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The mobile app industry is thriving and accelerating at an unprecedented pace. This has led to a significant increase in the number of apps available for download by the end-users. To ensure mobile app quality, accurate testing is essential, and a well-formed testing checklist is key to achieving this goal.
There are important items that we should include when creating a mobile testing checklist:
Functional Testing - it is a crucial component of mobile testing that ensures the app's functionality meets the desired requirements without errors or unexpected behavior.
Functional testing for the mobile application includes and is not limited to Installation and Upgrade testing, Compatibility testing, Performance testing, Security testing, Localization testing, Usability testing, Network Testing, and User Interface testing, Notification Testing. Interruption testing.
Installation and Update Testing - test the application's installation and update process to ensure that it installs and updates without any issues.
Several aspects of the mobile installation and update testing are:
Installation Testing: Test the application's installation process on different devices and operating systems to ensure that it installs correctly and does not crash or freeze during installation;
Uninstallation Testing: Test the application's uninstallation process to ensure that it removes all files and data associated with the application and does not leave any residual data on the device;
Update Testing: Test the application's update process to ensure that it updates correctly and does not overwrite or delete user data. Verify that the update process preserves user settings and preferences;
Backup and Restore Testing: Test the application's backup and restore functionality to ensure that users can back up their data and restore it if necessary;
Rollback Testing: Test the application's ability to roll back to a previous version if an update fails or causes issues'
Notification Testing: Test the application's ability to notify users of new updates and installation progress;
Storage and Memory Testing: Test the application's storage and memory usage during installation and updates to ensure that it does not exceed the device's limits and cause performance issues.
Compatibility Testing - it is a critical component of mobile testing that ensures the application functions correctly across various devices, operating systems, and configurations.
Compatibility Testing for mobile testing consists of:
Device compatibility: Test the app on a range of devices, including smartphones and tablets, to ensure that it works seamlessly on all devices;
OS compatibility: Test the app on various operating systems and versions, including Android, iOS, and Windows, to ensure that it works well on all versions;
Screen size compatibility: Verify that the app works well on different screen sizes and resolutions, from small screens to large ones;
Browser compatibility: Test the app across different browsers and versions to ensure that it works on different browsers;
Network compatibility: Check the app's performance on different network types, including 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi, to ensure that it functions correctly in all network conditions;
Integration compatibility: Test the app's compatibility with other installed apps, such as messaging, email, and social media apps, to ensure that it works well with other apps;
Hardware compatibility: Test the app on different hardware configurations, such as cameras, GPS, and accelerometers, to ensure that it works correctly with various hardware components;
Accessibility compatibility: Ensure that the app is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities or different abilities;
Security compatibility: Test the app's security features on different devices and configurations to ensure that the app is secure across different environments;
Regional compatibility: Test the app's compatibility with different languages, currencies, and cultures to ensure that it works well in different regions.
Performance Testing - is an essential aspect of the software development lifecycle to ensure that the application performs optimally under various scenarios.
Several aspects of mobile performance testing are
Response Time:
Test the application's response time for different user actions such as login, search, and data entry;
Verify that the application responds quickly to user actions and the response time is within acceptable limits.
Load Testing:
Test the application's performance under heavy load conditions;
Simulate a large number of users accessing the application simultaneously and verify that the application can handle the load without slowing down or crashing.
Battery Consumption:
Test the application's battery consumption under different usage scenarios;
Verify that the application does not consume excessive battery power and does not cause the device to overheat.
Resource Utilization:
Test the application's resource utilization such as CPU usage, memory usage, and disk usage;
Verify that the application does not consume excessive system resources and does not affect the overall performance of the device.
Stress Testing:
Test the application's performance under extreme stress conditions such as the low battery, low memory, and network connectivity issues;
Verify that the application does not crash or freeze under stress conditions.
Usability testing - is a critical aspect of mobile application development to ensure that the application is easy to use, intuitive, and provides an excellent user experience.
Several aspects of mobile usability testing are:
Onboarding: Test the application's onboarding process and verify that it is easy to understand and complete. Users should be able to get started with the application quickly and easily;
Navigation: Test the application's navigation and verify that it is intuitive and easy to use. Users should be able to find their way around the application easily and quickly;
User Interface: Test the application's user interface and verify that it is visually appealing and easy to understand. Users should be able to navigate the application without confusion or frustration;
Performance: Test the application's performance and verify that it is fast and responsive. Users should not experience any lag or delay when using the application;
User Feedback: Test the application's feedback mechanisms and verify that they are clear and informative. Users should receive clear feedback when they perform an action or encounter an error;
Accessibility: Test the application's accessibility features such as font size, color contrast, and text-to-speech. Verify that the application is accessible to users with disabilities.
Security testing - test the application's security to ensure that it is secure and does not expose sensitive user data to unauthorized users.
