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What is Android App Bundle?

The Android App Bundle (AAB) is an innovative app publishing format introduced by Google to enhance the development, distribution, and user experience of Android applications. Unlike traditional APKs (Android Package Kits), which are directly installed on user devices, the App Bundle is a more efficient .aab file that contains all necessary resources, assets, and code. Google Play processes this bundle to generate optimized APKs tailored to individual devices, ensuring a smaller app size and improved delivery efficiency. 

 

Think of the App Bundle as a dynamic and modular container that allows developers to streamline app building while providing users with a customized, lightweight experience. 

Key Features of Android App Bundle

1. Dynamic Delivery 

App Bundles utilize Google Play’s Dynamic Delivery system, ensuring that users only download the necessary resources for their specific device configurations, such as screen density, CPU architecture, and language packs. This eliminates unnecessary bloat, making app downloads faster and more efficient. 

 

2. On-Demand Features 

With Dynamic Feature Modules, developers can provide optional features that users can install later instead of bundling everything at once. This reduces the initial download size, enhances flexibility, and improves the overall user experience by allowing users to personalize their app features. 

 

3. Smaller App Size 

By excluding unnecessary resources, App Bundles significantly reduce the app’s overall size. This is especially beneficial for users with limited storage capacity as they no longer need to download assets that are irrelevant to their device. Reduced app size also improves installation speed and performance. 

 

4. Google-Managed App Signing 

Google Play manages the signing of APKs generated from the App Bundle, ensuring security and seamless updates. This eliminates the need for developers to manually handle key management, reducing the risk of key loss or compromise and ensuring app integrity. 

 

5. Backward Compatibility 

App Bundles are compatible with devices running Android Lollipop (API level 21) and above. This means developers can adopt the AAB format without worrying about excluding users with older Android versions, making it a flexible solution for app distribution. 

Benefits of Android App Bundle (.aab)

    • Simplified Development & Deployment: Developers write less code and push apps to the Play Store more efficiently without needing to manage multiple APKs. The streamlined build process helps reduce complexity.

       

    • Storage Optimization: Users save storage space by downloading only the required APKs instead of a monolithic file, making the app more space-efficient.

       

    • Uncompressed Native Libraries: On Android 6.0 and above, app bundles store uncompressed native libraries inside APKs rather than the user’s device, reducing both download size and disk usage.
       
    • Efficient Feature Management: Users can install functions on demand rather than downloading all features during the initial installation, providing a tailored experience.

       

    • Easier Build & Release Management: Developers no longer need to build and maintain multiple APK variants for different device configurations, saving time and effort in the release cycle. 

How Android App Bundle Works

The Android App Bundle leverages Google Play’s Dynamic Delivery system to generate and distribute optimized APKs specific to each user’s device. This eliminates unnecessary data, reducing app size and enhancing performance. 

1. Split APK Mechanism 

The App Bundle acts as a container file (.aab) that includes all app resources. Google Play then breaks it down into smaller modular APKs tailored for individual devices. Instead of downloading a large, universal APK, users receive only the parts necessary for their device. 

Example: 

    • A device supporting only English with a 1080p display will receive APKs specific to that language and resolution. 
    • A different device configuration will get a customized APK set accordingly, reducing unnecessary file storage.

2. Types of APKs Generated 

             a) Base APK 

    • Contains core app functionality, shared resources, and permissions. 
    • Serves as the foundation for all other APKs and ensures the app can function without additional modules.

      b) Configuration APKs

    • Address device-specific factors such as screen density, CPU architecture, and language settings. 
    • Help reduce unnecessary app components on a user’s device, optimizing space utilization.

      c) Dynamic Feature APKs

    • Offer additional functionality on demand, reducing initial app size. 
    • Example: A banking app might provide an optional budgeting tool that users can download when needed, preventing unnecessary storage usage.

3. Dynamic Delivery by Google Play 

    • Google Play processes the bundle and splits it into modular APKs. 
    • The system identifies the user’s device specifications and delivers only the necessary APKs. 
    • Users receive a personalized, efficient download experience tailored to their needs.

4. Security & App Signing 

    • Developers upload an unsigned .aab file to Google Play. 
    • Google Play securely signs APKs before distributing them to users. 
    • Ensures app integrity, preventing tampering and unauthorized modifications.

5. Key Technologies Behind App Bundles 

    • Bundletool: A command-line tool that converts App Bundles into APKs for testing and deployment. 
    • Play Core Library: Enables dynamic feature downloads, in-app updates, and app bundle-specific functionalities to enhance flexibility and modularity. 

Android Application Bundle Format

An Android App Bundle (.aab) is an upload format for Google Play that organizes app resources into modules. Google Play then generates multiple APKs based on this structure. 

Android app bundle

App Bundle’s Key Directories:

  • Base/, feature1/, feature2/ – Contain different modules of the app.
  • Bundle-Metadata/ – Stores metadata files like ProGuard mappings and DEX file listings, ensuring optimization.
  • Manifest/, DEX/ – Separate directories store the AndroidManifest.xml and compiled DEX files.
  • res/, libs/, assets/ – Optimized for device-specific APK generation, reducing redundancy.
  • root/ – Contains files later relocated to the root of any APK.

How to Deploy an App Bundle

Unlike APKs, App Bundles cannot be directly installed on devices. Instead, developers upload a signed .aab file to Google Play, which then builds and signs APKs for distribution via Dynamic Delivery.

Testing Your App Bundle with Google Play Internal Test Track

To generate and upload a signed app bundle:

      1. Select Build > Generate Signed Bundle/APK in Android Studio.
      2. Choose Android App Bundle and click Next.
      3. Select the base module and provide keystore credentials.
      4. (Optional) Check Export Encrypted Key for Google Play App Signing.
      5. Specify a Destination Folder, choose a Build Type, and click Finish.
      6. Upload the signed .aab file to the Google Play Console.

Testing Your .aab File on Pcloudy

Pcloudy supports the .aab format, allowing developers to upload and test their App Bundles on real devices in the cloud. This ensures smooth functionality before releasing the app to users, making it a crucial step in the testing phase.

Conclusion

The Android App Bundle is a game-changer for app development and distribution. By optimizing APKs for individual devices, reducing app size, and streamlining feature management, AAB improves the overall efficiency of Android app publishing. Developers benefit from simplified build management, while users enjoy faster downloads and reduced storage consumption, leading to higher app adoption rates.

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Mobile apps have become indispensable in our daily lives, serving as tools for everything from communication to entertainment. However, many apps come with a frustrating downside: battery drain. Users quickly uninstall apps that consume excessive power, making battery performance a top priority for developers and QA teams. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of battery drain testing, effective methods for testing battery consumption, and how platforms like Pcloudy can streamline the process. 

Why battery testing is Essential:

Battery life is one of the most critical factors influencing the user experience and overall app retention. In a world where smartphones act as a lifeline for everything—from communication and entertainment to navigation and health tracking—users expect their devices to last longer on a single charge. If an app is consuming excessive battery, users are quick to uninstall it and move to a competitor. 

Top 10 smart phone purchase drivers

The need for battery testing goes beyond just preventing app uninstalls. It also impacts brand perception, user engagement, and overall app performance. Here’s an in-depth look at why battery testing is essential for mobile apps: 

1. Prevents User Uninstalls and Negative Reviews

Mobile users are highly sensitive to resource-heavy apps. A poorly optimized app that drains the battery will likely result in negative app reviews, reduced ratings, and eventual uninstalls. Studies indicate that users uninstall apps that: 

    • Cause a noticeable drop in battery life. 
    • Overuse background processes. 
    • Trigger frequent notifications that wake the device unnecessarily. 

