The Pros and Cons of Cloud-Based Mobile App Testing

Introduction to Cloud-based Mobile Testing

Cloud-based mobile app testing solutions can significantly speed up the overall software development and testing process. However, it is essential to note that it is still considered in beta state. As with any software testing, there are risks involved with cloud-based mobile application testing too. Hence, it is a good idea to take steps to ensure your testing solution can withstand the test of time. As these solutions become more widespread, there are ways to integrate it into your existing methodologies and automated tools. This will save you time and increase the speed of your mobile testing to completion.

Though mobile is the most mobile-driven environment globally, many users have limited access to the Internet. This has led many mobile testers to use an off-the-shelf solution on the go to test their mobile apps.

But, that solution can lead to numerous pitfalls when testing mobile applications. For example, some mobile apps may use a proprietary mobile testing tool limited to a specific device’s processor capabilities and complex installation options. This type of tool tends to be very expensive for a small business to purchase.

Cloud-based mobile testing solutions allow testers to access the same mobile testing tools used by large software companies like Apple and Google. This means that testers can use the same kind of test solutions.

There are several ways to go about implementing cloud testing. In this section, we’ll take a look at three popular cloud-based solutions to help you understand how they work and what they can do for your enterprise.

Using an Out-of-the-Box Solution

An easy, cost-effective, and feasible solution is to utilize a pre-configured cloud-based solution with its console and tutorials. Using these tools allows you to test apps without working on setting up a complex and complicated environment, which can be pretty time-consuming rapidly.

Web Solutions

Gain insights into the cloud-based testing concepts that cloud testing provides, such as improving agility and the control that can be exercised over the available resources to configure testing in real-time in the cloud.

If you didn’t know, there are quite a few different cloud-based mobile testing solutions available, such as CodeRunners, Xamarin Test Cloud, LambdaTest Cloud Platform, and Appium.

Various constraints are associated with an app test environment. These constraints can adversely impact testing quality as they can impose additional time, cost, and effort to use existing software testing resources. It is best to stay away from cloud services that allow for scaling in production environments. However, cloud testing has its uses.

While cloud testing represents a considerable step up from traditional mobile app testing environments, it is still subject to certain limitations and risks.

Since cloud-based mobile testing environments are usually set up to handle the demands of a typical release cycle, they are highly scalable.

Pros and Cons of Cloud-based Mobile Testing

Unlike on-premises testing solutions, cloud solutions are geared towards larger-scale testing. While it is possible to test small parts of a system, these are often expensive to try in bulk. Additionally, in sizeable mobile app deployments, some companies are uncertain that their testing resources will be sufficient. However, solutions such as Appium enables organizations to test their entire application using simple tests stored in the cloud. Speed: Since cloud solutions generally require manual test configuration, there is a delay in test executions. This typically causes the development of mobile apps to take more time.

But, the cloud is not without its drawbacks. Cloud testing challenges can be pretty daunting. Here’s a list of the pros and cons of mobile testing in a cloud environment.

The Benefits of Cloud-Based Testing:

Flexibility

This allows the software tester to complete most testing activities without committing to a fixed setup. The user interface can change depending on test demand, and you can test any environment – not just the testing application itself.

Reliable

Because the application is being hosted in a remote data centre, its uptime is guaranteed. The cloud service also ensures that updates will be delivered and that any changes or fixes to the mobile application will be built right into the application.

Usability

If you are testing multiple mobile devices simultaneously, then you can distribute your mobile environment and test on a different device. Testing is done through a simplified browser interface that presents a familiar user experience.

Test accuracy

You have control over how you check the user experience of your mobile application. Tests are tested to the same accuracy and timeliness as your client’s internal release cycle.

Collaboration

Access to a single workspace provides visibility into the quality of your mobile application’s interface.

Integration: You can incorporate the testing tools and processes from across your development.

It can be readily available through an on-demand service model, and it allows testing to be done wherever the developers or testers want.
You can configure test environments remotely, and you can easily replicate and replicate tests (for those tests that are on public-facing sites).
It offers security, reliability, and scalability, allowing testing to happen anywhere in the world without the need for hardware.

