The Importance Of Mobile App Testing

By Logan T Merrick

The main testing phase comes right after the app has been coded and right before the launch so it's understandable that mobile app developers don't want to spend too much time talking about it.

However, do me a favour: Take 5 minutes out of your day to check out the reviews on some of the apps in the app stores.

"90% of negative app reviews are related to bugs that weren't picked up prior to the launch."

That's no joke. Nothing kills an app faster than bugs. So I think we can agree that it's important to spend a decent amount of time testing the app throughout the whole process and then absolutely thrash the piece of software just as you feel that it might be ready. Just to ensure its robustness.

OK, enough jibber-jabber! How do you test a mobile app?

Systems and Integration Testing

We need to test a number of things including how the application and any connected technologies function when the mobile handset is put under strenuous conditions.

For example:

• Does it crash when you navigate through the screens at a hundred-miles-per-hour?
• Does it still work when there is a background function running (i.e. web browser)?
• How does it hold up under low batter conditions or when internet connectivity is low?

These tests and several others are absolutely vital in order to ensure that you are entering the market with a strong product.

Every app requires different tests depending on if it's connected to a database, etc. Game applications are by far the most dynamic applications to test and requires a specific process of testing. In fact, one of those tests is the actual playing of the game... not a bad job, eh.

The app may not pass the first time but if you run it through the cycle of tests a few times and make the necessary tweaks and changes, the app will eventually hold strong.

When over 100,000 users are using your app something is bound to come up, so it's important that as a mobile app developer (that's what you are, right?) you stay up to date with feedback from happy and angry users to ensure that you can fix any problems quickly.

There is no such thing as a spotless or issue free app, and to top it off, an update to the operating system can result in some unexpected crashes. Always be monitoring your apps.

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