Why it matters: 

A single negative review highlighting excessive battery usage can deter hundreds of potential users. On the other hand, optimizing battery usage improves user satisfaction and encourages positive feedback. 

2. Improves App Performance and Responsiveness

Battery drain is often associated with excessive CPU and memory usage caused by inefficient processes, such as: 

    • Running frequent background tasks. 
    • Continuously accessing location services or sensors. 
    • Repeatedly syncing data with servers. 

By testing for battery consumption, developers can identify and resolve these inefficiencies, leading to a more responsive and lightweight app. 

Why it matters: 

When apps are optimized for resource consumption, they perform smoother, load faster, and are less prone to crashes—leading to a better user experience. 

3. Enhances Brand Reputation and Trust

Apps that are known to consume minimal battery build trust among users. A reputation for delivering resource-efficient apps can significantly enhance a brand’s credibility and increase user loyalty. 

Why it matters: 

Users are more likely to recommend apps that don’t compromise their device’s performance. Conversely, an app infamous for draining the battery can tarnish the brand’s reputation. 

4. Supports Compatibility Across Different Devices

There are thousands of different smartphone models with varying hardware capabilities, operating systems, and power optimizations. An app that performs well on a flagship device might behave differently on mid-range or budget devices. 

Why it matters: 

Battery testing ensures that the app behaves consistently across different devices, regardless of hardware limitations. Testing across multiple devices prevents issues that could disproportionately affect certain user segments. 

5. Ensures Efficient Use of Device Components

Apps often interact with device components such as GPS, Bluetooth, cameras, and sensors. These components are major contributors to battery consumption, especially when used inefficiently. 

Why it matters: 

By conducting battery tests, developers can identify areas where the app uses hardware unnecessarily (e.g., keeping GPS active even when not needed) and implement optimizations to reduce energy consumption. 

6. Improves Compatibility with Wearables and IoT Devices

With the rise of wearable technology, IoT devices, and connected ecosystems, mobile apps often communicate with external devices. These integrations can place additional demands on battery life. 

Why it matters: 

Battery testing ensures that apps remain power-efficient when interacting with wearables (e.g., smartwatches), Bluetooth devices, or smart home systems. This is crucial for providing a seamless, long-lasting user experience. 

7. Supports Compliance with App Store Guidelines

Both Google Play and the Apple App Store emphasize app performance, including battery efficiency. Apps that are flagged for excessive resource consumption may face penalties, such as removal from the app store or poor visibility. 

Why it matters: 

By proactively testing and optimizing battery usage, developers can ensure their apps comply with app store guidelines, maintaining app visibility and discoverability. 

8. Enhances Enterprise Applications and Workforce Productivity

For enterprise apps used by field teams, healthcare workers, or logistics personnel, battery consumption can directly impact productivity. If the app consumes too much power, it can limit the user’s ability to work efficiently throughout the day. 

Why it matters: 

Efficient battery usage in enterprise apps ensures that workers can rely on their mobile devices for an entire workday without constant recharging, improving operational efficiency. 

9. Boosts User Engagement and Retention

Apps with optimized power consumption are more likely to remain installed and used regularly. Battery efficiency can directly impact how frequently users interact with an app and whether they keep it installed. 

Why it matters: 

By addressing battery drain issues early in the development process, developers can create apps that users engage with more frequently, leading to higher retention rates. 

10. Addresses Evolving Consumer Expectations

As technology advances, consumers have grown more aware of resource consumption and expect their favorite apps to be optimized for performance and battery life. 

Why it matters: 

Regular battery testing ensures that your app keeps pace with user expectations, building trust and maintaining competitiveness in the app marketplace. 

Key Battery Testing Scenarios

Battery consumption can vary significantly depending on how the app is used. Here are some key scenarios to consider during testing: 

    • Active usage: Measure the battery drain when the app is in active use. 
    • Background operations: Track the battery usage when the app runs in the background. 
    • Idle state: Assess how much power the app consumes when idle with minimal interactions. 
    • Heavy feature use: Monitor battery drain during resource-intensive tasks like video playback, GPS navigation, or data syncing. 

How to Test Battery Consumption for Android Apps

Testing battery consumption requires both a systematic approach and the right tools. Below are steps to measure battery usage effectively: 

1. Battery Test Flow 

    • Record the battery level before starting the test. 
    • Enable features like location services, data syncing, and streaming, if applicable. 
    • Monitor battery consumption while performing these tasks. 
    • Observe how the app behaves in the background and whether it sends unnecessary analytics or data. 

2. Testing from a User Perspective 

Real-world conditions significantly impact battery performance. Test under: 

    • Diverse network conditions (Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, roaming). 
    • Different device types and operating systems. 
    • Varying battery health states to simulate real-life scenarios. 

3. Using Real Devices 

Android’s OS fragmentation across OEMs makes it crucial to test on multiple real devices. Device labs or cloud-based platforms, such as Pcloudy, can help simulate these environments efficiently. 

Tools for Battery Testing 

Several tools can assist in monitoring and analyzing battery consumption: 

1. Android Studio Profiler 

A built-in tool for real-time monitoring of CPU, memory, and battery usage. 

2. Battery Historian 

This tool provides detailed insights into battery consumption patterns, highlighting resource-heavy processes. 

3. Third-Party Tools 

    • GSam Battery Monitor: Tracks app power usage and resets testing cycles without draining the battery completely. 
    • Clean Master: Provides instant alerts for excessive CPU or battery usage. 

Why Use Pcloudy for Battery Drain Testing

Pcloudy offers a comprehensive platform for battery consumption testing on real devices. Here’s how it helps: 

    • Real-Time Monitoring: Track battery, CPU, memory, and data consumption in one place. 
    • Diverse Device Coverage: Access a vast range of Android devices to ensure compatibility and performance across different models. 
    • Comprehensive Functional Testing: Test all critical and non-critical app workflows while monitoring resource consumption. 

Conclusion

Battery drain testing is no longer optional; it’s a vital step in delivering apps that users trust and love. By focusing on optimizing battery consumption, developers can enhance user satisfaction, retention, and brand loyalty. Tools like Pcloudy make it easier to test across diverse devices, ensuring your app meets user expectations and marketplace standards. 

Ready to optimize your app’s battery performance? Discover how Pcloudy can help you deliver power-efficient apps. 

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Mobile App Testing Challenges: A Comprehensive Guide

The mobile market has seen exponential growth over the past decade, largely driven by the mobile application industry. With more than 3.5 billion smartphone users worldwide, mobile apps have become an integral part of our daily lives. This booming sector is expected to generate over $189 billion in revenue by 2020 through app stores and in-app advertising, and the demand shows no signs of slowing down. As mobile apps become more ubiquitous, the competition to create unique, high-performing apps has intensified.

Yet, as apps grow more complex and diverse, so do the challenges faced in ensuring their quality. Mobile app testing plays a pivotal role in meeting these challenges, especially as the industry evolves at a rapid pace. Below, we explore the common issues in mobile app testing and offer solutions to ensure apps remain competitive, reliable, and user-friendly.

