Software Testing of Mobile Applications:Challenges and Future Techniques

Categories: EngineeringScience

Abstract

In the field of Mobile applications development for all the mobile applications that can be iOS/Android/Microsoft have to go through the testing so there are some pre define testing for all the platform but still there are some bug or failure are there in many of applications. As every day lots of new applications are coming so mobile app testing and quality assurance have become now very important part of the success of any applications due the different type of OS different type of applications version and also include type of the applications the testing is become more hard and complex issue there are two major reason behind this

  1. Very large no of the mobile devices with diverse feature and platforms and Different OS which are upgraded day by day
  2. Time and Cost factor and also complexity factor involves.

The paper describes the Challenges and Future Testing techniques that can be apply to small mobile applications so that future failure of the applications can be reduces.

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Introduction

The number of available apps in the Google Play Store was most recently placed at around 2.6 million apps in December 2018.While in the Apple’s App Store 2nd place after Play Store with 2 million available app.the fact behind that to develop mobile app is very easy as compare to the any computer based applications developments as well as their considerable prices are very low so that people can easily afford any app however most of the app are free in Play store mostly it is not the same case in the iOS and in Store there are mostly paid applications so that can be the reasons behind failure of the app an average generate revenue of 1.

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02US dollars per app in the Apple Store As one article revile that there are 3.6millions of app in the play store and there are 12% of the applications are there which is not contains good quality at all means there can bug or failure in the app which is available for the user so google has been removing applications from the google play store as it failure in the app to check that they so do so google add a flag to the all developers app that they need to give some details as it required so that they can know the developers continues involvements in the applications if developers fails to give any information than developers get waring to fill after that also they fail to give such details than google thoughts that developers lost interest towards this applications hence they remove more and more applications.

Types of Testing

Hardware Tesing

As name suggest hardware testing means there should be some hardware related testing so that if any applications try to acquire any hardware resources than that applications should not fails to get this hardware related testing because nowadays most of the applications asks for the hardware access from the uses of the mobile so that if there is not available hardware resources than might user think failure if the applications however it was the failure of the require hardware but the normal users use will not understand this so the most of the new applications will ask you before you start using normal will ask all the requirement hardware services access if user don’t want to give permission than may be applications will not work as it should be work this saved main applications to went into the failure there can be the example of the hardware resource is that WIFI, camera ,Screen size, Screen orientations, Resolutions, Space or memory in the mobile devices, Radio, Bluetooth and other hardware related services come sunder this.

Software Testing or Applicaions Testing

The applications that are work on mobile devices and tested under functional testing that is called “Mobile Applications Testing”. it’s different than the previous approach that where used traditionally now there made improvement the filed of testing of mobile applications as it gone more popular than any application may there can be questions arise that what is need to improve more in the field of testing or mobile applications development.

Even there are different type of the applications are available in the field of the mobile applications so that need to understand different type of the mobile applications that are available in the applications field.

  1.  Native Apps a native application created on the platform of the mobile and tablet users.
  2.  Mobile web Apps: are the server side app that enable to access the websites using browser that are as coded as normal website developed there is not involves that much of C# or Java coding only normal HTML, CSS, JS is used.
  3.  Hybrid Apps: it’s combination of the web app and native app most of the developers going toward to the hybrid applications developments

The various type of the applications is lead more complicated testing and also more costly.

There are few basic differences in the between these three types of the app are listed below:

  • A native app can be updated by play store or the App store while web app are centralize it is centrally update
  • Native app works faster than compare to the other web app or the Hybrid app due to platform likely.
  • Web app and Hybrid app are world wild openly available while Native app can be installing from play sore or the app store
  • Mobile web app not require any installations while in the native app require installation and memory space for the same.

The Significans of the Mobile Applications Testing

Testing no mobile applications harder than the testing simple web applications so there are some standards available to test our applications to save form the being crashes after launch in the any type of the store.

These are the main parameters behind the for the Testing

  • Difference range of the Mobile devices with different screen size and different type of the hardware configurations.
  • Most trending and developing technology of the development kit as well as feature are improved day by day.
  • There are different types of mobile operating system like Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, Blackberry etc.
  • Wide varieties of the mobile company like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Nokia, Vivo, oppo etc.

So there nee an applications testing because as we have seen there are various platform available without testing no developer can give surety that this applications will work properly also there is and investment of any client is involve so any developer or any company which is developing mobile applications they simply can not give applications to hand on with bug or error because of reputations of company.

Types of Mobile App Teting

There are some features available which are varies form the mobile applications to the desktop applications so there need some different approach to the testing of the mobile applications form the testing of the desktop applications.

