The smartphone revolution is reality and its growth can be attributed to the availability of affordable handsets and soaring growth of mobile internet (3G and 4G). As a matter of fact, 5G will further propel the staggering growth of mobile phones!

As per 2021 reports^[1], there are close to 3.8 billion smartphone users in the world. Close to 21 percent^[2] millennials open 50+ mobile apps in a day. Though the mobile app space is over-crowded with apps ranging in different categories, there still lies an opportunity to flourish if the app functions as per the user expectations.

Source

Since consumers have a lot of choices when it comes to mobile applications, it is important to invest in app development and testing so that a top-quality app can be released in the respective mobile app stores. Mobile app testing must be an indispensable part of the mobile app strategy.

The first & foremost step in building a killer mobile app testing strategy is understanding the various types of mobile app testing methodologies (or approaches). This will help in prioritizing the app testing approaches that matter the most for your application.

What is Mobile Application Testing?

Mobile application testing (or mobile app testing) is the process of testing the mobile app from functionality and usability point of view on different browsers, devices, and device viewports.

As there are umpteen combinations of browsers, browser versions, and device viewports; it is important to prioritize the ones that are being used in the target market. Mobile app testing encompasses testing of a wide range of applications – native apps, responsive apps, and hybrid apps.

By the end of the rigorous mobile app testing cycles, you would have a fully functional and well-performing mobile app that can be released to the target users. Mobile app testing services offered by proven outsourced QA vendors like KiwiQA can also be leveraged to accelerate the delivery cycles of the app.

Now that we have covered the basics of mobile app testing, let us deep dive into the major types of mobile testing.

Also Read – Checklist To Test Your Mobile App Successfully

Different Types of Mobile App Testing

Here are the major types (or forms) of mobile app testing:

1. Geolocation and Localization Testing

There are a number of mobile applications that are localized for a particular geography (or locale). However, a large number of applications are built for a global user-base. For example, an e-commerce application might only be shipping in a few countries but there is a high possibility that it might be available for download for the global user base.

Geolocation testing of mobile apps helps in verifying the functionalities of the app when it is accessed from different geographies. When apps appeal to a global user base, the features and/or content also has to be localized as per the particular locale. The app must also adhere to the local laws and regulations.

Localization testing of mobile apps is important for ensuring that the content, features, and other aspects of the app are inline with the requirements of the local audience. Apps that are tested thoroughly for geolocation and localization perform much better when compared to the ones that are not tested on those fronts.

2. Usability Testing

Though users download the required app for its functionalities, they stick around for the user experience. The user-flow in the app must be simple so that users are able to navigate in the app with ease. Also, the app must be super-functional so that users do not encounter any problems.

This is why end-to-end tests on real devices becomes necessary since it helps in testing the app from an end-user’s perspective. The usability tests have to be conducted on real devices that are being used by the users in the target market.

The app must also be tested for responsiveness and intuitiveness in usability testing.

3. Security Testing

Close to 81 percent users^[3] are willing to uninstall the app if there is any compromise on security and privacy fronts.

There is a myth that data security is only applicable for mobile apps where the users have to deal with monetary transactions. In fact, data security and privacy are extremely important for all mobile applications.

End-to-end security testing must be conducted to make sure that the app is not only functional but also adheres to all the required security standards.

4. Performance Testing

Performance tests of mobile applications are important to ensure that the app’s performance does not deteriorate under different working conditions. Battery consumption, memory consumption, app sluggishness, app load times, and other such parameters must be measured for checking the app’s performance.

Device performance, network performance, app recovery, etc. are some of the important aspects that must be covered in performance testing. Since most of the mobile applications involve interactions with the server, it is also important to consider the overall time taken to fulfill the app requests.

Also Read – Load Testing vs. Performance Testing vs. Stress Testing

5. Memory Leak Testing

For starters, memory leak in a software is caused when a dynamically allocated memory block is not freed using the required APIs. Mobile apps can start crashing at random places if there are memory leaks since the dynamic memory chunk is not available for allocation.