1. Device Fragmentation: The Complexity of Multiple Devices

One of the most significant challenges in mobile app testing is device fragmentation. With countless manufacturers, models, operating systems, and screen sizes, testing across all devices is a daunting task. Android alone has a wide range of OS versions, with older versions still in circulation despite new releases. This fragmentation means that an app may perform flawlessly on one device but crash on another.

The Challenge

  • Operating System Fragmentation: Apps must function across multiple operating systems, such as Android and iOS. Even within these operating systems, there are variations in performance and compatibility across different versions (e.g., Android 10 vs. Android 12).
  • Device Variability: Different devices have varying processing capabilities, screen sizes, and resolutions, all of which can affect app performance.

The Solution

Testing on a range of real devices is the best way to ensure compatibility. This is where cloud-based platforms like Pcloudy come in. Pcloudy offers access to real devices with varying OS versions and configurations, allowing testers to check how their app behaves across multiple devices without needing physical access to each one.

Pro Tip: It’s crucial to prioritize testing on the most popular devices and operating systems to maximize your app’s reach.

2. Network Conditions: Testing for Real-World Scenarios

In today’s connected world, apps must perform well across a variety of network conditions. However, this introduces another layer of complexity in mobile app testing. Network issues, such as low bandwidth or weak signal strength, can drastically affect an app’s performance, leading to poor user experiences. According to studies, 53% of users will uninstall an app if it crashes, freezes, or has performance issues.

The Challenge

  • Network Fluctuations: Users frequently switch between Wi-Fi and cellular networks, both of which offer different speeds and signal strengths.
  • Latency and Packet Loss: Poor network conditions can lead to latency issues, dropped packets, or complete loss of connectivity, which can make even the best-designed apps frustrating to use.

The Solution

Testing apps under real-world network conditions is essential to ensure that they perform smoothly, even under poor network environments. Pcloudy offers network simulation tools that enable testers to replicate varying network conditions, from weak 2G signals to high-speed 5G or Wi-Fi, on real devices.

Pro Tip: Regularly test your app’s performance in low-bandwidth scenarios to ensure seamless user experiences in all conditions.

3. Choosing the Right Tools: Making or Breaking Mobile App Testing

The choice of testing tools can significantly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of mobile app testing. There are numerous tools available in the market, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Selecting the right one based on your app type (native, hybrid, or web) and testing needs is critical.

The Challenge

  • Tool Overload: The number of tools available can be overwhelming. Each offers different features for automation, debugging, performance monitoring, and security testing.
  • Incompatibility: Not all tools are suitable for every app type. For instance, some may work well for native apps but not for hybrid or web-based apps.

The Solution

To navigate this landscape, it’s crucial to evaluate tools based on your specific app requirements. Pcloudy supports a wide range of automation tools, such as Appium, Espresso, and Selenium, making it easier for teams to test apps across multiple environments.

Consider the following when evaluating tools:

  • App Type: Your chosen tool should support native, hybrid, and web-based apps.
  • Cross-Platform Support: Ensure that the tool supports Android, iOS, and other potential operating systems like Windows.
  • Cloud Integration: Leveraging cloud platforms for test automation allows teams to access devices and results from any location, improving collaboration and efficiency.

4. Screen Size Variations: Ensuring Consistency Across Devices

Mobile devices come in various screen sizes, and ensuring that your app displays correctly on all of them can be challenging. Apps that look perfect on a large-screen phone may appear cluttered or disjointed on a smaller device.

The Challenge

  • Pixel Density: Different devices have varying pixel densities, which can affect the sharpness and clarity of app content.
  • Layout Adjustments: App elements need to adjust dynamically to fit various screen sizes without compromising user experience.

The Solution

Adopt responsive design principles to create adaptable UI layouts. This approach ensures that your app looks good on all screen sizes, from small smartphones to large tablets. Testing your app on real devices of varying screen sizes is crucial, and platforms like Pcloudy allow for testing on multiple screen configurations to ensure a seamless experience.

Pro Tip: Focus on adaptive designs rather than pixel-perfect layouts, as adaptive designs scale more effectively across different screen sizes.

5. Types of Mobile Apps: Native, Hybrid, and Web

Mobile apps come in three main forms: native, hybrid, and web-based apps. Each type requires a unique approach to testing.

The Challenge

  • Native Apps: Developed for specific platforms (iOS or Android), native apps tend to offer better performance but require separate testing for each platform.
  • Hybrid Apps: These apps combine elements of native and web apps. While easier to develop and maintain across platforms, they often face performance and compatibility issues.
  • Web Apps: Running in browsers, web apps must be tested across multiple browsers and operating systems, making compatibility a primary concern.

The Solution

Each app type comes with its own set of testing challenges, and it’s essential to customize your testing strategy accordingly. Pcloudy supports testing for all three app types, allowing teams to ensure that their apps meet the required standards of performance, usability, and functionality.

6. AI-Powered Test Automation: The Future of Mobile Testing

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing mobile app testing by automating complex testing tasks, generating test cases, and predicting defects. AI-driven testing can significantly reduce time and effort, allowing testers to focus on more critical aspects of app development.

The Challenge

  • Resistance to Change: Many teams are still reliant on traditional testing methods, hesitant to adopt AI-powered testing solutions.
  • Implementation Complexity: Integrating AI testing into existing workflows can be challenging without the right expertise or tools.

The Solution

AI-powered test automation, like the solutions offered by Pcloudy, helps automate repetitive tasks such as regression testing, bug detection, and performance analysis. AI-driven bots can create test cases, execute tests, and analyze results, enabling faster releases and higher accuracy.

Pro Tip: Embrace AI-based testing early to stay ahead of the competition. Automating repetitive tests frees up resources for more creative problem-solving.

7. Security and Compliance Testing: Safeguarding Data and Trust

In an era where data privacy and security are of paramount importance, ensuring that your app is secure and compliant with regulations is vital. The increasing number of cyberattacks and data breaches highlights the need for robust security testing.

The Challenge

  • Security Vulnerabilities: Apps are often vulnerable to attacks such as data leaks, insecure storage, and unauthorized access.
  • Compliance Regulations: Apps must comply with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, depending on the region and industry.

The Solution

Incorporate security and compliance testing into your QA process. Test for data encryption, authentication, and security vulnerabilities. Pcloudy offers features like biometric authentication testing and encrypted device communication to ensure that your app meets the highest security standards.

Pro Tip: Regularly update your app’s security protocols to keep up with emerging threats and regulations.

8. Usability Testing: Ensuring a Seamless User Experience

Usability testing focuses on how user-friendly your app is, evaluating its ease of navigation, intuitive design, and overall user experience.

The Challenge

  • User Expectations: As mobile users grow more tech-savvy, they expect apps to be easy to use and navigate.
  • Cross-Platform Usability: Usability can differ across iOS and Android devices due to interface design differences.

The Solution

Conduct usability testing on real devices to gather feedback from real users. Cloud-based platforms like Pcloudy allow for real-device usability testing, providing insights into the app’s user experience across different devices and operating systems.

9. Battery Usage: Avoiding Power-Hungry Apps

Battery consumption is a critical factor that can impact app usage and customer retention. An app that drains battery quickly is likely to be uninstalled by users.

The Challenge

  • Performance Optimization: Apps that use GPS, background processes, or frequent notifications can quickly drain battery power.
  • Device-Specific Impact: Battery usage can vary across devices, especially those with older hardware.

