With the rapid proliferation of mobile devices in the market, a whole new set of challenges has been introduced in the world of mobile application testing. Mobile users download apps and expect to use them in a certain way – finding an issue out in the wild might mean – leaving the app for good! It’s imperative for mobile apps and websites to be rock solid before they are released for final implementation.
Here are the most common challenges faced by the mobile application testers today:
Multitude Mobile Devices
There are millions of mobile devices in the market, ranging from handsets to smartphones to tabs to iPads and wearable tech devices. Mobile applications need to be compatible with such diverse environments. The quality testers cannot guarantee that if the app is tried and tested on one of these devices, it will work a 100% on the other too. It is important for businesses to research their customer base before they finalize an environment for development.
Device Fragmentation & Various OS Platforms
One of the most challenging aspects of mobile apps testing is device fragmentation. The iOS device matrix is growing and Android already has a spectrum of devices which makes fragmentation a greater issue for Android apps. The variety of mobile operating systems also poses a challenge for development and testing teams whose goal is to provide a consistent user experience across platforms.
Mobile application testing is also challenging, due to compatibility issues as a mobile application can be deployed across devices which have different-
- Operating systems like iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, etc.
- Versions of an operating system such as iOS 4.X, iOS 5.X, BB 4.X, 5.X, and 6.X.
Different Mobile App Types
Mobile apps could be either native apps, web apps or hybrid apps. The implementation of each of these apps is different than the other and the testing is hence a huge challenge! As we observe each of these apps behavior from installation to functionality, they are distinctly different – hence the testing and test coverage is also different.
Numerous Test Interfaces
Mobile emulators and simulators are some of the most important testing tools. With these tools, general functionality can be verified and regression testing can also be performed. But the challenge here is that these are after all simulators – far from the real environment that these apps will run in. These tools hence have a limited scope and can never be substituted for the real world. Additional real-world testing is hence imperative for mobile apps.
Don’t forget to check : Personal Data – Tracked and Mined By Mobile Apps
Variety of Testing Tools
There are a number of free and paid mobile test and automation testing tools in the market. Selecting from such a sheer variety is quite daunting.
For better mobile apps testing, create a proper sampling of effective mobile device availability which appropriately covers the larger segment of the variety needed. Also, make sure that you have to cater to the variability of OS, device type, fragmentation, screen, memory and other factors that can impact your application functioning on the mobile device. Make an informed choice about the approach and solution your mobile test needs.
