Mobile automation testing - Types, Trends, Pros & Cons Explained

"The future of mobile is the future of online. It is how people access online content now."

— David Murphy, Founder and Editor of Mobile Marketing Daily

There are 6.648 billion smartphone users in the world, and as a business owner, obviously, you don't want to upset the users over quality.

To our surprise, only 29% of the mobile app developers perform extensive mobile testing!

Therefore quality assurance has become the need of the hour, but still, many enterprises don't take it seriously! If an app is poorly constructed or developed, it will not be properly welcomed by the users.

This is where mobile automation testing comes in!

Let's take a deep look at the importance of mobile automation and how it can help you grow your business exponentially.

What is mobile automation testing?

Mobile app testing is one of the important steps that take place during mobile app development.

In this process, the mobile app is validated for various app features before it goes into the production phase.

Mobile applications are tested against various parameters, for instance, loading time, usability, user experience, accessibility etc.

However, mobile app testing can be automated and can be carried out using various automation testing tools.

Therefore, in layman's words, mobile app testing done using mobile automation testing tools is known as 'Mobile Automation Testing.'

Yes, it was no rocket science!

By leveraging this potent technology, businesses can grow multifold as they will be able to launch bug-free mobile apps quickly.

According to Statista, 32% of apps fail because very less time was allocated to testing. There are various parameters you can consider while testing.

But here, we have mentioned the certain types of mobile automation testing you can run to achieve high-quality results.

1. Scalability testing

Mobile testing is done to achieve high standards of effectiveness in order to avoid slugginess when there is a high user load.

2. Functional Testing

As a decision maker, keep in mind that only 4 out of 100 unhappy customers will share their feedback directly with the company.

Yes, customers' expectations are high, and once they leave, it becomes difficult to get them back. Therefore to give them a flawless user experience, you need to bear in mind usage scenarios like:

• Easy sign-up and login

• Proper rendering of push notifications

• Smooth app installation and launching

• Seamless payment gateways

These are not all usage scenarios, but yes, the important ones that you can keep in mind.

3. Interruption Testing

This type of mobile automation testing checks how an application will respond to unexpected interruptions. Some common interruptions are incoming calls, messages, device shutting down, low battery, etc.

Depending upon the reason for interruption, the application should pause and return back to the original state.

4. Speed Testing

53% of mobile users abandon the app if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. This means speed testing has become an evident part of mobile automation testing.

Now you know different types of mobile automation testing to ensure apps work flawlessly and perform well under various conditions.

But to achieve the highest standards of effectiveness and efficiency, mobile testing can be automated.

Automation does not only eliminate the mistakes manual app testing can commit but also help in producing high-quality products.

Here are some of the advantages of mobile automation testing:

1. Reduction in testing time

The foremost benefit of automated testing is a reduction in testing speed.

Manual testing usually takes a lot of time and human resources. Thanks to mobile automation frameworks, analysts can run an enormous number of tests in shorter durations.

2. Automation works as a companion in manual testing

In no sense, we don't want to say that mobile automation testing will replace manual testing. Automation testing is there to complement manual testing.

After the mobile automation testing tools do the initial grilling, a manual review is important, which is why the integration of automated and manual testing is important.

3. Short app development life cycle

The overarching benefit of automating the app development process is delivering apps soon. Automated testing helps to deliver rapid app development, which results in great quality and huge ROI.

4. A great review of complex check scenarios

Mobile automation testing validates various complex testing scenarios. The errors in complex testing scenarios can be overlooked while doing a manual test, but in the automated testing process, these tests can be carried out effectively.

5. No unnecessary costs

By using mobile automation testing, businesses can save a huge amount of money. The prior expense of setting up a mobile automation framework can be huge, but after building it, it not only simplifies the testing job but also reduces the cost.

Now let us elaborate on the typical challenges faced in the mobile automation industry in detail.

1. Effective collaboration between the team members is required

Let's face it; technology can never surpass the power of the human brain. Mobile testing can only be successful in a DevOps environment.

There should be an honest flow of feedback between the developers and the QA team.

2. Proper selection of mobile testing tools is important

For mobile automation testing to be effective, it is important to choose accurate automated testing solutions depending on the requirements.

3. A wrong automated test can lead to catastrophic repercussions

Automation only works well when the QA team knows which test needs to be automated and how the chosen test scenario effectively represents the essential user segment.

For carrying out effective mobile automation testing, you need to pursue the cupid! So that he can match you with your perfect mobile testing framework.

Here we mentioned the best mobile automation testing tools:

1. APPIUM

Appium is a popular open-source mobile automation testing tool. It is a mobile automation testing tool that uses selenium web driver protocol and supports both narrative and hybrid mobile apps.

Appium testing does not require source code access and offers more extensive support.

2. Frank

One tool that has made it to our mobile automation testing tools list is Frank. It allows the users to write structured acceptance tests and then execute them perfectly against your IOS app. It includes a powerful app inspector called Symbiote.

3. Robotium

Robotium is the best mobile automation testing tool for android apps. It is an open-source mobile automation framework that helps to write robust automation test scripts for android apps.

4. SeeTest

SeeTest is a leading mobile automation testing tool that supports android, IOS, blueberry and windows phones. Moreover, it also supports image and object-based recognition and provides its own reporting mechanism with video recording and a screenshot of tests executed.

5. Eggplant

EggPlant performs object-based testing on IOS and android apps. It uses mobile webdriver commands and functions to perform tests and has user-friendly syntax.

EggPlant mobile automation framework provides an integrated debugging environment.

The mobile application market is projected to generate revenue of $613 billion by 2025. With 89.2% of users spending time on mobile apps and 54.8% of website traffic coming from mobile devices, there is no room for your business to offer a poor user experience.

Here are mobile automation testing trends to let you know what lies ahead and develop effective strategies.

1. AI and ML-based testing will significantly improve test quality

Poor testing quality is still a challenge for various organizations. Fortunately, to get great results, AI and ML both can enhance the quality and speed of your testing strategies.

ML algorithms can analyze test data and give insights into diagnosing the reasons for test failure, whereas AI can mimic human interactions with your app and report bugs.

2. Security testing will increase

Cyber Crimes are increasing at an alarming rate; therefore, it poses a risk to your business. There have been reported cases of bot attacks, post-login and transaction frauds, and they will continue to rise in 2022.

Therefore, to stay ahead of them, rigorous security testing needs to be carried out.

3. Low-code and scriptless test automation will gain traction

Low-code automated testing is a popular option in mobile testing as it allows non-tech testers to automate the tests.

Taking feedback from those who have great knowledge of your customer base but lack coding experience can give you great insights into the issues.

With this, we have come down to the end of our blog. Businesses will continue to demand quality as they don't want to compromise with their customer base.

Well, it can be achieved by leveraging mobile automation testing tools and getting benefits like fast speed, reduction in manual testing, delivery of quality products, etc.

Hopefully, we were able to enlighten you with all the important knowledge you need to understand the technical buzzword 'mobile automation testing.

If you are looking for a trustable mobile application testing partner to grow your business multifold, then Toobler is the best choice. We help you with application modernization, application migration, custom web app development, cloud-native app development, etc.

At Toobler, we have an amazing and skilled team of developers and quality analysts who are experts at their job. Talk to our experts today.