The Solution

Test for battery efficiency on various devices using real-device cloud testing environments like Pcloudy. Analyze how your app consumes battery power and optimize where needed to ensure it runs smoothly without excessive battery drain.

10. Memory Leaks: Preserving Device Performance

Memory leaks occur when an app uses excessive memory, causing performance issues like slowdowns or crashes. This can lead to a poor user experience, especially on devices with limited resources.

The Challenge

  • Resource Management: Apps need to manage memory effectively to avoid crashing or slowing down the device.
  • Device-Specific Issues: Memory management can vary depending on the device’s hardware.

The Solution

Implement memory profiling tools during your app’s development and testing phases. Regularly test your app on different devices using Pcloudy to identify and fix memory leaks.

11. Geolocation Testing: Apps that Depend on Location

For apps that rely on geolocation features, such as navigation or ride-hailing apps, ensuring that location services work across different regions is crucial.

The Challenge

  • Location Variability: GPS performance can vary based on the user’s location and the accuracy of their device’s GPS hardware.
  • Testing Across Regions: Simulating different geolocation scenarios can be difficult without access to real devices in those regions.

The Solution

Use cloud platforms like Pcloudy to simulate geolocation testing on real devices in different geographic regions. This ensures your app’s location services work accurately across the globe.

12. App Localization: Adapting for Global Markets

Apps often need to be localized to different languages, currencies, and cultural contexts. Ensuring proper localization is essential for expanding into global markets.

The Challenge

  • Text Expansion: Some languages, like German or Russian, take up more space than English, which can break layouts or text boxes.
  • Cultural Sensitivity: Localization isn’t just about language—it’s also about ensuring that the app’s design and functionality make sense in the target culture.

The Solution

Conduct thorough localization testing, focusing on the user interface, translations, and regional features. Pcloudy allows testing in real-world scenarios for apps localized into multiple languages and regions.

13. Accessibility Testing: Meeting User Needs

Accessibility testing ensures that your app is usable by people with disabilities, such as visual or hearing impairments. Ensuring your app meets accessibility standards is vital for inclusivity and can be a regulatory requirement in many regions.

The Challenge

  • Regulatory Compliance: Many countries have strict accessibility regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S. or the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in Canada.
  • Wide Range of Disabilities: Apps must be tested for a range of disabilities, including vision impairments, hearing impairments, and physical disabilities.

The Solution

Use accessibility testing tools to check your app’s compatibility with screen readers, voice commands, and other assistive technologies. Test your app on different devices using Pcloudy to ensure it meets accessibility guidelines.

14. Interruption Testing: Handling Disruptions Gracefully

Interruption testing evaluates how well an app handles interruptions like phone calls, text messages, or low battery alerts. These interruptions are common during real-world app usage.

The Challenge

  • App Stability: Apps must be able to handle interruptions without crashing or losing user progress.
  • Consistent Experience: Interruption handling should be seamless across different devices and operating systems.

The Solution

Perform interruption testing on real devices to evaluate how your app reacts to common disruptions. Cloud platforms like Pcloudy allow testers to replicate interruptions during active app sessions, ensuring smooth recovery and minimal disruption.

15. App Store Compliance: Ensuring Successful Submissions

Each app store (Google Play, Apple App Store) has specific guidelines for app submission. Failing to comply with these guidelines can result in rejection, delaying your app’s release.

The Challenge

  • Guideline Variations: App store guidelines differ between platforms, and ensuring compliance with both can be time-consuming.
  • Performance Criteria: Stores often have performance benchmarks that apps must meet to be approved.

The Solution

Before submitting your app, ensure it meets all necessary guidelines. Test your app’s experience, security, and overall quality on multiple devices and operating systems using Pcloudy to minimize the risk of rejection.

Conclusion: A Holistic Testing Strategy

Mobile app testing involves overcoming a wide range of challenges, from ensuring compatibility across numerous devices to handling network variability, memory leaks, and accessibility. A successful testing strategy combines real-device testing, cloud-based automation, AI-driven test automation, and comprehensive security testing to deliver a high-quality app experience.

Pcloudy provides a robust cloud-based platform for mobile app testing, offering access to real devices, network simulation, and AI-powered automation. By adopting a well-rounded approach to testing, you can ensure

Introduction

In today’s highly competitive mobile app market, delivering a flawless user experience is essential. Mobile apps are constantly updated with new features, bug fixes, and optimizations to meet user expectations. To ensure quality across diverse devices, operating systems, and networks, different types of testing methods are required. These testing techniques help ensure that apps not only function well but also provide a seamless, reliable, and enjoyable user experience. In this blog, we’ll explore seven essential types of mobile app testing, along with the challenges that arise and the solutions to overcome them.

Compatibility Testing

Key Compatibility Factors

 

Compatibility testing ensures that a mobile app works across a variety of operating systems, device models, screen sizes, and hardware configurations. This type of testing is critical because mobile users access apps on a wide range of devices with varying capabilities, and failure to support even a subset of these can lead to user frustration and lost customers.

Key factors that impact compatibility testing include:

 

  • Operating System Versions: iOS, Android, and their various versions.
  • Device Models: Different devices (phones, tablets) from manufacturers like Samsung, Apple, Huawei, etc.
  • Screen Sizes & Resolutions: Apps must adapt to a variety of screen sizes and pixel densities.
  • Internal Hardware: Testing on devices with varying memory, processor speeds, and storage capacity.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge:

One of the biggest challenges in compatibility testing is the sheer number of device combinations that need to be tested. Managing physical devices in-house is expensive and resource-intensive.

Solution:

Cloud-based testing platforms like Pcloudy provide an efficient solution by giving access to thousands of real devices with different OS versions and hardware configurations. This helps teams to automate compatibility tests and scale their testing efforts without maintaining physical labs. Pcloudy also enables parallel testing across multiple devices, speeding up the overall process.

Installation Testing

Key Focus Areas

Installation testing is one of the first interactions a user has with a mobile app. It ensures that an app installs, uninstalls, and updates without issues. This testing is critical to verify the app’s ability to install smoothly across various devices and handle future updates seamlessly.

Key areas to focus on include:

  • App Installation: Testing how the app installs under different conditions, such as with limited storage or in different installation locations (e.g., internal memory, SD card).
  • App Updates: Ensuring that the app updates smoothly without causing data loss or crashes.
  • Uninstallation: Verifying that uninstallation removes all app data and does not leave residual files.
  • Post-Installation: Ensuring the app launches properly after installation and functions as intended.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge:

The main challenge in installation testing is handling various installation environments, especially on devices with low memory or unstable network connections. Additionally, testing installation scenarios across different OS versions and devices can be complex.

Solution:

Using a cloud-based testing product like Pcloudy, QA teams can test on real devices under real-world conditions. Pcloudy provides access to thousands of actual mobile devices with varying configurations, enabling teams to test scenarios like low-memory conditions, update handling, and different installation environments. Automation tools help execute various user actions during the installation process, ensuring robust testing across multiple environments without manual intervention. This ensures that your app installs, updates, and uninstalls smoothly across different devices and conditions, providing users with a seamless experience.

Interruption Testing

Common Interruptions to Test

 

Interruption testing evaluates how well a mobile app handles unexpected events, such as incoming calls, network disruptions, or battery drains, while the app is running. The goal is to ensure that the app resumes normal functionality after an interruption.

