Mobile Apps and Testing types

 

Mobile Apps and Testing types

In the modern era, mobile devices are the tools which are very much essential for our lives.Ranging from communication, entertainment up to productivity, mobile applications and websites have revolutionised the way we interact with the world. With the increasing use of mobile devices, it has become essential to ensure that mobile applications and websites function as expected and provide a high-quality user experience. This is where mobile testing comes in.

Mobile testing is the process of testing mobile applications and websites on different mobile devices to ensure that they work as intended and provide a great user experience. Mobile testing is essential because mobile devices come in various shapes, sizes, and operating systems, and each device has its unique characteristics that can affect how an application or website functions. Here are some types of mobile testing:

Types of Mobile Apps by Technology

Mainly there are three main categories in mobile applications based on the technology used. 

Native Apps

Native are the mobile applications which are developed for a specific platform. Mainly such as Android or iOS by using the native programming language of the platform (Java or Kotlin for Android, Swift or Objective-C for iOS). A common feature of the native apps are that they have the device's hardware and software features, such as the camera, GPS, and contacts. They can  be directly installed  on the device and can be accessed from the home screen, hence they are fast while responsive.In addition to that native apps can work offline which is an advantage.

Web Apps 

Web apps are the applications which run on a remote server , hence web apps should be accessed using a web browser. These applications are developed using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Hence web applications can be accessed on any device with a web browser , so  they are platform-independent. A notable Key feature of these web apps are that they don't have access to the device's hardware and software features. But without user interaction(download new version etc.), web applications can be updated.

Hybrid Apps

Word “hybrid” easily tells that this is a mix, so hybrid apps are a combination of the Native and web applications.More often these apps are developed using web technologies but are packaged as native apps using frameworks such as React Native or Ionic.Differing from the web applications hybrid apps do have access to the device's hardware and software features. And also  they can be installed on the device like native apps. They also have the advantage of being able to run on multiple platforms. This is cost effective and an advantage for businesses which seek to target multiple platforms.

Different Types of Mobile Application Testing 

When we look at mobile application testing , there are a lot of testing categories as described below. 

Functional Testing:

Functional testing is done to  test the core functionality of the application.In here the testing team verifies the user interface, navigation, and data processing. During functional testing,  all the intended functions of the application  are tested and verified, plus features and functionalities will be verified as correctly working. Functional testing ensures that the application or website meets the user's expectations and provides an excellent user experience.

Usability Testing:

Term usability testing directly gives its idea, which is “ability to use”. So simply this intends how easily a certain app can be used by the customers.Basically this includes the user interface and user experience testing. During usability testing, the application is tested to ensure that it is easy to use, where the users should be able to navigate throughout the application or website smoothly without any hiccups. Usability testing is done to maximize the user experience as much as possible as the first feel of any application is the major point when it comes to the success of the application.

Performance Testing:

Performance testing is a major one when it comes to the quality of an application. As this can measure the application's performance under different conditions, such as network speed and user load. During performance testing, major focus is on how much user load it can handle without having any sort performance issues. Performance testing verifies  that the application or the website is very much responsive and fast. Which helps to enhance the user experience by large margins.

Compatibility Testing:

Compatibility testing is done to check, measure and verify the application's compatibility with different mobile devices and operating systems. Here the application is tested on various devices(makes and models)and operating systems to ensure that it functions correctly on all devices. Compatibility testing ensures that the application or website is compatible with different devices. This is also a fact that helps to increase the user experience as it can be seen that many good apps get underrated due to compatibility issues.

Security Testing:

Security testing verifies the application's security features. Mainly it guarantees that it is protected against hacking and other security threats. While this testing, the application is tested in order to verify  that it can handle different security threats and while keeping the user’s data unharmed. This helps to provide an excellent user experience while making  the application or website secure.

Localization Testing:

This basically involves testing the application's compatibility with different languages, cultures, and regions. During this testing, it ensures that the application functions correctly when the languages and regions are changed. Localization testing ensures that the application or website is accessible to a global audience and provides an excellent user experience.

Installation Testing

Installation Testing: This mainly covers the installation process of a mobile application by ensuring that the installation process is smooth, and the application is installed without any errors. Testers do Installation testing in order to check the compatibility of the intended mobile application with different versions of the operating system.in here they make sure that the installation process does not affect the performance of the device. The main objective of installation testing is to guarantee  that the application can be easily and successfully installed by users.

Interruption Testing

Interruption Testing: This mainly focuses on the behavior of a mobile application when it is interrupted/disturbed by external factors such as phone calls, text messages, or low battery. It ensures that the application can handle these kinds of interruptions smoothly without crashing or losing any data. Interruption testing covers the  behavior of the application when a phone call comes in, when the device is in sleep mode, or when the network connection is lost. The main objective of interruption testing is to ensure that the application can handle interruptions smoothly without affecting the user experience.