Challenges in Mobile Application Testing - BugRaptors

Mobile Application Testing The advent of the newest mobile devices has fetched a set of challenges to the software testing world.

Mobile users have really high expectations from the applications and even the minutest fault in an application is unforgivable.

This is why the need for thorough testing of mobile applications has amplified.

Challenges in Mobile Application Testing: There are quite a few challenges faced in the process of Mobile Application Testing. Some of them are as follows: 

Inconsistency in Operating Systems Android updates have always been really slow. This ultimately resulted in high disintegration of the Operating System. This eventually necessitated the applications to be tested in a number of versions of Android and ensure that the API’s used are sustained by the older versions of the operating system.

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Inconsistency in Display Screen Dimensions There is an extensive range of differences of the pixel densities and display dimensions in the mobile world. Thus, Mobile Application Testing needs to be familiarized with the screen design. This indicates that the application needs to be tested on a number of devices. Similarly, same accessibility of all the screen elements should be ensured for all the screen sizes and aspect ratios.

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Inconsistency in Network Connectivity There are a number of mobile data connectivity variances available today. They vary from 2G, 3G, 4G and WiFi. The network connectivity changes as users move from one place to another. Mobile Application Testing here needs to test the performance and usage of the bandwidth of the application for each network variations.

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Inconsistency in Battery Life and Interruptions The testing process for a mobile application needs to be performed for low, medium and full battery strength. Applications that consume high power are expected to be avoided, no matter how competent they are. The behavior of the application also needs to be tested for various kinds of disruptions such as Low battery incoming calls, sending and receiving SMS, MMS and the like.

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Restrictions of Automation Tools The two main mobile testing tools used for automated mobile testing are Object based and Image based. In object based testing, the elements on the device screen are intended onto objects for manipulation. It is independent of the screen type and resolution and provides reusability of the script to a higher grade.

In image based testing, the test scripts are automated based on the coordinates of the screens. This approach necessitates testing scripts to be written for each variation of the screen size.

As of now, both these tools have failed to provide a cross-platform and cost-effective testing solution.

Challenges in Testing Approaches: With the progress of new challenges, new approaches and alternatives are also considered. The various testing choices are: 

Automated vs Manual Mobile Automation Testing is persuasive for both regression testing as well as in the development stages. Nevertheless, automated tests need high initial investments which usually result in ineffective Return on Investment.

Manual testing of Mobile Applications cannot be comprehensive. Hence, it cannot ensure the absence of bugs. The recording and repetition of the tests can be done only in automation testing.

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Outsourced vs In-house Outsourcing stretches to professional testers with access to a range of devices. Several organizations have moved their testing approach from test centers to real-world setups. This has allowed the applications to be tested skillfully on real hardware with erratic connection speed. Yet, this approach is not accessible owing to time-zone and communication restrictions.

In comparison to this, In-house teams make communication easier but are not competent enough because of the constraints like user demography and sufficient mobile devices.

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Remote vs Emulators’ The use of emulators moves the application remotely from the real world. Although the use of such devices has made testing easier and has created a sense of consistency, they are narrow in scope and cannot substitute the real-world consequences.

Inference: An all-inclusive testing strategy requires an optimized selection of hardware and various testing solutions. Efficient Testing results can only be accomplished by implementing an arrangement of these testing solutions with the best traditional practices.