Common interruptions to test include:

  • Incoming calls and SMS notifications while the app is in use.
  • Battery low, battery removal, or plugging the device into charging.
  • OS updates that occur while the app is running in the background.
  • Network disconnection and reconnection
  • Device shutdown or reboot while using the app.

Interrupt Testing Process

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge:

Replicating real-world interruptions, especially across different devices, OS versions, and network conditions, can be difficult to reproduce consistently.

Solution:

Pcloudy provides a reliable environment to automate and simulate interruptions such as network loss, incoming calls, or device shutdowns. Tools like Monkey (for Android) or UI Auto Monkey (for iOS) help simulate interruption scenarios, allowing testers to monitor how well the app recovers from these events. Automating these tests across multiple devices ensures thorough coverage.

Localization Testing

Types of Localization Testing

Localization testing ensures that a mobile app is tailored to a specific geographic region, considering cultural, linguistic, and regional differences. This testing verifies that the app works seamlessly when localized for various languages, currencies, time zones, and formatting conventions.

Four key types of localization testing include:

  • Linguistic Testing: Ensures that all text in the app is properly translated and adapted to the target language. This includes avoiding mistranslations or phrases that don’t make sense in the local context.
  • Cultural Testing: Ensures that content is culturally appropriate. Some symbols, colors, or phrases may have different meanings in various cultures, and testing ensures nothing offensive or inappropriate is presented to users.
  • Cosmetic Testing: Verifies that the layout and design elements fit well with the localized content. For example, languages like Arabic and Hebrew, which read right-to-left, require changes to app design.
  • Functional Testing: Ensures that the app functions correctly in the localized environment, including handling local date formats, currency, and special characters.

Challenges and Solutions

 

Challenge:

Managing translations and ensuring cultural accuracy across multiple regions can be challenging, especially with languages that have different text directions, such as Arabic or Hebrew. Additionally, it’s important to ensure that all text is properly displayed without breaking the app layout.

Solution:

Tools like Pcloudy allow testers to run localization tests across real devices in different regions, ensuring linguistic and functional accuracy. Automated scripts can be used to check for proper translation, layout adaptation, and functionality. Pcloudy provides access to a wide range of devices from different locales, helping to ensure comprehensive localization testing across multiple regions.

Performance Testing

Key Areas in Performance Testing

Performance testing is essential to ensure that the mobile app performs optimally under various conditions, such as high load, different network speeds, and limited device resources. It identifies performance bottlenecks, stability issues, and overall app responsiveness.

The three primary areas of focus in mobile performance testing are:

  • Device Performance: Testing how the app behaves on different devices, with a focus on start-up time, memory consumption, and battery usage. High memory or battery consumption can lead to users uninstalling the app.
  • Network Performance: Testing how the app handles different network conditions, such as slow or unstable connections. This includes testing the app’s ability to manage packet loss, network delays, and connectivity interruptions.
  • Server/API Performance: Testing how efficiently the app communicates with the server and processes API requests. Slow or inefficient API calls can degrade the user experience, especially in data-heavy apps.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge:

Replicating real-world conditions like varying network speeds or high traffic loads is a significant challenge. Ensuring that the app works well under different device configurations while maintaining performance consistency is also complex.

Solution:

Pcloudy’s network simulation feature allows QA teams to replicate different network conditions, such as low bandwidth or high latency, to test how well the app performs under challenging conditions. Additionally, using tools like Pcloudy to run performance tests across multiple devices ensures that device-specific issues, such as excessive battery drain or memory usage, are identified and addressed early in the development cycle.

Usability Testing

Important Usability Factors

 

Usability testing ensures that the app is user-friendly and provides an intuitive, seamless experience. This type of testing focuses on how easy it is for users to navigate through the app, complete tasks, and interact with the app’s features.

Key factors in usability testing include:

 

  • Navigation Ease: Testing the workflow to ensure users can easily navigate through the app with minimal effort. Complex workflows or unintuitive navigation paths can frustrate users.

                                Example of Navigation Path

  • Design & Layout: Verifying that the app’s design is user-friendly, with clear, well-organized content. Elements like finger-friendly buttons, minimal text entry, and intuitive visual cues are essential for a positive user experience.
  • Response Time: Ensuring that the app responds quickly to user inputs without lag or unnecessary delays. A slow response time can lead to a poor user experience and high uninstall rates.
  • User Engagement: Testing how well the app engages users emotionally. A successful app should be smart enough to predict user actions, offer personalized experiences, and keep users motivated to continue using it.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge:

Usability testing can be subjective, as user preferences and behaviors vary. It’s difficult to ensure that the app will be intuitive for all user types and across different demographics. Additionally, collecting meaningful feedback from users to guide improvements can be challenging.

Solution:

Tools like Mr. Tappy or Reflector can capture real user interactions during usability testing, allowing testers to observe how users navigate and respond to the app. Recording user sessions helps teams identify pain points and optimize the user experience. Pcloudy’s cloud-based platform allows for testing on a wide range of devices, ensuring that the app remains user-friendly across different screen sizes, input types, and configurations.

Conformance Testing

Key Conformance Testing Areas

Conformance testing, also known as compliance testing, ensures that your mobile app adheres to industry standards, regulatory requirements, and marketplace guidelines. This type of testing is critical, especially when submitting apps to app stores or meeting enterprise policy guidelines. Ensuring conformance can prevent rejections from app marketplaces and avoid penalties related to non-compliance with industry regulations.

The two key areas of conformance testing include:

  • App Store Guidelines: Every app marketplace, like Google Play or Apple’s App Store, has specific guidelines covering areas such as user interface (UI), privacy policies, content restrictions (e.g., nudity, violence, cultural sensitivity), and data protection. Failure to comply can result in app rejection or removal from the store.

Enterprise Policy Compliance: In some industries, apps must comply with industry-specific regulations. For instance, healthcare apps may need to comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), while pharmaceutical apps may fall under FDA (Food and Drug Administration) guidelines. Meeting these standards is essential to maintaining credibility and avoiding legal issues.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge:

Staying up-to-date with app store guidelines and ensuring that the app meets the ever-changing standards of different marketplaces can be difficult. Moreover, managing compliance with strict industry regulations can be overwhelming, particularly when apps are released across multiple regions with differing legal frameworks.

Solution:

Pcloudy offers a comprehensive conformance testing solution that helps validate whether your app meets both app store guidelines and industry regulations. Automated checks ensure your app complies with the latest app store rules before submission, while the platform’s flexibility allows for testing specific compliance criteria related to industries like healthcare or finance. Pcloudy’s regular updates keep testers informed of any changes to app store guidelines, reducing the risk of non-compliance.

Conclusion

In an increasingly competitive mobile app market, delivering a high-quality user experience is crucial to success. Testing your app across various dimensions—compatibility, installation, interruptions, localization, performance, usability, and conformance—ensures that it functions seamlessly and meets user expectations across different devices, regions, and conditions. Each type of testing addresses specific challenges that can impact an app’s performance, usability, or compliance with industry standards.

The challenges associated with these testing types can be daunting, but with cloud-based testing platforms like Pcloudy, teams can automate, scale, and simplify the testing process. From testing real-world interruptions to ensuring app store compliance, Pcloudy offers the tools and resources to ensure comprehensive mobile app testing without the hassle of managing physical devices or manual testing efforts.

