Mobile Testing, where to start?

In the latest years, the percentage of users that uses the mobile device to check for information in the internet has being increasing really fast, as well, we can pretty much find an app for any task needed, this is why we must ensure that we are ready to avoid any mobile app crashes or layout inconsistencies, that were we need to apply the Mobile Testing.

When testing mobile applications we should consider 3 main scenarios:

• Mobile Web applications (Web sites that are opened on devices)
• Native Apps (applications developed for the devices, commonly Android and iOS)
• Hybrid (not as common as other 2 scenarios, but there are some cases where there is a mix between an app and a website)

Mobile testing items to be planned 

• Check for MOST used mobiles in the market (as well this will help us to test the device compatibility)
• Have in mind different mobile resolutions (the most popular breakpoints for mobile at this moment are around: 390 and 420 px)
• Consider different connections
• Consider GPS usage
• Consider memory and spacing

Items to be considered when Setting up the testing Environment for Mobile testing

• As regular testing, we should have a Test Plan, and Test Cases
• Set up the Testing Environment, even if we are using simulators and physical devices, we have now frameworks to work with mobile testing like: Appium, Calabash, or Espresso that will let us automate some features
• Performance and Security: test the performance of your mobile application under different load conditions, network speeds, and battery usage. Assess the application's responsiveness, resource consumption, and scalability. Additionally, perform security testing to identify vulnerabilities and protect user data

Extra Tip for mobile (iOS) Testing

- If you need to test several iOS platforms, when installing xCode, this can be done: in xcode, choose Window > Devices and Simulators. View and configure simulated devices from the Simulators tab.