4GB/6GB RAM)?
Steps in mobile testing
After creating a mobile app with every feature, mobile automation testing should be implemented to ensure that the mobile app is a success and does not require any future changes. It involves a few steps: https://www.testingxperts.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mobile-app-automation-testing.jpg
Business outcomes of mobile automation testing
- Understanding mobile testing and technology drivers help in creating the best mobile test strategy. About 36% of the organizations are spending more than $10000 on mobile automation tools and testing.
- Understanding and identifying the key risks and challenges of mobile applications for creating a test strategy.
- Applying test levels and types specific to the mobile apps.
- Applying common mobile test types such as functional, hybrid, native, progressive, and non-functional.
- Half of the entire organization is implementing mobile testing daily.
Key factors to consider during mobile testing
Just building a mobile application and launching it to the consumer world does not make sense. Instead, proper mobile testing is necessary to ensure the mobile applications' compatibility and make them user-friendly. Here are some of the factors you should keep in mind before testing mobile applications:
- Ascertain Testing Goals
Testing of mobile applications requires business goals. It helps in setting the approach and efforts required for mobile testing. The overall mobile testing approach depends on various objectives. Cost-effectiveness, enhanced test coverage, and faster time-to-market are some objectives for mobile testing.
- Consider Mobile Testing with a Goal
Mobile testing brings down the efforts, costs, and money. It helps in achieving better test coverage. Hence, there should be a proper plan for mobile automation. It should be implemented by keeping in mind the objectives and goals of the required mobile application. Security, compatibility, responsiveness, and accessibility should be a part of mobile automation.
- Prioritize security of the mobile application
Virus and cyber-attacks are becoming likely to attack your mobile applications. Unfortunately, mobile applications are vulnerable and sensitive to such viruses. It can expose information to other users. So, along with the testing performance of mobile applications, test the security of mobile applications too. Security tests include security scanning, risk assessment, penetration testing, and ethical hacking.
- Take early tests to ensure quality.
New approaches in mobile testing require early tests to ensure the quality of the devices and make them ready for usage. Thus, early tests help in saving costs and ensure the quality of mobile applications. Dev-ops, Shift-Left, and Agile are some of the testing approaches that help save costs and check the quality of your mobile applications.
Tips and Tricks for mobile app testing
Mobile automation testing produces a higher quality product and improves the app development process. Here are some of the tips and tricks for mobile automation:
- Define your ways of working - Always ensure you have a good set of end-to-end tests, units, and integration running as a part of your mobile automation pipeline. These requirements are much needed as your mobile testing would be incomplete without them. Identify your mobile application's crucial flow and do automated tests to ensure mobile app quality.
- Phase your rollout to consumers- Google Play stores and Apple stores enable you to phase rollouts. Phase rollouts are the ability to release your mobile application updates gradually to users periodically. You can start a phased rollout of your new mobile version to one percent of your user base.
- Watch your monitoring and analytics tools- Always pay close attention to various metrics that validate customer experience and quality. It involves top crashes, most-used devices, and most-used IOS devices. Check if it helps provide a more clear picture of where your mobile application is headed.
- End to End Automated tests- It is mandatory to have an end-to-end test automated user interface to save your app from bugs and issues. It should be a part of your CI pipeline. It is high maintenance that means you need to have a good strategy.
Tools for mobile automation testing
Appium- Appium is also an open-source framework for mobile, hybrid, and native mobile apps. It drives Android, Windows apps, and IOS using the Webdriver protocol.
Calabash- Calabash is a mobile automation framework that allows developers who do not have coding skills to execute and create automated tests for IOS and Android applications.
Robotium- Robotium is an open source test framework which makes it easier for developers to write robust and powerful tests for mobile android applications.
Selendroid- Selendroid is an open-source framework interacting with multiple emulators and devices. It is UI-driven by hybrid apps.
Espresso- Espresso testing tools enable developers to write test cases for UI-User interface testing.
XCUITest- XCUITest testing tools enable developers to record transactions with the User Interface-UI or play test code from the start.
TestProject.io- TestProject.io is a free online mobile automation tool designed for developers and testers.
Wrapping up
Mobile automation testing is all about selecting apt mobile simulators, choosing the right testing devices and tools, designing the perfect strategy, and making sure there are no compromises to mobile applications’ safety, security, functionality, and performance. Mobile automation testing is not an easy task, but it has to be done properly. Otherwise, your mobile devices are not ready to be launched into the consumer world.
To ensure that mobile devices are useful and deliver the intended result, mobile automation testing is mandatory. It helps in identifying the defects initially and avoids additional costs. In addition, it will make your device user-friendly. You must know every aspect involved in mobile testing.
At QED42 we check the quality, performance, and functionality of your mobile applications. We are here for you from the beginning till the end. Learn more about our mobile automation testing services here.