By incorporating these testing strategies, mobile app developers and QA teams can confidently release bug-free apps that provide a flawless user experience, leading to higher user satisfaction, increased app downloads, and long-term customer retention.

Suyash Dubey | Posted on | 2 min Read

pCloudy is committed to delivering the best solutions in mobile app testing and therefore we come up with product updates at regular intervals. This time we are thrilled to announce the release of pCloudy 5.6 with exciting new features to make app testing simpler than ever. Our customers trust us because we believe in exceeding their expectations and add new useful features to enhance the platform’s capabilities. For those who are new to pCloudy, it is a cloud-based continuous testing platform designed to enrich your apps. In this new version of pCloudy, we have addressed the concerns of our users and added new features like Wildnet, Capability configurator, Object spy, and more. Let’s know more about all these features.

Wildnet

An application server is accessible only from within your lab and if you want to test your mobile application with that server, you are forced to work within that lab. If you move with the device in hand outside the lab, you will not have access to that server. How do you test such kind of setup using pCloudy? Because if you are using pCloudy, that means the devices are outside your network. The answer is Wildnet.
wildnet ss
This feature enables our users to test private or internal servers on any Android or iOS devices present on pCloudy. For this, you just need to download the executables for OS (Mac, Linux, Windows) on your local machine, Then fetch the user name and API access key for your pCloudy account settings and use it in the terminal to build a link between a device in pCloudy and your internal staging server. To connect a booked device to your internal staging server, you need to click on the Wildnet icon as shown in the picture below.

Object Spy

While creating automation test cases you need the object names of the objects that are available in your application. For example, if your app is launched on a device and you want to click on a particular button, you have to mention the object name in the script to perform that action in the app. Earlier testers used to extract the object name using Appium desktop, but now they don’t need Appium desktop for that. pCloudy now has an inbuilt object spy through which you can run the inspector sessions directly on Android and iOS devices. One big advantage is that its bilateral view which makes it easy for users to click on any element on one side and view the details another side. Also, the generated code can be copied for future use.
 
object spy ss
In the picture above you can see on the right side we have the object inspector where you will get all the attributes and values for any application. You can select any attribute and perform an action using the tap, send keys, clear and the more option. Following the action, an XPath will be generated which can be used in the automation script.

Data-Persistence

This feature will enable System-admins of our Private and On-Premises cloud to delete older reports based on pre-defined settings. To use this feature, system administrators will have to go to control settings in their pCloudy account and under Infrastructure Management there is an option for Data-Persistence. Whenever any user tests an app on any device in pCloudy, certain artifacts are generated in the form of test reports. Each report will have videos, logs, screenshots, and other elements. These artifacts take up a lot of space so now system admin can delete the older data using the data persistence feature.
data per
As shown in the pic, the system admin can select the date, time and the number of days for which the data has to be deleted. This will help in managing the limited space provided for every team account.

Capability Configurator

In an automation script, we have to include certain capabilities like device name, platform version, etc., to execute the test cases. But now you won’t have to gather the capabilities from different sources, capability configurator will generate the desired capabilities directly using certain filters.
capability
As you can see in the pic, you just need to go to the Devices page in pCloudy and click on the Capabilities tab. Under the capabilities tab, you can choose the parameters like OS, Automation type, Device location, Device name, etc., and the capabilities generated can be copied and pasted directly into the Appium script.

More updates

iOS is a close operating system, and there are many restrictions for testing apps on Apple devices. In pCloudy 5.6, you will have two more functions on iOS devices; close app and lock/unlock the device. The close app function will enable pCloudy users to close any launched application on a connected iOS device using the soft button. The second function will allow any connected iOS device on pCloudy to be locked and unlocked. These two functions will enhance user interaction on iOS devices by saving time and effort. One more new update is that pCloudy now supports Appium 1.15.1 which is one of the latest stable versions of Appium. This will make it easier to perform test automation on iOS 13 devices in pCloudy.

To sum up

The new features added to the platform will help our users to perform live testing on remote devices. Features like the latest Appium support and better user interaction on the iOS devices will empower our users to speed up automation. We are working on some new features, based on our customer feedback, which will be included in the next release. So stay connected for more updates.

Do you know why Google has selected Gradle as the build system for Android Studio? Many Android developers work in a heterogeneous environment with different technology stacks. Gradle solves some of the hardest problems faced by the developers like how to automate the testing of apps and how to manage dependencies and variations that allow professional developers to develop variations of their app with one click. This is why pCloudy came up with a new update where you can now run Espresso with Gradle on pCloudy devices. Let’s get a brief introduction about Espresso and Gradle before we learn how to run Espresso with Gradle on pCloudy devices.
 
Espresso is a testing framework for Android which automatically synchronizes your test actions with the UI of your app. It also let the test wait until all the background activities have finished.
 
Gradle is an open source advanced build tool that allows seamless execution of tasks. It uses domain specific language and it is based on Groovy and Kotlin. It is a plugin based system so if you want to automate the task of building some package from sources then you can write the complete plugging in Java and share it with the world.
 
Gradle allows efficient and repeatable use of espresso and Test Orchestrator which allows automated yet fine-tuned control of the way you run your test. You can decide which specific test suites to be run to distribute the test cases across different devices. It is preferred by developers as it allows deep unit and functional testing rigs.
 

Power up your DevOps with Espresso and Gradle on pCloudy

You would be running Espresso on your machine using Android Studio and Gradle. However, the test would be running on pCloudy device. There is a pCloudy Espresso script that is provided by us and you need to put that espresso script in the workspace of the project. Along with the Gradle script, you will also get a config file. The gradle script will read input parameters from this config file.
 
Then you run Gradle to invoke the script which will upload your Application APK, test APK and other APK files to pCloudy. It would acquire a device to run your test on, it would execute those tests it will report back the status of what is happening into the Android Studio. After the test cases are run you can see the detailed reports and after that gradle script will release the device for other users to use.
 
There is a one-time setup that you need to do to place the gradle script in the workspace and you need to fill in the configuration file. So when you run the gradle script it will complete all the task for you and generate the report.
 

Steps to run Espresso with Gradle on pcloudy

 
1. Download the espresso starter pack from here and Unzip it
2. You will find three files,
a. pCloudy_Espresso.jar
b. Config.properties
c. build.gradle.SAMPLE
(This is a sample build.gradle that shows how to change your build.gradle to add the pCloudy Espresso jar.)
3. Copy the contents of the file build.gradle.Sample to the build.gradle file of your Android Application to register the new Gradle task and update as appropriate (see the image below)
 
33

4. Place the config.properties file in your android workspace in the same directory as your build.gradle file.
 
sdgef
5. Update the config.properties file as guided in the comments in the file.

6. In your Android workspace run the command by typing the name of the gradle task as below.
 
tttt
7. Once the test execution is complete you will get a URL of the test execution report. Some fields in the report are empty right now. We will fix them in subsequent phases.
 
rrr
The use of gradle has made it easier to run Espresso test on pCloudy devices. We can just use the configuration file and easily run the test scripts on pCloudy devices. This will save time and effort as it further simplifies the app testing process in pCloudy.
 
You can watch our webinar for more information.

