A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Mobile App Testing in 2023

Functional Testing

This form of testing ensures that the software works properly and satisfies the required criteria.

It includes testing features, user interfaces, navigation, and interactions to verify they function correctly.

Usability Testing

Usability testing evaluates the app’s usability and capacity to create a favorable user experience.

The interface, simplicity of use, and intuitiveness of the software are all assessed by testers.

Compatibility Testing

Compatibility testing evaluates the app’s performance across various devices, screen sizes, operating systems, and configurations to verify that it functions consistently and properly across several platforms.

Performance Testing

Performance testing assesses the app’s responsiveness, speed, stability, and resource utilization under various scenarios, such as fluctuating network speeds and high user loads.

Security Testing

The goal of security testing is to uncover vulnerabilities and flaws in the software that might lead to data breaches or unauthorized access.  

It involves data encryption, authentication, and secure communication testing.

Installation Testing

Installation testing ensures the app can be installed and removed without causing problems and does not interfere with the device’s routine functions.

Memory Testing

Memory testing examines how the app manages device memory and if it creates memory leaks or crashes due to memory problems.

Network Testing

Network testing assesses the app’s performance in various network circumstances, such as 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi, and how it manages network outages.

Determine the Best Platform

The testing method will differ depending on whether your software is designed for a web-based, native, or hybrid platform.

Because of the variety of device hardware and operating systems, a native app gives the most control over the experience, but it needs substantially more effort to maintain across various platforms.

Otherwise, native and hybrid apps use different underlying technologies but provide identical functionality.

As a result, they employ the same functional testing methodology, such as checking the app’s built-in device resources, gesture testing, screen orientation testing, etc.

Web-based app testing presents a variety of challenges.

In the age of responsive and adaptable web design, you’ll have to deal with various browsers (natively created for the device or conventional browsers), performance/load testing, and, perhaps most significantly, how the application functions with various device screen sizes.

Recognize Your Customers

A considerable quantity of data about your end users is essential to design an engaging mobile app.

Only by understanding how potential customers engage with the app will you be able to make smarter business decisions, prioritize development, and improve the user experience with more engaging touchpoints.

Early Performance Testing

When performance issues are found later in the development cycle, making changes after functional testing is sometimes more expensive and riskier.

As a result, executing a performance test early on can assist in uncovering all potential performance concerns.

On the other hand, performance testing is an ongoing process that cannot be accomplished in a single attempt; a solitary test merely provides developers with some of the desired information.

A performance test must be repeated to be fully successful.

Divide the Testing Procedure into Smaller Units

One method for obtaining more reliable findings is to divide the testing procedure into smaller pieces and run the tests independently.

These devices might be used to test certain app features or components. Splitting the tests allows you to target every program element and do thorough testing.

Test Under Real-Time Conditions

One of the most significant advantages of real-time testing is that it can be integrated into your existing development processes.

Mobile apps must be tested in real-time scenarios such as bad network connectivity, different time zones, GPS positions, SMS interruptions, low-battery notifications, etc.

With the proper testing approach, you can go beyond device testing and test under real-world user situations, such as natural app gestures/interactions, in-app purchases, payment procedures, geotargeting, etc.

Support Policy Acknowledgment

Testing every browser, platform, and operating system combination is difficult. To keep up with the mobile industry’s speed, create your support plan early on and evaluate it every three months.

Using end-user data and market research, identify your target devices and platform versions. In general, testing should focus on any devices and operating systems with the most extensive number of end users.

Furthermore, reducing support for obsolete systems might cost you a lot of money.

Improve and Optimize

Specific test types should be implemented to improve and optimize mobile apps.

A/B testing may be used by testers to identify which alternatives end users prefer and then base final decisions on the results.

Furthermore, you may make decisions on minor, basic UI and functionality changes by applying optimization testing.

Fake-door testing may also be used early in the development phase to determine which new features appeal to end users.

Integrate Manual and Automated Testing

The key to combining automated and manual testing is determining which is most suited for each feature and stage of product development. 

Manual testing is still necessary since it allows you to cover a wide range of devices, locations, and UX tests from a human perspective.

However, introducing automation into your strategy may improve manual tests’ efficiency, speed, and accuracy.

Device Fragmentation

One of the significant obstacles in mobile app testing is the market’s large variety of devices, operating systems, and screen sizes.

It is vital to ensure device compatibility and consistency of performance under mobile app development.

The testing team should emphasize testing on popular devices and employ emulators/simulators to cover a greater spectrum.

Network Variability

Network connectivity is vital for mobile apps.

Testing the app in multiple network circumstances, such as 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi, and during network switches is crucial to guarantee seamless performance and effective error handling in diverse scenarios.

Interrupt Handling

Calls, texts, and battery-saving modes commonly interrupt mobile apps.  

For a great user experience, it is vital to evaluate how the software handles these disturbances and recovers its state without crashing or losing data.

App Store Guidelines Compliance

The rules and regulations for submission in mobile app marketplaces are very tight. To avoid rejections, testers must be aware of these rules. 

Common difficulties include inappropriate material, privacy breaches, excessive permissions, and noncompliance with platform-specific design requirements.

Security and Data Privacy

Mobile apps frequently deal with sensitive user data. It is important to secure user information from unwanted access or breaches by ensuring data security and privacy.

Vulnerability assessments, data encryption validation, and suitable access restrictions should all be included in testing.