Contemporary application development practices include verifying the performance of apps only on the desktop platform. This is because, in the early years of technology, end users can only access apps on these platforms. However, with the advancement of technology and the passage of time, various new alternatives have arrived in the market with increased portability. For instance, developers can now access apps and use the internet on various other platforms like smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and many other devices.
So the developers need to verify the stable performance of the application on these platforms. A recent market study shows that more than 55% of Internet traffic is dominated by mobile devices. Real device testing is a very important part of verifying the performance of apps on mobile devices. The developers can also integrate automation testing in these test cases.
With this article, we will focus on some of the best practices for introducing real device testing in mobile automation. We will also understand the role of various platforms and tools in implementing proper device test cases. Let us begin our discussion with the basics of mobile testing and automation testing practices.
Understanding Automation Testing
To understand the role of various forms of test cases in automation testing, the developers must have a basic idea of test automation. In simple terms, it is an effort toward removing human involvement in the application testing process. As a substitute, the system will use a text file consisting of all the required parameters and critical data that will help it to communicate with the system like a normal user. Based on these communications, the system will generate a test report verifying the usefulness, stability, and user interactivity of the web application. The developers and testers can later analyze this report and understand whether the application is fit to be released to open customers. It is also possible to make critical changes in this text file to make the report suitable according to the data requirements.
The developers can also easily store, maintain and reuse massive sections of the automation test code in future development projects. However, a huge drawback of test automation is that it requires a critical investment in the initial phase. This investment covers all the expenses for adding various libraries, dependencies, and plugins that are critical for the implementation of automation test cases. We request all the companies have a clear idea about their returns and possible business ventures to understand whether they are ready for the transition.
The Prospect of Real Device Testing
Various developers try to restrict the application test cases to only simulation and emulation software. However, it is impossible to verify the impact of physical parameters on an app with this software. This means that while using emulators and simulators, the testers cannot understand how the application will react to low battery, change in bandwidth, or user interaction errors. Errors like these can critically slow down the application development process and also hamper the end-user experience for the customers. However, the developers will have to face a lot of difficulties while maintaining a physical device lab. This is because maintaining such a lab is not only an expensive process but also very hectic. It is expensive because the developers will have to keep several devices at the same time. On the other hand, it is hectic because the developers have to keep updating the test bench with every new device coming into the market.
A simple survey will reveal that thousands of such devices appear in the market every year. So, the best alternative to such a problem is to integrate cloud testing platforms in the application test bench. We will understand more about the role of cloud platforms in the later part of this article.
Best Practices for Real Device Testing in Mobile Automation
Various practices can help developers to efficiently integrate real device testing in mobile automation. Based on our understanding and research we have created a list of the most efficient practices:
Integrating Tools and Platforms with Real Device Testing
As we already mentioned earlier, the developers can efficiently conduct real device testing with the integration of cloud platforms. This is because, with the help of cloud platforms, the developers can initiate and execute all the test cases over cloud servers. These remote servers also provide access to various devices and software that are no longer available on the market. This is an important parameter as more than 75% of the end users do not update their devices frequently. So, with the help of cloud testing, the developers can keep on increasing the compatibility of the application and increase the audience base. With the help of cloud platforms, the developers can also execute test cases from anywhere in the world and remove geolocation barriers.
Modern cloud-based digital experience testing platforms like LambdaTest allows you to perform manual and automation testing of web and mobile apps across 3000+ real browsers, devices and OS combinations. This platform also has various features like parallel test execution to improve the efficiency of the test cases. While using LambdaTest, the developers can work with automation test cases from multiple popular frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Appium, and more. It is worth mentioning that LambdaTest can execute the Selenium text files on more than Three Thousand modern browsers at the same time.
LambdaTest helps the developers to combine the test cases from thousands of simulation software with hundreds of real devices. The advantage of this process is that it helps the developers to improve the efficiency of the test cases. LambdaTest is also a great option to conduct test cases on web apps that are locally hosted and are used for the internal operations of a company.
The Conclusion
The primary goal of this article was to spread adequate awareness about integrating real device test cases in a mobile automation test bench. This is because, with the help of real devices, the developers can massively improve the quality of the testing process. With the integration of various cloud platforms, the developers can achieve similar test results while eliminating expenses and headaches. Moreover, app developers need to understand the role of automation testing in the modern application test bench. This is because various market experts believe that automation testing will continue to acquire huge segments of the test bench in the coming years. Lastly, app developers need to spread adequate awareness about modern testing practices and various automation testing trends.