 
Related Articles:

  • How to Run Espresso Test on Remote Devices
  • Appium vs Espresso: The Most Popular Automation Testing Framework in 2019
  • Run Espresso on pCloudy using pCoudy Utility
  • Automated Testing Using Espresso
  • Espresso with pCloudy.com
  • Anshuman Chatterjee | Posted on | 2 min Read

    You can fix the issues in your Android phone by connecting it with your computer and writing some easy commands. For this, you will need some command line tools which you can download from the Android developer’s site. If you are using Windows then you will need to visit the manufacturer’s page for your device and download the ADB and fastboot drivers for Windows. But first, let’s understand what are Android shell commands.

    Android Shell Commands

    ADB is Android Debug Bridge which is a command line utility included with Google’s Android SDK. It provides a terminal interface to control your Android device connected to a computer using a USB. ADB can be used to run shell commands, transfer files, install/uninstall apps, reboot and more. You can also backup and restore your android devices using these commands.

     

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    pCloudy also allows you to execute ADB Shell Commands on the connected device to perform mobile testing.

     

    Select your desired device from the list and connect.

     

    Click on “Execute ADB” icon.

     

    While trying to execute ADB Shell command, you just need to follow few simple steps as given below:

     

    1. Select a device from the displayed list

     

    click-on-connect-to-access-the-device

     

    2. Confirm connection of your selected device

     

    pcloudy-select-device

     

    3. The connected device is ready testing

     

    adb shell commands

     

    4. Enter ADB shell command to the given text box

     

    enter-adb-shell-command-to-the-given-text-box

     

    5. Execute given ADB shell command

     

    execute-given-adb-shell-command

     

    6. Android ADB shell command execution result

    adb-shell-command-execution-result

     

    adb-shell-command-execution-result

     

    Useful Android terminal commands:

    1. ADB reboot-bootloader and reboot recovery commands:

    This command will let you can reboot your device in the bootloader. If due to some malware your device is stuck or if your device is not rebooting then you can connect your device to the computer and run this command to reboot. To run the command just type adb reboot-bootloader in the command line and to boot the device in recovery just type adb reboot recovery.

     

    2. Fastboot device command:

    Fastboot is a diagnostic and engineering protocol that you can boot your Android device into. ADB does not work in the bootloader. If you have to boot into Android and the debugging tools are not active to communicate then you can use the fastboot command. Type fastboot devices in the prompt and you get the serial number.

     

    3. Fastboot unlock command

    Fastboot flashing unlock command unlocks your bootloader. This command is not supported in many phones that support fastboot but you can check if your phone supports it. Just type fastboot flashing unlock in the command prompt and hit enter.

     

    4. ADB sideload command:

    You can download the update zip file in your phone instead of waiting for the update to be pushed into the phone. To do that just download the update to your computer and connect your device to the computer. Now reboot into recovery on your phone and using the volume buttons choose to apply update from ADB. then open command line and type ADB sideload Full-Path-to-the-file.zip and hit enter.

     

    A lot of users create android shell commands root in a device in spite of security. The adb reboot-bootloader command allows you to boot directly to your phone’s bootloader. Once you’re in the bootloader, ADB shell commands won’t work anymore. That’s where Android ADB fastboot command comes into the picture. Fastboot allows you to send commands to your phone while in the boot loader.

     

    ADB Shell Commands for Reference

     

    Adb Shell commands

    Action performed by command

    • adb shell dumpsys batterystats

     

    collects battery data from your device

    adb shell ls

    list directory contents

    adb shell ls -a

    do not hide entries starting with

    adb shell ls -i

    print index number of each file

    adb shell ls -s

    print size of each file, in blocks

    adb shell ls -n

    list numeric UIDs and GIDs

    adb shell ls -R

    list subdirectories recursively

    adb shell netstat

    list tcp connectivity

    adb shell pwd

    print current working directory location

    adb shell dumpstate

    dumps state

    adb shell ps

    print process status

    adb shell am start -a
    android.intent.action.VIEW -d

    opens browser

    adb shell am start -t image/* -a android.intent.action.VIEW

    opened gallery

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    Related Articles:

    App Testing Companies Must Follow

     

    Today, the world is earnestly dependent on mobility devices and so is their dependency on the mobile applications. The number of smartphone users are expected to reach 3 billion by 2019 out of which India alone covers half a million. So, it becomes impertinent to have an extremely practical mobile application strategy to make the usage of it more effective. Unless the mobile application is acceptable and extremely compelling to the users, it becomes inconsequential to even trade in it. So, there is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of Mobile application companies to assure the accessibility, security, purpose and usability of the mobile application to make it noticeable and engaging enough in long term.

     

    pCloudy is fully equipped cloud based platform with a strong principled approach to tackle and heed the performance of today’s robust mobile applications. Following are the 5 best practices to count on for successful mobile app testing:

     

    1. Master Plan
    2. Device Testing
    3. An early stage testing move
    4. Crowd Sourced App Testing
    5. Automation

     

    1. Master Plan: A common plan is what will drive the team towards the ultimate business goal. Defining the testing approach, the effort, the timeline and the expected results would solve a lot of anticipated problems in different testing phases.

     

    2. Device Testing: Some important points in context to devices are:

    • Testing on every possible device is what looks promising but is impossible. So, testers have to be smart and cover the largest market with largest sample size.
    • Testing on real devices is what is going to be the reality check and is going to give a better idea of the challenges and the convenience of the general usability of the app.
    • Test on more than one OS version to check interface compatibility and consistency.

     

    5 Best Practices App Testing

     

    3. An early stage testing move: Testing early ensures quality and makes the application more favorable in the market as per the new approaches in mobile application development. To minimize the defects at later stages, testing efforts should start at the early stages of mobile app development life cycle.

     

    mobile app development life cycle

     

    4. Crowd Sourced App Testing: The best platform to employ the benefits of cloud which allows global pool of experts from all over the world to be utilized for incomparable testing practices and performance saving both time and money.Not to be considered as a replacement of traditional testing but it has some obvious benefits of testing in real world conditions and without investing in full-time testers. With more participation,feedback and reporting actions, crowd testing has become a reliable and most sought practice today. With the help of pCloudy’s global crowd, testing has become an easy ballgame ensuring app testing in different environments with different network bandwidth, on different devices and on time delivery.

     

    crowd source

     

    5. Automation: Test Automation is what a machine does much faster and with less error than humans. This approach would save a lot of time, cost and would provide great return on investment but for reaping all these benefits, this has to be properly planned as it involves good investment, training and cost of trained resources and tools.If the objectives are undefined, it can lead to wastage of time and resources.

     

    Mobile app testing is facing challenges in terms of changes in networks, operating systems and of course devices. So, the functioning and performance of the mobile applications becomes the prime focus. Selecting the best tool and the reason of doing so is very important. A strategy with clear objectives would be an informed move and a savior in this decision making process.

     

    In the end, all we have to keep in mind is the user is happy using the app and is able to fulfil the purpose. All of this cannot be achieved by an individual but by the effort and strength of the team of both Developers and testers. There can always be brainstorming and learning from failures but the real game can be played by having a strong unified strategy.

     

    pCloudy is a market leader in mobile app testing providing a wide range of MAT services. It has the most powerful mobile app testing platform which gives you a chance to access to real Android and IOS devices in a single click. Connect with our expert team to build a customized MAT strategy for your mobile application.

    Future Trends

     

    Living in a technological era has forced entrepreneurs to adapt to current market and technology trends. Mobile is one such driving force that is propelling enterprises to another level.