As a part of functional testing, memory consumption must be monitored on a regular basis. Android Monitor is one of the widely used tools that offers CPU profiling, memory profiling, network profiling, and energy profiling.

The tool can also be used for benchmarking your mobile app vis-a-vis other similar applications.

On the whole, memory leak testing is performed by running the app on different configurations of mobile devices. This helps in optimizing the app so that it works efficiently on the target mobile devices.

Apart from the above testing types, mobile applications are also tested for speed. App load and app unload times are some of the parameters that can be tracked in speed testing. If the app (or website) is taking more than 3 seconds to load, it is time to optimize the app load time.

Conclusion

Mobile app testing has become an integral part of the mobile app strategy. Apart from app development, companies must also focus on app testing so that a fully functional app is released in the market.

The mobile testing types discussed in the blog will come in handy when devising the testing strategy. Whether you use the manual testing or automated testing, app testing must be performed on real devices since the apps would be used on real devices (and not on emulators/simulators).

Now, let’s come back to the present 🙂 You might be relieved that mobile phones are no longer a luxury and consumers can use the hand-held device devices to do much more than making calls! Online shopping, online banking, online entertainment, ticket booking, etc. are some of the things that can now be executed on the click of a button.

It is worthwhile to note that smartphone and internet proliferation is a phenomenon that is no longer limited to developed countries. As per a GSMA report^[1], mobile technologies and services generated close to 4.7 percent of GDP across the globe. The rollout of 5G will only push the numbers further!

Since mobile applications (or apps) are an integral part of the mobile ecosystem, businesses are on the lookout to release (or update) mobile apps to keep their users hooked on to their platform. Buggy mobile applications can hamper your growth plans and tarnish your brand name. This is why mobile app testing must be considered on the same priority as mobile app development.

Mobile app testing is a crucial element in the mobile app development lifecycle. Remember, there is no point in adding numerous features in the app if they are not working as they should be! For starters, mobile app testing can be considered very much similar to web app testing, except that here the testers would be testing mobile apps (hybrid, native, web apps).

Mobile app testing services can be leveraged to expedite the process of testing the mobile applications. Intrigued to know the steps that must be a part of the mobile app testing plan? By the end of this blog, you would have learnt the necessary steps to craft a mobile app testing strategy (or plan).

What is Mobile Application Testing?

Mobile application testing is the process of testing the various aspects of an app on real devices or emulators (and simulators). The primary focus of app testing is to verify the features from reliability, functionality, and usability point of view.

Emulator and simulator testing can be used for testing the functionalities offered by the app. However, performance level issues in the app cannot be resolved by testing on emulators & simulators.

This is where mobile app testing on real devices becomes extremely important, since the performance, security, and usability issues can be unearthed only when the apps are tested on real devices.

Depending on the type of test scenarios, you could choose from manual app testing or automated app testing. Appium, XCUITest, EarlGrey, Robotium, etc. are some of the most popular automation frameworks for mobile application testing.

Keen to know what framework to choose or what approach to pick? If so, read on as we look into the essential steps to app testing.

Step-by-Step Guide to Mobile App Testing

As per our experience as a mobile app testing company, here are some of the major steps that must be a part of an ideal mobile app testing plan. Having said that, you could customize the steps as per your app’s requirements.

Shortlist test scenarios for execution

First things first, you cannot use automated testing to test each and every test scenario. Akin to web testing, achieving 100 percent test coverage is a myth!

Here are some of the pointers that can help you in choosing the automation or manual route to test your app:

1. Manual test execution is preferable in scenarios where you have to perform exploratory tests. Consider automation for scenarios that are time consuming and that do not require any manual intervention.

2. On the other hand, automation testing using the mobile app testing frameworks must be considered when the test outcomes are predictable. A simple example could be testing the entire purchase flow (or logic) on an e-commerce application. Here the series of steps will remain the same, hence the outcome is predictable.

3. Choose the test automation framework depending on the team’s expertise, budget, and requirements.

4. Emulators and simulators are good for testing the functional aspects of the app. However, real devices are always recommended to test the app from a performance, power, and usability perspective.

