The global use of mobile devices has exploded in the recent decade. In 2040, Statista predicts that the number of smartphone users will exceed 1.5 billion. As a result, it’s easy to imagine the massive mobile app testing issues that present and future backend teams will encounter. 

The need for mobile applications has increased globally as a result of the rise in mobile devices. As a result, huge corporations are investing extensively in this area, necessitating the development of a more user-friendly mobile device cloud testing solution. Mobile testing has become more difficult as mobile software has grown in popularity. These issues arise frequently in the drive to develop apps effectively and accurately for a wide range of devices. 

These unique techniques must be dealt with by the QA department (e.g. Agile or DevOps). They put forth every effort to thoroughly test the apps before releasing them to the public. In an ever-changing business, QA mobile testing is becoming increasingly difficult. We’ll go over some of the most common testing app difficulties and how to address them in this article:

1. Device Fragmentation

Since the number of active devices running an app at any given time grows every year, device fragmentation is one of the most common mobile app testing difficulties. As testing teams must guarantee that these applications can be implemented not only across different operating systems (such as Android, iOS, Windows, and so on), but also across different versions of the same operating system, this might pose a substantial compatibility challenge (like iOS 5.X and 6.X). By utilizing a cloud-based mobile app testing solution, you can overcome this challenge. A cloud-based mobile app testing interface simplifies:

• With a single click, you can upload the app.
• Test the app on a variety of Android and iOS simulators.
• Keep an eye on the app’s quality.
• Count on the cloud for quick deliveries and more.

2. Diversity in Networks

Despite the fact that there are few network providers around the world, dispersion remains a problem. While network emulators can help with basic testing, it’s critical to also test on real networks. To save bandwidth expenditures using an instrumented test stack, most firms utilize device emulators with an operator’s test or web proxy.

Although cloud-based network testing services are fantastic, you may have to pay for distant carrier coverage. You can examine the following aspects when testing in a Wi-Fi network:

• What effect does varied Wi-Fi speeds, 3G or 4G networks, and poor signal strength have on the app?
• When you go from network to Wi-Fi or vice versa, what tends to happen?
• How does the app operate when you’re not connected to the internet?
• Examine the app’s performance in terms of low-level resource consumption, trash data creation, multi-user support, and encryption.

The testing team should address this issue by testing their apps and mobile websites in a variety of network situations to determine how long they take to respond in each case. This will greatly improve the efficiency of the process and the app’s long-term viability.

3. User experience and app performance issues

Since your users are accustomed to excellent UI/UX, even a wait of a second or more might be annoying. As a result, you must ensure that your mobile applications are error-free and provide a positive user experience that encourages users to return for more. Before they use an app, the majority of new customers check through old reviews and comments on forums. This is precisely why you should not distribute a substandard, error-prone product.

4. Large number of different operating systems.

Operating systems make it possible for apps to execute on a particular device, and each one has its own set of requirements. Even various versions of the same operating system have their own set of characteristics. Let’s imagine you have a web application; in addition to meeting the operating system’s needs, you must also consider browser versions. These are issues that QA testers must deal with.

Cross-device testing is a viable answer to this problem. You can use cross-device testing to check your mobile app’s consistency across different browsers and operating systems.

5. Changing user demands

The requirements of a mobile app may change depending on the client’s or the organization developing the app’s needs and interests. On day one, they may want a ‘Contact us’ button right on the landing page, but after a week, they may decide against it. These types of scenarios occur more frequently than you might think, but the reality is that they impede the development and testing processes.

The only consolation is that most of these changes are likely for the benefit, but they do provide a significant problem for mobile app testing. What are your plans for dealing with this problem? Working using agile testing, a dynamic application development strategy. Agile testing allows testers to rapidly go through a new feature and complete unit testing, as well as use CI/CD tools to help automate mobile app testing.

6. Usability

The way we deal with touchscreens is still growing, and if you want to make an app that people can pick up and use naturally, you’ll need to apply creative user interface design. Examine the app’s usability in addition to its functional qualities. In QA mobile testing, testing usability is more difficult to do. Understanding the difficulties of users when engaging with software can be challenging. The challenge is to cater to a diverse group of people.

Some devices can act as a link between the user and the software (it can be keyboard, screen readers). Test automation and screen readers both require functional interfaces from UI tool developers, making them difficult to deploy.

When testing, the tester is confronted with difficulties such as scalability and interactivity. It’s critical to use a representative sample to evaluate the app across multiple browsers and hardware platforms. 

Consider how important it is for the first encounter with the app to go as smoothly as possible. Testers will be able to detect and handle the app’s genuine issues by testing integration, interoperability, security, performance, and usability.

7. Matrix of enormous browsers

A browser matrix is a list of all the browsers you’ll be targeting, along with their various versions. Browsers are updated every few days, depending on how the company that creates them operates. For testers, this can be a nightmare because it implies that a browser they tested 10 days ago may behave radically differently today.

As a result, it’s critical that you keep up with browser updates and that you’re constantly up to current. You’ll need to run regular mobile app testing cycles or utilize a cross-browser testing tool for web apps and a similar online solution for native apps to do this.

8. High Battery Usage

Tests for high battery usage are part of mobile app testing. This is difficult since a really versatile program should be able to function on practically any battery without exhausting it. Unfortunately, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of battery-draining apps. As a result, mobile phone manufacturers all over the world began to provide more powerful batteries.

But, in the case of applications that continue to drain users’ batteries significantly, consumer unhappiness cannot be overlooked. One of the most difficult aspects of mobile app testing is ensuring that apps aren’t consuming excessive amounts of power. To maintain a fantastic user experience, it’s critical to keep battery drain to a minimum.

9. A large range of screen sizes

We also have another issue, which is a large variation of screen sizes, similar to the OS problem. Mobile firms utilize screen sizes as a marketing tool to attract new clients. Since most people watch movies on their phones these days, many people prefer phones with large screens. As a result, each mobile application should be built in such a way that it works on all mobile devices.

The mobile app should be designed with a flexible layout to assure that it doesn’t perform randomly on different screen sizes. There are special instructions for web apps on how to do this. Make sure the code is responsive to avoid any problems with the website’s rendering.

10. Conclusion

The market for mobile applications is overloaded. If you pick a random sector, you’ll find plenty of competitors competing for your attention. This raises the issue of getting it to market as quickly as feasible. Most app developers make the mistake of not going through the proper testing procedure to ensure that the app performs as planned.

The purpose of the preceding post was to present a comprehensive overview of the top 11 mobile app testing problems that technical teams face around the world. We’ve also attempted to investigate the most important solutions to the problems. Readers should keep in mind, however, that each challenge is unique to the team that faces it. As a result, it is best to continue your investigation and seek assistance as needed.

TestDel is a leading quality assurance company with over 5 years of experience in providing all testing-related services to ensure the successful delivery of programmes. Our principal focus is to provide end-to-end quality assurance services around the world to Software Development firms and end clients. Our test teams work with organizations across all industries to meet all testing challenges effectively.

We are experts in manual and automated testing for web, desktop, mobile, cloud, and cross-platform software solutions. We’re here to make sure platforms are tested thoroughly on time and within budget to improve how the software works for the people who use it. You can trust our team of experienced and highly qualified professionals from reputed technology and management institutions who are domain experts from various industries including IT, Telecom Retail, Aviation, Utility, and Banking. Please Contact Us for more information.