Whether it's ordering food, booking a ride, or staying connected with friends and family, we rely heavily on the convenience and functionality of mobile apps. Android and iOS are the most popular mobile operating systems in the world.
With their increasing popularity, mobile app testing for these two platforms has become an important part of the development process. According to Statcounter, the global market share of Android is 70.9%, followed by iOS with 28.36%.
As many developing nations have lower annual incomes, making it challenging for consumers to purchase expensive smartphones. Therefore, they often choose more budget-friendly Android-based options, such as those offered by Xiaomi, Vivo, OnePlus, and Samsung.
On the other hand, iOS devices are known for their cutting-edge technology and sleek designs, which come at a premium price point that limits their market penetration.
Now that we've covered the fundamental similarities between Android and iPhone in terms of their ecosystem, let's dive deeper into the various aspects that need to be considered when testing each platform.
Difference between Android and iOS Mobile App Testing
*Device fragmentation *
Mobile device fragmentation refers to the existence of various versions of the same operating system (OS) among different users. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as users not updating their OS, or manufacturers releasing different versions of the OS for different devices.
In Android, the fragmentation arises due to the open-source nature of the operating system. There are many different Android devices on the market, each with its own unique hardware and software configuration. This means that developers need to test their apps on a wide range of devices to ensure that they work properly.
In contrast, iOS has a much smaller device portfolio, which makes it easier to test apps on all supported devices. However, even with a smaller device portfolio, there are still some differences between iOS devices that can impact testing. For example, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have different screen sizes and resolutions, so developers need to test their apps on both devices to ensure that they look and perform properly.
System Type
Android uses an open-source Linux OS while iOS is a closed system using Apple's XNU kernel. This means:
Android testing is more straightforward since OEMs can customize the UI.
iOS testing is more challenging but takes less time and effort since the system is standardized.
App Store Submission and Approval Process
You can search and download the Android apps from Google’s official Play Store. The iOS apps can be downloaded and installed from Apple’s official App store. Both Android and iOS have their own set of app store guidelines that developers need to comply with. The Google Play Store has less strict rules for publishing apps, while the Apple App Store has a more rigorous review process before publishing apps.
Security Features
Android's open-source nature allows for a higher degree of customization and flexibility, but it also opens up more potential security risks. Therefore, Android app testing often requires a greater focus on security testing.
iOS, with its closed and controlled environment, is generally considered to be more secure. However, this does not mean that iOS app testing can ignore security. Testers still need to thoroughly test for potential security vulnerabilities, especially as iOS apps often handle sensitive user data.
Android vs iOS Testing
iOS and Android Testing Tools
You can test Android and iOS applications in 3 ways:
- Emulator
- Simulators
- Real Devices (recommended)
Let's talk about each of these to help you understand as per your use case.
Emulators and Simulators
Emulators and simulators are virtual devices that mimic the software and hardware configurations of physical devices, providing an environment for developers to test their applications without requiring the actual hardware.
Android Emulators:
Android Studio Emulator: The Android Studio IDE provides an in-built emulator. It allows developers to emulate various devices and Android API levels.
Genymotion:Genymotion is a cross-platform Android emulator that allows you to test your apps on a wide range of virtual devices.
BlueStacks: Bluestacks is a popular Android emulator for Windows and Mac, enabling users to run Android apps on desktop computers.
iOS Simulators:
Xcode Simulator: Included in Xcode IDE, this simulator lets developers test their iOS apps on various devices and operating systems without leaving the development environment.
iPadian: A third-party iOS simulator for Windows, allowing users to run iOS apps on their PCs.
However, to catch hardware-specific issues and have a real user experience, testing on real devices is important. It's also crucial for performance testing, as emulators may not accurately reflect the performance of actual devices due to different hardware configurations. This is its always recommended to on real devices.
Real Devices -
It's really important to test your mobile apps on actual phones and tablets, not just on computer simulations. Real devices Testing on Cloud can show you how your app affects battery life, how much memory it uses, and how well it works with the device's processors.
You can either build a device lab of real devices on your own which can cost a fortune or you could lean on smarter solutions like TestGrid infrastructure platform, which gives you access to real devices on cloud, on premise, based on your project testing requirements.
Benefits of TestGrid’s Real Device Cloud
TestGrid offers a cutting-edge infrastructure for mobile app testing that enables developers to test their apps on real devices, in real environments. With a wide range of devices and platforms available, TestGrid's infrastructure allows developers to ensure their apps work seamlessly across different device configurations, operating systems, and network conditions.
TestGrid offers a wide range of real devices, including the latest and legacy models from all major manufacturers.
TestGrid delivers a range of tools for analyzing test results, including dashboards, reports, and alerts.
TestGrid offers tools to optimize testing resources such as virtual machines, allowing businesses to adjust resource allocation according to demand and streamline testing processes for cost savings and improved efficiency.
App Automation Testing Frameworks for Android and iOS
Let's explore the popular frameworks available for iOS and Android platforms.
Appium
An open-source test automation framework that supports both iOS and Android apps. It uses WebDriver protocol to interact with the app and provides a single API for multiple platforms.
Espresso
Espresso is a testing framework for Android that allows you to write concise, expressive, and reliable UI tests. Espresso provides a number of APIs that allow you to interact with your app's UI, such as asserting that a view is displayed, entering text into a field, and clicking on a button. Espresso also supports a number of powerful features, such as synchronization, retries, and screenshots, that can help you write more robust and reliable tests.
Selendroid
Selendroid is a test automation framework for Android that allows you to write tests using the Selenium 2 client API. It can be used to test native or hybrid apps. It uses the same syntax as Selenium, making it easier for developers who already know Selenium to switch to Selendroid.
XCUITest
A test automation framework provided by Apple for iOS apps. It allows developers to write tests for their apps using Swift or Objective-C.
Conclusion
In conclusion, mobile app testing for Android and iOS requires tailored approaches due to the variations in system type, device variety, and user expectations. QA teams must consider these differences carefully to deliver high-quality, reliable, and optimized mobile applications that cater to the unique characteristics of each platform.
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