     

    E-commerce industry is so vast that it needs a proper channel or platform to reach a wider spread of audience. Android and iPhones both have turned to be largely used platforms used by people across the globe.

     

    Consumers of ecommerce industry today use their mobile devices in numerous contexts like – making a purchase anytime, anywhere, browse and get details about a product while shopping in store. A mobile app serves as a bridge connecting all channels and touch points between a retailer and a customer which they together leverage to get a great and seamless shopping experience. Let us have a look at the trends that tend to set the future of mobile apps in e-commerce industry.

     

    A Rising Influx of Mobile Shoppers

    Just as smartphone usage and sales continue to tick upward, mobile shopping is likewise expected to rise. Mobile devices currently account for 19% of all ecommerce sales in the United States; however, the figure is projected to rise to 27% by the end of 2018, according to an Invesp report. This influx of mobile shoppers also presents new challenges to merchants, though. Though desktop driven ecommerce sales may be plateauing, but data from Comscore shows that online sales are booming as a whole. Sales from mobile devices are now leading the charge with an annual growth rate of 59% that eclipses desktop 17%.

     

    Mobile App Testing Trends
    Source: Invesp report

     

    More Prevalent Storefront Apps

    In a response to the aforementioned challenge of appealing to mobile buyers, expect to see a new wave of mobile “storefront apps” to reach buyers on-the-go. This trend goes hand in hand with the need for merchants to have omni-channel presence, as well. Given that mobile users spend 86% of their time within apps versus mobile sites, perhaps branded native smartphone shopping apps are the key to converting those once-fickle customers.

     

    emarketer

     

    After all, if a customer is willing to go through the effort of downloading a mobile app, chances are they’re loyal and trusting enough to make ongoing purchases. “App commerce” platform Poq recently found that storefront apps outperform mobile web conversion rates by 40%, support longer browsing sessions than even desktop web browsers and are twice as likely to drive repeat visits. This all makes sense given the game-changing functionalities that storefront apps offer, which include superior content personalization opportunities, push notifications and geo location-integrated brick-and-mortar shopping recommendations.

     

    report
    Source: Poqcommerce.com

     

    Poq’s compelling solution, for one, offers a centralized content management system that merchants and marketers can use as a unified data hub that uses an API to automatically sync with analytics platforms, payment gateways, customer review platforms and more.

     

    Boom of app adoption in Indian market

    Over 80% of buyers surveyed in India now prefer using apps over mobile browsers to shop on phones, compared to the global average of around 70%, according to a report published by payments technology firm Worldpay. At an average download of 10 mobile apps per day, India has been far ahead and is a thriving market beating its rival U.S and U.K. where the average downloads are 7, the report added. Indians downloaded 12.1 billion apps last year, dethroning the US’s app economy (11.3 billion).

     

    India's App Market is Booming

     

    Getting the app experience right can yield handsome rewards for e-tailers. After all, according to the Worldpay report, one in three Indians spent more than Rs4,000 ($62) on their last purchase. Tapping the right market will be the key to their success for e-tailers.

     

    Conclusion

     

    Nobody can truly predict the future in regard to ecommerce. However, these current trends will continue to heavily influence the space for the time being. One thing that is inevitable for the evolving e-commerce industry is that they should maintain the highest quality apps with fastest time to market. The best strategy would be to test the apps on multiple real devices with different OS versions and on different parameters on a cloud based platform that can deliver better quality apps faster. pCloudy is the ideal full lifecycle digital testing cloud based platform to test all the mobile and IOT apps.

     

    Manual, automated and crowd testing can be done on both iOS and Android devices. These tests can be run on a public cloud, on premise or a dedicated private cloud as per the need. Both Selenium and Appium tests can be run on pCloudy. One of the biggest advantage of it is that it can be integrated with Continuous Integration systems.

     

    Sign up on pCloudy and test your apps to believe what we say.

    pCloudy 5.0

     

    pCloudy is a unified mobile app testing platform which is trusted by its users for its excellent performance. We have more than 30,000 users across the globe, and we have received an overwhelming response for our platform. From bot testing to crowd testing, pCloudy has always been a front runner in the market. And with the launch of pCloudy 5.0, we are up for the challenge once again. It is a re-imagined and re-worked upon platform created in-line with intelligence to meet the market demands and accelerate delivery.

     

    Let us have a look at what’s new here:

     

     

     

    Features

     

    a. iOS Connect
    b. Automation Studio
    c. Follow Me

     

    a) iOS Connect: One of the very powerful features that we added is the iOS Connect. The major challenge iOS developers had been facing was the debugging of their iOS apps because of the difficult Apple guidelines regarding building any utility . We are proud to say that we have been successful in cracking that.
    With iOS Connect, you can connect to an iOS Device which is present remotely and access the device as if the device is connected to your computer. With iOS Connect we are bridging the gap for the iOS development life cycle.

     

    iOS Connect

     

    b) Automation Studio: It is another promising feature that can revolutionize mobile app automation. We now have an in-built automation studio in pCloudy platform where you can access the devices to record your test scripts and execute it in parallel on multiple devices without writing any code.

     

    There’s something more to it! If you already have your projects on Appium you can record your new workflows and export it to Appium Java format. This new integration would not only enable every user to start creating Automation scripts but it will also help Appium users to speed up their Automation. This makes pCloudy truly a Unified app testing platform.

     

    Automation Studio Launch

     

    c) Follow me: It is again one of the ‘wow’ features of pCloudy 5.0. This feature can speed up your App Testing exponentially. Follow me allows you to test your apps on 3 unique device while performing your test on only 1 device, thus saving your testing time multi-folds.

     

    Follow Me

     

    Re-Imagined UI

     

    It has been designed to give a leaner, simpler and faster user experience. The look and feel of the pCloudy platform has been transformed keeping in mind the requirements, usability and ease of our users. All the pages have been made more intuitive. To simplify, we have grouped the actions together to save your time in figuring out the next step.

     

    a. True Collaboration
    b. Global File Storage
    c. Comprehensive reports at a single stop
    d. Test Scheduler

     

    a) True Collaboration: We have introduced a powerful feature on our revamped Device Interaction page. Now, you can take the screenshot of the action you are performing and see the screenshot next to the device. But, the icing on the cake is that you can edit the screenshot, save it and log a bug directly to the JIRA enabling true collaboration between the developers and testers.

     

    UI Design

     

    b) Global File Storage: Heeding to the demands of our users we have reduced the clicks to perform any action on the File browsing /storage page. The file uploaded once will be available across all the different locations we have. It will also allow sharing of files across teams.

     

    Global File Storage

     

    c) Comprehensive reports at a single stop: Now, to make the user experience simpler and faster, we have placed all your reports at single stop be it manual or automation across all locations. Not just that, you can see all reports in the same format with much detailed information. Raising bugs after analyzing reports is also possible from here.

     

    comprehensive-reports-at-a-single-stop

     

    d) Test Scheduler: We have re-designed this page based on a Guided interface where the interactions are more thoughtful, straightforward, and guide you to the next step. It needs zero learning to run automation scripts on multiple devices.

     

    Test Scheduler

     

    pCloudy 5.0 is another breakthrough for us. After launching pCloudy 5.0, it is time to get feedback on a larger scale. We’re going to continue improving the UI, the navigation, and add some futuristic features to make your app testing simpler and faster. While we do that, we’d love to continue getting feedback.