Mobile app testing – best practices. Part I

Mobile devices are basically integrated into our lives these days. The days when mobile phone was used only for calling and texting are far gone now. Mobile devices are now personal world management centers for users. No wonder that the mobile apps have to be flawless, and otherwise, they will just simply fail. That is why you need a rock-solid business partner for your new mobile app. Mobile app testing is crucial for your new game-changer. What should you know about mobile app testing? We decided to unveil the secrets of quality assurance – here’s an article about the best practices in mobile app testing.

Mobile app testing – development needs scrutiny

It seems obvious that digital products should be error-free. According to Appsamurai.com, around 62% of users uninstall the app due to crashes. However, what if the app seems to be working just fine in simulations, and it looks like there is nothing to worry about? Let’s bring up an example, where a buggy software caused a massive problem. We’re not talking just about data leaks here (however, that is a serious concern), but also about overlooking the so-called minor issues. To help you see clearly the big picture, here’s a story from the real life. This shouldn’t happen, but it did. It was on the Heathrow Airport, back in 2008. Get ready.

The Heathrow Airport case

It was just another regular March day on the airport. You know, business flights, trips to long-craved-for holiday, thousands of passengers waiting to get into their planes. But suddenly something went really wrong. The Heathrow Airport baggage system failed. People could not access their bags, all the procedures had to be handled manually.

This translated to chaos on the airport. Just look at these numbers:

• Around 42 000 bags were lost;
• 500 flights were canceled;
• The United Kingdom airport authority lost around 16 000 000 GBP.

All this because of malfunction of software. Sure, you probably want to create a mobile app, and it possibly has nothing to do with baggage system on the airport, but still – if the digital product fails, your profit is gone.

Mobile app testing – why users uninstall apps?

Mobile apps have to deliver a smooth, seamless experience. This applies to every aspect of a mobile app. It’s simple – if something does not work properly, it’s abandoned. Here’s a report from a company you probably know – Google.

And some useful numbers:

• 29% of users will switch to another app/site if they are not satisfied (any reason);
• 70% of these 29% will abandon the app/site because of low loading speed;
• 67% 0f these 29% will look for other app/site due to complicated customer journey.

Of course, there are many other factors that make users switch to different products. Nevertheless, you can see that mobile app testing is crucial in the process of developing a successful, game-changing digital product. Before we get to the core – namely, the best practices – we will help you understand what are the challenges in mobile app testing.

Mobile app testing – the challenges

We know, your new mobile app will be a real diamond. And we know, as well, that our QA pros release only flawless products. It’s really hard work – every project is unique, and it has to face different challenges. Thanks to our expertise, we’re always prepared for the unexpected. But let’s talk about the most common challenges in mobile app testing. Here they are.

Mobile app testing – third-party integrations

Internet is everywhere. That is why most of mobile applications use the built-in functionalities of mobile devices. Which ones exactly? Usually, these are the analytics and crash reporting functionalities, as well as GPS tracking or SMS texting services. QA experts are always checking if these functionalities work seamlessly with these services.

Mobile app testing – data connections

The ’lab conditions’ are different from those in the real world. Although the Internet signal is almost everywhere, users can definitely encounter a situation where 3G/4G/5G reception is quite unstable. The same applies to the Wi-Fi availability. Testers need to ensure that the mobile apps run well under bad network conditions.

Mobile app testing – processing power

Do you know someone, who was not frustrated with app freezing, lags, or any other issue caused by the device’s memory shortage? If yes – congratulations, that is something rare these days. Processing power is something more than just the RAM thing. It affects battery life, as well as CPU usage. Add to that one more aspect – gamers are everywhere, even though they don’t consider themselves as such. So, games and streaming can also have a  significant impact on the battery life and other aspects of the mobile device. QA pros have to perform many iterations to make sure that the power usage is optimal.

Mobile app testing – device fragmentation

You’re aiming big, that’s certain. Thus, your new mobile app needs to be working well on different devices. iOS and Android are the main platforms, so either you need a cross-platform mobile app or a native app. Anyway, the testing team is out there to ensure your new game-changer is running smooth on any platform.

Mobile app testing – there’s more to that topic

You know now what challenges the QA team has to face. As you can see, the quality assurance services are not just about tapping around the prototype. This is a crucial area that should not be underestimated. And because there is a lot more to mobile app testing, we have to split the knowledge into a few parts (you know, the ‘TL;DR’ thing). Keep an eye for the next article about mobile app testing – we will present more about types of mobile app testing, and then move to the best practices. What you need to know is that our QA experts have all that knowledge in their little fingers. So, you can be sure your new mobile app will be working perfectly.

Read also

Mobile app testing – best practices. Part II
Mobile app testing – best practices. Part III
How mobile applications are fueling digital transformation