Single platform for testing

Cloud-based mobile testing services create a consistent testing environment, with testing tasks organized in a consistent manner. This flexibility enables multiple testing resources to be allocated to the specific testing tasks based on where they are in the testing cycle.

Scalable and elastic

Cloud-based mobile testing services enable an agile environment with easily accessible resources. The limited dependencies of the system make it easy to scale to accommodate the size of your testing team or to stay up-to-date with the project. The flexibility of the environment also follows for a broader range of use cases to be implemented.

Cloud app testing benefits can be viewed in several ways:

Easy to deploy – Can be done through shared resources that are allocated dynamically and can be used to create flexible testing environments.

Cloud-based testing services – People can access the environment through a user interface they are familiar with, using the same tools and resources they are familiar with.

Predictive testing – Using cloud testing tools, developers can create test cases and monitor in real-time to detect problems at the early stages of development, improving the quality of the overall product.

Easy to scale up and down – No need to make sure testing environments have specific capacities or purchase redundant equipment.

The Disadvantages of Cloud-Based Testing:

Bandwidth problems: Since the cloud’s resources are shared by several other organizations, the demand for bandwidth thus always keeps fluctuating. This brings a lot of challenges for the QA teams.

Redundant Tests: Cloud servers don’t carry a back-up. This means redundant test plans do not get monitored. As a consequence, testers might get charged for re-tests.

Loss of Security: When you subscribe to a cloud-based testing application, you agree to hand over your data and information to a third party. This aspect, often neglected is a big aspect for loss of security.

Spotty Feature Coverage: Often your cloud testing service might not necessarily be equipped to test all your new releases. This can result in inadequate test coverage.

Using Emulator and Simulator for Mobile App testing

Emulators for testing a mobile app can be a desktop application that can mimic the hardware and OS of the applications to be tested. A simulator on the other hand does not mimic the hardware or operating system, but rather the basic behaviour of a device. Emulators are not only used for testing Android apps but also for testing iOS and Windows. Mobile app simulators are pretty expensive, and they require the user to connect the device to their computer, and this technology is not available in many developing countries. So, the iOS and Android developers need to make their apps available on many platforms.

What is the significant difference?

As pointed out, they both have their purpose in the testing domain. But in our scenario, let’s consider whether we should use an emulator for Android testing or one for iOS? But, let’s come to a question which we often get asked, where I am asked, whether I should choose Android Emulator for my application testing? Android Emulator vs. Simulator – What’s the difference?

In the case of Android Emulator, we need to emulate the working of Android phones. This is possible with an outstanding level of accuracy, that is, with an emulated device model.

Conclusion

Mobile app testing can never be easy. Software developers or testers, can never be stuck on one approach or technology. Since apps need to be tested in different ways, this makes testing a very complex process.

There are many obstacles in testing mobile apps and mobile web environments. The primary obstacle is the availability of limited space, and the need to constantly update tests manually or pay for hosting services. Also, Cloud services can be too inconsistent in availability. Building and testing mobile apps and mobile websites have some distinct challenges. In an attempt to accommodate these challenges, we use different mobile testing solutions for each purpose. Please see our video for an in-depth look at how LambdaTest uses simulators and emulators to help with mobile and web testing. Test Case Automation is all about ensuring that the intended result is replicated accurately to meet business requirements. One of the core principles in test automation is to prevent human error.

In-app testing gives confidence to the tester that the app is running in real-time and supports real devices as it is a direct test using the actual device. A combination of Java, Xamarin, or Android is tested using this method. This option gives the confidence of a whole application tester. Simulator – this option provides credibility to the tester, as it can also be used for quick functional tests. It is a virtual environment to test your app. When done right, it helps a tester ensure that their app is working correctly and as expected. It does not test the user experience or user flows. You can log in to LambdaTest for a seamless experience on the LambdaTest Cloud Platform.