Mobile Testing & QA Tools – Should I be using automation?

Posted on
Mobile Testing & QA Tools

mobile-headerI am not going to answer the above question as there is not right answer but hope to have a conversation that will help answer for those asking. With the smartphone revolution upon us and the multitude of applications being released on a daily basis there is an increasing need for tools and automation to test all of these mobile applications. We are partnering and continuously vetting out tools for our customers.  One thing I can see now after 8 years in this space is that there is not one tool that is perfect or that can be called the best.  This is because it highly depends on the application.

Some questions are:

  • What parts of the app can be tested through automation?
  • Is location relevant?
  • 2G, 3G, Wifi, LTE or is connectivity available?
  • Does usability need to be tested?
  • Is this an enterprise or consumer app
  • How important is security
  • Does the backend need to be stress tested?

These are only some questions – please feel free to add more.

I have seen the tools fall into 3 categories with each one having a multitude of solutions:

  • Crowd Testing
  • Remote access to devices
  • Mobile QA / Test automation

Mobile Testing – Automation or Manual

Posted on
Mobile Testing – Automation or Manual

Posted by Perry Nalevka on 

mobile-application-testing1-300x222

In previous posts we wrote that there is not enough testing being done in the mobile space but we see that the trend is changing as more outsource vendors (like us) are offering Mobile QA as a service.  The next problem I am seeing is that most testing being done today is manual which creates a lot of delay in today’s agile development world.  Although some manual testing will always be needed there is definitely room for more automation.  What’s driving more a more companies toward test automation is also the ever shrinking release cycle they’re facing for their mobile apps. Whether it’s a mobile web app which can see multiple versions per day, or a native/hybrid app which can be released any other week, the need for continuous feedback is critical.