Several aspects of mobile security testing are:
Data Encryption: Verify that the application uses data encryption to protect sensitive user data. Test the application to ensure that it encrypts data in transit and at rest;
Authentication and Authorization: Verify that the application uses strong authentication and authorization mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access;
Input Validation: Test the application to ensure that it validates user input to prevent common attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF);
Secure Communication: Test the application to ensure that it uses secure communication protocols such as SSL/TLS to protect data transmitted over the network;
Secure Storage: Test the application to ensure that it stores sensitive user data in a secure manner, such as using secure storage APIs provided by the operating system;
Third-party Libraries: Test the application to ensure that it does not use vulnerable third-party libraries. Verify that the third-party libraries used by the application are up-to-date and free of known vulnerabilities;
Server-Side Security: Test the application's server-side security to ensure that it is secure and cannot be easily hacked.
Network Connectivity Testing - test the app's performance in different network conditions, including slow or unstable connections.
Several aspects of Network testing are:
Network Latency Testing: Test the application's performance under different network conditions such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi. Verify that the application performs optimally under different network speeds and does not crash or freeze;
Network Bandwidth Testing: Test the application's performance under different bandwidths to ensure that it can handle a high load and performs optimally under different network scenarios;
Network Connectivity Testing: Test the application's connectivity to different networks to ensure that it can connect to the internet and communicate with the server under different network conditions;
Network Interruption Testing: Test the application's behavior when the network connection is interrupted. Verify that the application handles network interruptions gracefully and recovers without data loss or crashes;
Battery Consumption Testing: Test the application's battery consumption under different network conditions to ensure that it does not consume excessive battery power and drain the device's battery quickly.
Compatibility with third-party tools - involves ensuring that the mobile application works correctly with other software components and services that it may interact with, such as APIs, databases, and other third-party.
Several aspects of mobile compatibility with third-party tools:
Identify Third-Party Tools: Identify all third-party tools that the mobile application interacts with or depends on, such as APIs, databases, or other software components;
Understand Compatibility Requirements: Understand the compatibility requirements of each third-party tool, including version compatibility, configuration requirements, and any dependencies or prerequisites;
Test Compatibility: Test the compatibility of the mobile application with each third-party tool by performing integration testing, functional testing, and performance testing. This includes verifying that the mobile application can correctly interact with the third-party tool, handle any errors or exceptions that may occur, and provide the expected functionality;
Monitor Interactions: Monitor the interactions between the mobile application and each third-party tool during testing and in production to identify any issues or performance problems;
Address Compatibility Issues: If any compatibility issues are identified, work with the third-party vendor or developer to resolve them or implement workarounds.
Interruption testing - for mobile applications is important to ensure that the app behaves correctly and recovers gracefully from unexpected events.
Some of the things you should consider when performing interruption testing for mobile:
Incoming calls: Verify that the app does not crash or lose data when the call is disconnected;
Incoming text messages: Verify that the app does not crash or lose data when the message is received;
Low battery: Verify that the app does not crash or lose data when the device shuts down due to low battery;
Network connectivity issues: Verify that the app does not crash or lose data when the network connection is lost and restored;
Notifications: Verify that the app does not crash or lose data when the notification is received;
Other interruptions: Verify the app's behavior when other interruptions occur, such as screen rotation, app switching, the home, lock, and multitask buttons being pressed.
Compliance testing- for mobile applications ensures that your app is compliant with the rules and regulations set forth by various organizations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.
Privacy
Ensure that the app complies with GDPR and CCPA regulations;
Verify that the app has a clear privacy policy and provides a consent mechanism for collecting user data;
Check that the app obtains user consent before accessing sensitive device resources such as location, camera, microphone, and contacts;
Verify that the app doesn't collect, use or disclose personal data without the user's explicit consent and that data retention policies are in place;
Check that the app provides users with an option to delete their data and account.
Legal Compliance
Ensure that the app complies with laws and regulations specific to your industry, such as HIPAA for healthcare apps or COPPA for children's apps;
Verify that the app's content does not violate any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights;
Check that the app doesn't contain any fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive content.
Conclusion:
So, if you are asked at an interview: What Mobile Testing Checklist should consist of? The best way to answer is:
There are important items that we should include when creating a mobile testing checklist
Functional Testing - is a crucial component of mobile testing that ensures the app's functionality meets the desired requirements without errors or unexpected behavior;
Installation and Update Testing - test the application's installation and update process to ensure that it installs and updates without any issues;
Compatibility Testing - it is a critical component of mobile testing that ensures the application functions correctly across various devices, operating systems, and configurations;
Performance Testing - is an essential aspect of the software development lifecycle to ensure that the application performs optimally under various scenarios;
Usability testing - is a critical aspect of mobile application development to ensure that the application is easy to use, intuitive, and provides an excellent user experience;
Security testing - test the application's security to ensure that it is secure and does not expose sensitive user data to unauthorized users;
Network Connectivity Testing - test the app's performance in different network conditions, including slow or unstable connections;
Compatibility with third-party tools - involves ensuring that the mobile application works correctly with other software components and services that it may interact with, such as APIs, databases, and other third-party;
Interruption testing for mobile applications - is important to ensure that the app behaves correctly and recovers gracefully from unexpected events;
Compliance testing for mobile applications - ensures that your app is compliant with the rules and regulations set forth by various organizations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.