Mobile app testing Introduction:
Mobile app testing is an important process that is followed prior to the launch of the app. It not only ensures that the app is totally free from any kind of bugs but is also reliable, secure & adheres to the required functional specifications. The mobile app testing process is basically testing of a mobile application for its usability, functionality, quality, performance, compatibility, and safety. The choice of testing tool depends upon the type of app i.e. different testing tools are required due to the code difference between native and hybrid apps. The increasing demands for quality at speed compel testers to test mobile apps faster than ever.
More than half of the worldwide e-commerce traffic comes from Smartphones alone and the mobile app industry is growing rapidly. Accompanied by new and advanced technologies, the mobile app testing trends in 2024 will transform the future of mobile apps and will help quality analysts a lot. These trends are:
Top Mobile App Testing Trends
1. Performance engineering in place of performance testing
The most successful apps in the market have an excellent user experience (UX) and switching from performance testing to performance engineering is much better to enhance UX. Performance engineering provides more flexibility to app testers for automating testing processes and ensures that all the components of the network are working as per the specifications. It focuses on the app architecture, app implementation, and minimizes the app development cost while meeting performance specifications on time. Performance engineering analyzes all the factors and chooses the best one to deliver a high-quality product. It also has a positive effect on return on investment (ROI).
2. Merge Agile and DevOps
DevOps is a set of practices used to test and deliver reliable software as fast as possible. It also facilitates a proper collaboration between the development and testing teams. The top DevOps tools in 2024 are Git. Gradle, Jenkins, Docker, and Bamboo. Agile and DevOps quality assurance practices are performed simultaneously with software development lifecycle (SDLC). Thus Quality Analysts (QA) do not have to wait for the final product to be tested but they test the code that is available at the moment. These procedures enable the app development teams (such as team augmentation agile) to speed up continuous delivery and continuous integration.
3. More usage of open source tools
“The more eyes, the rocking result”. This is the reason open-source have reformed the work atmosphere of QA professionals. Open source testing tools not only provide a cheap alternative but they are extremely flexible and cover the testing of all kind of mobile apps i.e. Android, iOS, Windows, and Hybrid apps. Most of the open source tools include the code libraries for any programming language and they are also customizable and adjustable to modifications in the technological landscape. Due to these benefits, most of the IT companies avail open source services for implementing test management and automation.
4. Adoption of AI in app testing
Machine learning (ML), a part of Artificial Intelligence (AI), continues to be used for mobile app testing in 2024. It has revolutionized the global mobile app testing scenario by enhancing the processes and workflows of the testing cycle. ML has a lot of contribution in the predictive analysis of test cases and is also used to carry out log analytics i.e. identifying the test cases that require to be executed automatically. Moreover, it also identifies the weaker points of the app. AI powers bots perform better crash tests/ exploratory tests much faster than human beings. ML algorithms quickly navigate through the app, detect issues, and provide the necessary fix recommendations in the quality reports.
5. Recognition of IOT
Internet of Things (IOT) grows alongside technology advancements and so are the security threats. For this reason, QA engineers should be well-versed in performing both static and dynamic testing of IOT devices. Just like the popularity of ML algorithms in app testing, IOT is also getting popular with the increase in the number of devices connected to the internet. IOT testing applies to IOT based devices to test for data validation integrity (user authentication and data privacy), and the usability & compatibility of the IOT system. The products are tested for functionality and security by using IOT tools like integration testing.
6. Impact of 5G Network
The fifth generation of mobile networks in smartphones offers the highest bandwidth for downloads and uploads, high speed, and better security than ever. The number of 5G connections is estimated to be around 20 to 100 million by 2024. The enhanced mobile broadband enables rich media apps and 360- degree video streaming. So the top automation testing and monitoring tools are needed to test the 5G powered mobile apps by inspecting the efficiency of the network.
7. Cloud based testing
The latest trends reveal that the focus is more in developing cloud mobile apps to ensure high productivity at minimum operational costs. By using AWS Device Farm services, you can test and improve the quality of mobile applications in real time. The development of cloud based apps has gained popularity so cloud based testing is required for cloud mobile apps.
8. Brief delivery cycle
The improvements in technologies and mobile devices compel the app developers to shorten the delivery cycle and choose the right mobile app testing tools accordingly.
9. Combination of manual testing and automation
Both these practices have been followed in the past and are carried further in 2024 because of the mutual benefits of both types of testing. Manual testing which usually dominates in the areas of app usability and UI/UX will go simultaneously with the efficiency of mobile automation.
Conclusion:
The market of mobile app development is increasing every year along with the number of smartphone users. The enhancements in mobile devices can also be a challenge for QA professionals. The app developers and testers must be updated with the new technologies introduced every year. With the help of above mentioned latest trends for mobile app testing, quality analysts will be able to test the apps in a better manner ensuring app reliability and safety.
