In order for an app to be successful, it not only needs to offer impressive content and be well-marketed, but above all must work flawlessly and be user-friendly. Therefore, fundamental testing before the release of an application is vital – whether it is a mobile app or a desktop application.
Testing apps is, however, becoming more difficult because of one increasingly complex factor: adaptation to different user devices is considerably more elaborate for apps than for other software. In the early years of app development this adaptation was easier to manage due to the relatively small selection of smartphones on the market. Since then, a huge selection of mobile devices has emerged with a variety of different features. Most smartphone and tablet models function on roughly the same quality of hardware, but installed components such as the processor (CPU), memory (RAM), screen size, and screen resolution are the main factors determining the rendition of an application.
In addition to its hardware, the software of a device also plays a role. Software mainly contains the different operating systems of a platform, which influence app rendition. Older operating systems can make app usage more difficult due to missing updates, and the prevalence of old Android and iOS operating systems should not be underestimated. The variety of operating systems in use is particularly evident when looking at Android systems: On the whole, the older versions of Google’s operating system are used more commonly than the current version. This has to do with the fact that many Android manufacturers either deliver updates late, or don’t deliver them at all. With iOS the new version of the operating system is generally delivered more quickly, but some of the oldest devices no longer receive updates from Apple, therefore old iOS versions can still be found.
The variety of hardware and software for mobile devices is called fragmentation and it presents many challenges when it comes to app quality assurance. This is where mobile app testing comes into play: This checks whether an application is even capable of running under different conditions, and if so, whether the conditions present any difficulties for playback of the app. Detecting and correcting such issues is necessary to ensure an optimal user experience for as many users as possible. Only when an app offers good performance and ease of use for as many devices as possible can it reach its maximum potential.