Few obvious points are listed below that can be differentiate mobile app to the desktop applications.

  • On the desktop, the application is tested on a central processing unit. On a mobile device, the application is tested on handsets like Samsung, Nokia, Apple, and HTC.
  • Mobile applicaions that have different size also have screen size less than the desktop size so when Developers making UI with pixel is that SP or DP than need to keep this thing in the mind.
  • As we can identify that there is always less space in the mobile compare to the desktop or any computer.
  • In the fields of the applications there can be use of hardware requirements and network connectons that can be the 2g,3g,4g or WIFI where desktop use broadband or dial-up connections.
  • The automation tool used for desktop application testing might not work on mobile applications.

Usability Testing

This testing is little bit related to the black box testingle.in this usability testing main focus is on the user wish or the users want satisfactions by using this app is main motto so they more focused in user experiences.

Usability is something that help to identify without any guidance user should able to understand the flow of the applications and also there is not needed any software skill still if normal user can identify the flow easily or usability of the applications than that app can be successfully passed this test. Basically, this is something that need to read the client mind not staying only as thinking of the developer mind.

Why Usability Testing?

It performs test on interface along with user experiences and also the learnability, error, satisfaction.

Here writes example which focus more on “why we need to test usability testing”

Consider you have visited any applications which is provide information related to flite booking or online booking application but you were not identify the flow in which way to book your ticket than also you want find any filter system than also failure of applications possible also if it not contains any symbolic identifications which is more faster identifications rather than the informative details also there is some flow drive applications by default user identify which button should he may need to click in context of to do next task.

Some top Usability Testing tolls are available which are listed below.

Compatibility Testing

  • Testing device in the different types of OS mobiles and with different type of browser Compatibility and also with different types of the screen size.
  • Mobile compatibility testing refers to validating whether the under-test mobile app can work well on different mobile devices with various platforms, appliances and features, and in different environments.
  • Compatibility testing manly focus on 3 parameters compatibility problems: platform compatibility, device feature compatibility, and native API compatibility.

Device future Testing will describe that how to test hardware compatibility Testing. test different hardware feature of the mobile. Mobile devices have many hardware components, including: CPU, RAM, screen, net connection, camera, GPS, and etc. Each component has some different feature values, for examples, there are various screen sizes, such as: 5.5 inches, 5 inches, 4.5 inches, 4 inches, etc.

Native app compatibility means it should work with different types of API. These API programs may be some special hardware drivers, or interfaces of other software development kits.

Why is Mobile Compatibility Testing Important?

there are a great many applications in different markets, most versatile clients frequently utilize just around nine applications consistently Greater expenses of versatile similarity testing - Due to thousands sorts of cell phones, diverse portable stages, and different local APIs, Engineers need to invest a ton of energy and exertion on testing versatile similarity Frequent changes and upgrades of mobile devices and platforms - Mobile compatibility testing often must be redone on new mobile devices, or new versions of mobile platform and native APIs.

Mobile Compatibility Testing Scope and Focus

There is scope and focus are listed in the figure it self so these are the main focus of the compatibility test every stage has unique compatibility testing factors every factor is need to acquire some level of the testing so the application that are going to launch soon went success rather than give error or failure in the performances.

Generally, there is two types of the Compatibility testing 1st is Backward and 2nd is forward compatibility in the backward testing. Testing apply on older version of he same applications. While in the forward compatibility test check behaviour of the application so newer version available.

UI Testing

The UI(User Interface) Testing is related to screen or each activity and flow of the activity colour combinations and so many user communicate with activity that should be user friendly that testing done by UI Testing.

UI should be perfect for any type of the resolution or when comes to any size also still UI should not change it should be remaining good or should not spoil due to height and width in the pixel.

How to detect how much UI Testing is require is depends on how much % users available in the same filed of the filed in which you are developing any game so there can be risk reduces and get better success full version of the app.

Most of the successful company work on UI high with functional satisfied because at the end people will accept app with user friendly interface rather than any normal interface.

Taking Example of the top5 best UI based app like MI Smart home, Mobile UI, Spotify Music, Letgo: Buy and Sell and more many examples are than which has world best UI hence they have millions of the user.

