Testing mobile applications may not be the first thing that springs to your mind when you consider the potential of working on cloud. Yet, developers are leveraging the power of cloud based mobile app testing because of several advantages.
Testing mobile apps is critical as it helps in ensuring quality, user experience, and functionality. But developers typically find it challenging to establish an effective test environment. Mostly the on-premise test environments are resource-intensive.
App testing on cloud refers to the practice of conducting manual or automation tests for mobile apps on cloud. Developers can test mobile apps on a cloud based testing platform with simulated or emulated mobile environments.
Getting started with application testing on cloud requires a cloud-based testing platform. Moreover, it should support mobile test automation features. It is crucial for the developers to scale up the cloud solution to support multiple OS and device combinations.
For instance, any cloud-based app testing platform you choose should support both Android and iOS devices and cannot have just one or the other.
What is cloud testing of Mobile Apps?
Cloud testing refers to the process of using the cloud computing resources of an external service provider to test mobile apps. Note that cloud testing can be valuable to companies in varied ways. Testing your applications on the cloud ensures optimal performance and reduces downtime.
You can drastically minimize the app testing costs with the cloud. It can even help you improve collaboration efforts between your quality analysts.
What are the Advantages of Testing Your Mobile Apps on the Cloud?
- Scalability
With cloud-based mobile application testing, your team can scale up or down based on their requirements. For instance, they can easily remove or add testing resources based on the present requirements.
In other words, your developers can complete the testing process faster and adapt their resources to comply with the requirements of the app development project.
- Allows you to Test Apps on Several Devices
Mobile devices are available in a wide variety of shapes, operating systems, and sizes. Testing on a diverse range of devices is essential to ensure the optimal performance of the app. It also helps developers to test the app’s user experience.
With cloud-based testing platforms, your company’s developers can access an extensive library of devices. They can also test the applications with virtual emulators and simulators. This ensures extensive device coverage and helps your testing team to find the flaws. It becomes easier to identify the performance bottlenecks with cloud testing.
- Flexibility
Testing mobile apps on the cloud is gaining prominence because of the flexibility it offers. With cloud testing, a team of quality analysts can establish tailored testing environments. Irrespective of their scenario and network conditions, they can access resources to create the ideal environment for application testing.
It is common for the on-premise infrastructure to have some limitations that can hinder the proper testing of mobile apps. The cloud-based testing infrastructure will let you test apps against various conditions and parameters compared to an on-premise platform.
- Facilitates Continuous Integration and Continuous Testing
Another key highlight of the cloud-based testing platform is that it facilitates continuous integration and continuous testing. It allows testing teams to leverage automated testing at each stage of the development and deployment process.
With proper codes, the tests can be triggered automatically. This ensures the proper identification of issues early in the app development cycle. With continuous integration and continuous testing, developers can fine-tune the testing process and boost the app’s time-to-market.
- Cost-Effective Solution
Developing an in-house mobile app testing infrastructure can be a significant investment. You have to pay a huge upfront cost in terms of hardware and software. With cloud-based application testing, you can eliminate these needs.
With the cloud, you only pay for the resources you use. Moreover, if you are a startup with a limited budget, leveraging cloud-based testing is beneficial. The cloud provider supervises the infrastructure management and makes sure that you can focus on testing your application.
So, opting for a cloud-based mobile app testing platform can be hugely beneficial for your app development company.
What are the Considerations for Cloud-Based Mobile App Testing?
Undoubtedly, cloud-based mobile application testing offers you a plethora of advantages. But you have to be aware of a few considerations while testing your mobile applications on the cloud.
- Data Security
Before testing your application on the cloud, you have to ensure that the cloud provider adheres to stringent data security & privacy protocols. These Data security protocols can safeguard your app, its user data, and other sensitive information.
- Integration
Cloud-based mobile application testing may require your developers to integrate the app with different platforms and systems. For instance, while testing on the cloud, you may have to consider integration factors like the framework, automation, etc.
- Reliability and Performance
It is crucial that you analyze the performance and reliability of the cloud provider’s testing infrastructure. It will result in minimized disruptions during the critical testing stages.
There’s no denying that cloud-based app testing offers numerous advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, scalability, and flexibility. With the help of the cloud, you can fine-tune the testing processes and ensure the development of functional apps.
However, you must consider factors like network connectivity and data privacy compliance when selecting a cloud-based app testing platform. You can redefine your app testing process with cloud-based testing platforms.
