Intro
If you have ever developed a mobile app or have thought of
doing so, then you must know how critical the testing phase is. I think many
people focus on the design and features of the app, but put testing aside – and
this mistake makes their app fail in the market.
Imagine if you launch a shopping app, and the payment system
crashes on the first day itself… how will the user’s trust come back? That is
why it is very important to understand the proper step-by-step process of
mobile app testing.
1. Importance of Mobile App Testing
The purpose of testing is to catch all bugs, errors and
performance issues before the app goes to market. This improves the user
experience of your app and reduces the crash rate.
Benefits:
If there are fewer bugs, users will trust more.
The performance of the app will remain stable.
The app store rating will improve.
2. Planning Stage – Preparing a Roadmap
It is very important to prepare a roadmap before starting
testing.
Checklist:
Define the target audience of the app.
Determine the scope of testing (android, iOS, or both).
Set a timeframe and deadline.
I think skipping this stage means you are starting a journey
without a map.
3. Requirement Analysis
Requirement analysis means understanding the expected
behavior of each feature of the app.
For example, if the app has a login option, then decide:
Will login be done by email or phone number?
What will be the error message on invalid credentials?
This step ensures that testing is planned and not random.
4. Test Case Design
Test cases are basically scenarios where you check what the
response of the app is.
Example:
Valid username + valid password → Login success.
Invalid username → Error message.
Internet off and login attempt → Network error alert.
Imagine how easy the tester's job becomes if these test
cases are already written.
5. Manual Testing
In manual testing, you manually check every feature of the
app.
Key Areas:
UI/UX testing (buttons, colors, fonts).
Functional testing (expected output of every feature).
Navigation testing (screens are easily accessible).
I think patience is very useful here, because checking every
button and screen can be boring, but it is the best way to catch bugs.
6. Automation Testing
Automation testing use tools that execute repetitive test
cases automatically.
Popular Tools:
Appium
Selenium
TestComplete
The benefit of automation is that it saves time and a single
test can be easily run on multiple devices.
7. Performance Testing
The goal of performance testing is that the app runs
smoothly even under heavy load.
Areas to Check:
Response time (the amount of time it takes to change
screens).
Memory usage.
Battery consumption.
Imagine if a game app consumes 50% of the battery in 20
minutes, the user will uninstall it the next day.
8. Security Testing
Security testing ensures that user data is safe.
Checklist:
Password encryption.
Secure payment gateways.
Data leak prevention.
I feel ignoring this step is like committing suicide – a
data breach these days can ruin a company’s entire image.
9. Compatibility Testing
Not every user has the same device, so compatibility testing
is important.
Check on:
Different OS versions (Android 11, 12, iOS 15, 16).
Different screen sizes.
Low-end devices.
10. Beta Testing
During beta testing, the application is distributed to a
small group of users to gather real-world feedback.
This feedback helps in identifying bugs as well as improving
the user experience.
11. Bug Fixing & Retesting
It is very important to fix the reported bugs and then
retest them. Retesting ensures that no new bug has come after the fix.
12. Final Review & Launch
Before launch, there is a final review meeting where the QA
team confirms that the app is ready. Only then it is published in the app
store.
Testing for unexpected user behavior
Another important point is that sometimes during mobile app
testing you get unexpected user behavior which was not even thought of earlier.
Like a user uses the app in offline mode and some bug comes up which was not
covered in normal test cases. I believe that testing real-life events makes the
software more reliable.
Testing compatibility across multiple devices
And one thing which many people miss is testing on multiple devices. Imagine if your app runs perfect on iPhone 14 but crashes on an older Android model – then the user’s trust will be broken instantly. Hence, the more the device compatibility is checked, the more the quality of the app will be maintained.
FAQs - step by step mobile app testing guide
Q1: What is the most important step of mobile app testing?
I think both requirement analysis and security testing are equally important, because they make the foundation strong.
Q2: Is automation testing necessary for every app?
No, manual testing is enough for small apps, but automation saves time in large-scale apps.
Q3: How many people should beta testing be done with?
Minimum 50–100 real users, to get diverse feedback.
Q4: What should I focus on most during performance testing?
Response time and battery usage, as these directly affect user retention.
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