Performance Testing

  • How applications performance under workload in the context of responsibility and scalability main goal is to remove unwanted issues related to the performance of the applications.
  • This test is performed to check whether the product meets the normal prerequisites for application speed, scalability , and stability.
  • This is one type of the Black Box Testing which also called as non-functional testing there is further type in the Performance Testing are listed Load testing, Stress Testing, Volume Testing, Capacity Testing, Scalability.
  • Load Testing: - Load testing is a kind of act test where the application is tried for its execution on typical and peak utilization. Execution of an application is checked concerning its reaction to the client demand and its capacity to react reliably inside an acknowledged resistance on various client/users loads.
  • Stress Testing: - Stress testing is used to find ways to break the system. The test also provides the range of maximum load the system can hold.
  • Volume Testing: - Volume testing is to check that the execution of the application isn't influenced by the volume of information that is being taken care of by the application. So as to execute a Volume Test, an immense volume of information is gone into the database. This test can be a gradual or consistent test. In the steady test, the volume of information is expanded progressively.

These are the above 8 steps in which test flow these area the activity in which testing is done and full fill the testing all the steps.

Other Testing Techniques

There are some other Testing techniques are also available which is dependent in area on which mobile applications working. If we take an example of the application which have not any internet requirement than we can neglect some this related testing.

Interface Testing

It includes components related to interface of applications it may related to the testing of the menu of app, buttons for flow driven, bookmarks, setting and navigations flow is most important feature.

Servicces Testing

Testing the services of the application online and offline.

Testing of memory utilization, auto-erasure of transitory documents, nearby database developing issues known as low-level asset testing.

Operational testing

Testing of backups and recovery plan if a battery goes down, or data loss while upgrading the application from a store.

Installing Testing

Installation testing (Implementation Testing) is quite an interesting part of software testing life cycle.mostly all the applications are installed in the specifically in the android devices that can be follow Android Runtime execute or Dalvik Virtual Machine in which your file get excecute in the form of .dex extension while in the ART(Android Run Time) that ART use concepr of AOT(Ahea of Time) in files where compiled beofore they demand by system.

Secuirty Testing

Testing an application to validate if the information system protects data or not.in the security testing there are pre define attacker techniques are available in which we check applications security.

Specially when there is Sensitive data of users are available in application than that applications should go through the Security Testing tools there are open source tools available for the security of the applications checks however it’s not for the every normal applications something where user sensitive data is not there than there is no use of the security testing while taking example of any banking application than in that case applications security is more highlighted features of applications.

Mobile App Teting Future Testig Strategy

Mobile apps are one of the fastest and frequently updated software for end-users and businesses alike, and therefore it needs steady testing and deployment. consequently, mobile test automation includes real business esteem for organizations all things considered

Maximize Mobile Test Automation Coverage

Due to failure % of the applications there is need to improve in the testing methods so that to do so company need to increase the range of the test Case which include all most possible case so best way to testing is going with paid or free open source testing plat form which has large number of the data set which we can use.

Need for Agile Development and Continuous Delivery Cycles

Mobile Apps are transforming into the backbone of business for some associations. Truth be told, the propensity to push a business dependent on a mobile application is developing quickly. In such conditions, customary models of mobile application improvement have ended up being deficient. Nimble Development cycles and constant conveyance and arrangements will transform into the most ideal route forward for most mobile application advancement extends in 2018. As Continuous Testing and Automation Testing in Agile is of extraordinary significance nowadays, it is fundamental to have Agile Testing procedures that assistance decrease testing endeavors, bringing about quicker conveyance cycles

Biometric Scanning

For a significant part of the previous decade, cell phones were opened with an on-screen PIN or an example, however as of late, biometric sensors are being utilized to open a gadget. To start with, it was the expansion of a unique mark sensor, and afterward a face acknowledgment sensor. A few telephones go the less expensive course of utilizing the selfie camera rather than a face sensor. This has suggestions on security, and ought to be cautiously executed. For instance, a face acknowledgment sensor could be subverted by utilizing an individual's photograph rather than the individual.

Conclusion

To improve quality of any applications that applications should gone through the testing then it should be in the user’s hand so that failure rate of the applications can be reduce and get better success in the field of applications developments. there are lots of free sources available for each and every testing.

References

  1. https://saucelabs.com/blog/future-advances-in-mobile-hardware-and-what-they-mean-for-mobile-testing
  2.  https://www.globalapptesting.com/blog/how-to-work-future-mobile-trends-into-your-development-strategy
  3.  https://testlio.com/blog/mobile-app-testing-trends-for-2019/
  4.  https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/best-usability-testing-tools/
  5.  https://www.mockplus.com/blog/post/best-app-design-2018
Updated: Feb 23, 2024
Cite this page

Software Testing of Mobile Applications:Challenges and Future Techniques. (2024, Feb 19). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/document/software-testing-of-mobile-applications-challenges-and-future-techniques

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