Mobile Automation Overview

Mobile Automation

Mobile testing is the very unique and wide platform to learn. It consists many types of testing e.g. Functional/Network/Compatibility/Conformance/Usability/Installation/Provisioning/Battery Usage/Memory Management etc.. One need to have good understanding of Mobile OS available in the market and their behavior.
 Mobile applications are divided in 3 types:

1.  Native Application: A native app can only run on one mobile operating system such as iPhone, Android, Window Phone and BlackBerry. For using it user have to install it from market.
2.  Web App (wap): Web application can run within a mobile device’s web browser. No need to install it, this kind of application delivered on fly as needed via internet.
3.  Hybrid app: A hybrid app is built using web technologies, and then wrapped in a platform-specific shell that allows it to be installed just like a native app. Facebook is the good example of the hybrid application.

There are many challenges in mobile testing like:

• Different range of mobile devices with different screen sizes and hardware configurations like hard keypad, virtual keypad (touch screen) and trackball etc.
• Wide varieties of mobile devices like HTC, Samsung, Apple and Nokia.
• Different mobile operating systems like Android, Symbian, Windows, Blackberry and IOS.
• Different versions of operation system like iOS 5.x, iOS 6.x, BB5.x, BB6.x etc.
• Different mobile network operators like GSM and CDMA.
•  Frequent updates – (like android- 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, iOS-5.x, 6.x) – with each update a new testing cycle is recommended to make sure no application functionality is impacted.

 
Here is some of the areas to test in Mobility:-

Regarding Tools for Mobile Testing, here is the overview:-