What is Mobile App Testing and Why is it Important?

A smartphone is the new personal assistant that tracks, manages, and reminds people about their schedule, tasks, and productivity. With the growing reliance on mobile applications for even the slightest of the tasks, it is needless to say that mobile applications play an important role in the day-to-day lives of people. People love and prefer using applications that are easy-to-use, easy-to-install, and easy-to-integrate.

 Thousands of mobile apps have sprung in recent years and it has a massive impact on the way people are choosing and using the apps. Users never settle for less. They don’t like buggy apps with poor user experience and load-time. To make your app function with more efficiency, you need to understand how the app works on mobile devices in real-time. What’s the best way to fix the bugs and make your application launch-ready? Mobile app testing will help achieve this. 

Mobile app testing helps developers understand the problems and fix the app before users install and use the application. 

Mobile App Testing

Mobile-App testing is nothing but running tests on the mobile applications to assess and fix the issues or bugs that the app has. The process, on the whole, requires an in-depth quality check in several aspects such as different screen resolutions, different versions of operating systems, etc., at a time. App testing ensures that the usability & functionality of the application are top-notch and launch-ready. 

Types of Testing

Mobile app testing comprises- general testing functionality and mobile-specific functionality. In general testing, they check the performance of the application in different scenarios, usability, load time, and other user experience-related issues. Whereas in mobile-specific testing, they assess the issues like memory leakage, installation hurdles, network or notification interruptions, location, and other mobile-specific issues. 

Checklist to mark before deploying the testing process

• App testing is generally run either on simulators, emulators, or real devices. Sometimes developers even use the clouds (real-device) which allow the tester to use many devices simultaneously and note the observations and records. 
• To make sure that your process runs more efficiently, check the test coverage too.
• Wherever required use processes like test automation. However, many processes are needed to test manually as some processes demand an in-depth analysis of micro factors.  
•  Handling errors in the beginning stage will reduce both errors and costs in the future. Pay attention to details and test the application across multiple platforms and devices. 

Why is Mobile App Testing Important?

App-rating makes or breaks a brand online presence. The present-day’s technology industry is competitive in every aspect- right from the looks of the website to the user experience. To stay relevant in today’s digital space, offering the best service and features is crucial. Testing your mobile application before launching not only helps you assess your app’s performance but also improvises the features for better usability. 

Here are some of the reasons why is this testing is important:

Better functionality

Functional quality is one of the important metrics that make the app easy-to-use. Any application’s functionality is measured by analyzing different technical aspects like load conditions, changing networks, etc. Mobile testing helps developers understand how successfully is the application downloading, executing- to make sure that the application is performing without any glitches. 

Better User experience

With this testing, developers can assess the look and feel of the application from the user’s perspective. To ensure that the application has a user-friendly interface, developers run UI and UX tests throughout the development process. Testing the app’s usability on mobile devices helps assess the user experience of the app and make room for further modifications while keeping the observations into consideration.

Real Device Testing

To know the precision of user experience, it is always important to test the applications on real mobile devices. Whenever a test is run on a mobile device, it provides a holistic perspective about whether the application works effectively on any given gadget with higher efficiency. If you are intending to launch your app on both Android and iOS then it is highly recommended to test it on both devices. 

Retains users 

The word of mouth strategy works wonders. Users continue to use your app only when it functions with utmost efficiency. They even recommend it to their friends and family if it works properly. To build that trust and brand presence, it is important to invest in quality assurance and run app testing frequently. 

Insights about real-life functionality

Many developers run the tests of apps on simulators and emulators as it is a bit easy when compared to actual mobile testing. However, in situations like phone call interruptions, battery consumption, and unavoidable notifications, simulators do not account for the interruptions caused. To get a holistic review of how the app functions while using the phone, it is important to test run the application on mobile devices. 

Bug detection

Mobile phones are no less than personal assistants. People use many apps to track their schedule, habits, and even complete their official tasks via mobile. If the apps they use crash frequently, it makes them lose trust and they are more likely to uninstall the application without giving a second thought. There are thousands of apps available that offer the same service- sometimes even with better features and an attractive user interface. Bugs in the apps are an instant turn-off for users. In fact, mobile applications make their life easier as the apps help them sort their tasks and plan their day with much more efficiency. Taking all these into account, it is the job of the tester to make sure that all the bugs are fixed from time to time. Also, buggy apps garner a lot of negative reviews and feedback- which eventually affects the brand reputation. 

Wrapping up

Mobile app testing has become an important part of the application development cycle. A successful deployment of this process helps developers to fill the loopholes and thereby ensures the success of the app. If you’re keen on seeing success with your mobile app, then mobile app testing is one step that cannot be skipped.