As of October 2022, over 60% of people are mobile and tablet users, according to Statcounter. This means that most of the population prefers to use mobile phones and tablets over desktop computers. As the number of mobile users grows, so does their need for mobile applications.
There is an app for everything” is a common saying today, but the app market is very competitive, and users quickly discard most apps as they fail to attract and retain their customers. Mobile mobile automation testing is vital to ensure an app’s design is viable. The application should be manageable and easy to keep users interested. Therefore, developers must make the application user-friendly and validate its functionality by running mobile usability tests before deployment.
Conducting mobile app testing can be a daunting task. Instead of forcing teams to spend time learning technologies from scratch and reinventing the wheel, it is much more efficient to use mobile app testing services.
However, mobile app testing services are varied and diverse. This guide explains what to consider when choosing a mobile app testing service.
Why do companies use mobile automation testing services?
Here are some of the issues that drive companies to use mobile app testing services:
- Mobile app development is very time-consuming, and a small QA team will have to work hard and rush to test the mobile app thoroughly. It can be challenging to learn new technologies on the fly and test all aspects of an app without the help of a mobile app testing service that tracks everything and provides tools to make the testing process easier.
- Using paid mobile app testing tools can help save money. Purchasing certain tools individually or paying employees to work overtime to reinvent the wheel for app testing can be much more expensive than simply signing up for a mobile app testing service for the duration of a project.
- Experience and Skills. Developers may need to gain the experience or skills required to thoroughly test all aspects of an application thoroughly; hence, a QA team needs to be established. You can opt out of hiring, building, and managing your own QA team with mobile app testing services.
- OS/devices. It is impossible to test the many OS and mobile devices available without a mobile app testing service. Businesses need more resources or budget to buy actual devices and customize them with different features and operating systems. Using testing services to run such tests is more realistic.
- Many mobile app testing services simplify automated testing by providing access to more advanced tools and integration with various CI/CD tools and test automation frameworks, allowing developers to test and deploy their mobile applications seamlessly.
Why is it essential to select the right mobile app testing services?
Mobile app testing requires sophisticated technology that can be very expensive. Running tests on multiple OS and device combinations, automated testing, and other specialized tests for individual applications is a constant uphill battle. Luckily, many mobile automation testing service providers on the market can help.
Unfortunately, the fact that many mobile app testing services are available can also make it difficult for teams to choose the best service for their mobile app. To select the right service, the team must make a list of criteria the service provider must meet. For example, testing on real devices might be one requirement, but integrating with a specific CI/CD platform is another.
- Laboratory of real devices
Last year, the number of mobile devices grew from 14 billion in 2021 to around 15 billion in 2022. The number of devices is predicted to reach 15.96 billion this year and 18.22 billion by 2025. The growing smartphone market is making mobile apps even more important for consumers and businesses. However, device fragmentation is a major issue that requires mobile app developers to ensure that the app runs smoothly and consistently across different devices and platforms.
After understanding the severity of Android fragmentation and iOS fragmentation, it is necessary to perform cross-platform testing. Because an app is designed for a particular device platform, it may not match functionality on a different device platform due to differences in hardware, software, user settings, features, and environments that may exist on the user’s device.
Thus, knowing how extensive and well-filled the mobile app testing service’s real device lab is is very important. This can be a major deciding factor when choosing a service provider as it affects test coverage.
A real device cloud can go a long way with ant as it provides access to real Android and iOS devices, from legacy to the latest devices like the Google Pixel 7 and iPhone 14, for testing. It also allows QA to test various OS versions, including the latest ones, such as iOS 16.
- Technical support
When choosing a mobile application testing service provider, it is crucial to ensure that the service provider can provide proactive technical support in case of any problems. Customer support is an important deciding factor, especially if the team is facing a problem and cannot resolve it; having such specialized support can save you a lot of time when troubleshooting.
- CI/CD integration
Finding a mobile app testing service that supports the major CI/CD platforms used by app developers would make sense. If you choose a service provider that supports some other CI/CD environment than yours, migrating a project from one pipeline to another can take time and effort.
- Supports manual or automated testing
Ideally, it would be best if you looked for a mobile app testing provider that supports manual and automated testing. However, depending on the requirements of the application development team, it is a good idea to check if it supports manual or automated testing before subscribing to a mobile application testing service. Services can be very different, and the team must decide in advance whether they require only automated testing, only manual testing, or a combination of both. This can be an important deciding factor when choosing a testing service.
- Prices
One of the most vital criteria when choosing a supplier is the price. Some service providers have exorbitant prices. It would be wise to compare the prices and services offered by different providers before choosing the most suitable one according to the available budget.
Conclusion
Many customers uninstall slow apps that take up too much memory or are too clunky and difficult to use. Basic mobile app testing can easily prevent this loss of consumer trust and revenue. The problem is that companies often need to prepare to handle the sheer volume and complexity of mobile app testing. The entire ecosystem of mobile platforms, devices, and services can be overwhelming, and it’s nearly impossible to test a mobile app on your own thoroughly.
That’s why most organizations turn to mobile app testing services. While the list of criteria above can help you choose the right service provider, no matter which mobile app services you choose, it’s important to use a framework whether you choose manual or automated mobile app testing.