5. Taking the device and OS fragmentation into consideration, it is recommended to prioritize the devices & operating systems on which you plan to perform the mobile app testing.

Also Read – Top 6 Challenges Testers Face During Mobile App Testing

Design and Development of Test Scenarios

By the end of the first step, you would have identified the functionalities that you plan to test using manual and/or automated testing. The next step is to give wings to those test scenarios by designing and developing the same.

The major difference between a website and mobile app is that the mobile app tests need to take into consideration of the different user journeys – a factor that plays a vital role in customer retention.

Based on the above pointer, you could devise the tests from the angle of “functionality and reliability” as well from the lens of “business objective”. Irrespective of the category being chosen, it is important to perform thorough functional and non-functional mobile app testing.

Unit testing, system testing, integration testing, UI testing, and regression testing are some of the common forms of functional mobile app testing. On similar lines, the mobile app testing strategy (or plan) must also include non-functional tests like performance testing, security testing, reliability testing, load testing, and more.

Also Read – Guide to No Code Mobile Testing

Balance of Manual and Automated Testing

Now that test scenarios are designed and developed, the immediate next step is to use the right mix of manual & automated testing to run those tests. During the early stages of app development, you could prefer manual testing over automated approach.

The primary reason is there won’t be many scenarios that need testing at early stages of app development. Exploratory tests must be a part of every sprint, since we never know how the end-user will use the apps 🙂

It is always a good practice to document the approach, time taken for test execution, and bugs identified in a simple document. This helps keep a track of the product quality improvements over time.

It is a known fact that manual testing is not a scalable approach to testing. Choose the right kind of mobile app testing framework (e.g. Appium, XCUITest, etc.) to test the UI elements in the app.

On the other hand, you should choose the best-suited load testing and stress testing tools to verify if the front-end & back-end components of the app work seamlessly across different loads. All the best practices like code reusability, maintainability, Page Object Models, etc. must be replicated in mobile app automation tests.

Run Alpha and Beta Trials

In case you have an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) ready and want to seek initial user feedback, you should open up the app access to a select set of users. This can be termed as Alpha testing where users will provide you critical feedback that will be further helpful in developing the product.

Beta testing is used when you already have a working app in the market but developers have added some enhancements as per the user’s feedback. It’s time to do a dry run of those newly added features. This is where beta testing can be really helpful, as it will help you figure out if the features have any side-effects or is there any real usage of the features.

Alpha and Beta testing of mobile apps help in building the feedback mechanism loop. Such feedback will further help in improving the mobile app from all perspectives!

Performance Testing

The mobile app might work like a charm when fewer users are using the application. However, its performance might take a hit if a large number of users are simultaneously connecting to the app. Such an experience can be a turn-off for the users of the app.

This is where performance testing comes into the picture. Performance testing tools like Apica LoadTest, Blazemeter, Eggplant, Experitest, Gatling, etc. can be used for testing the app from scalability, performance, and reliability point of view.

On the whole, performance tests help you test the app at different loads thereby ensuring that its performance does not deteriorate when a large number of users are connected to the app.

Also Read – Top Mobile App Testing Tools for iOS and Android

Security Testing

App security is one of the integral aspects of the app, particularly for banking, e-commerce, and other such categories of apps where customers’ personal information are saved for future uses. Most apps also support login using OAuth (Open Authentication) APIs, there might be cases where there could be security vulnerabilities using the APIs.

This is where security testing becomes essential since it helps in performing security audits of all the areas of the application. WhiteHat Security, Veracode, Micro Focus, and Zed Attack Proxy are some of the popular mobile app security testing tools that are instrumental in identifying vulnerabilities in the app.

Depending on the type of mobile application, you might also need to adhere to the security guidelines proposed by PCI DSS (for payment related apps), HIPAA (for healthcare specific mobile apps), and FFIEC (for banking specific apps).

Apart from the above mentioned steps, you should focus on manual testing, exploratory testing, crowd testing, and other forms of testing that might be relevant to your application.

It’s A Wrap

Mobile applications have become an integral part of our lives. However, there is immense competition when it comes to mobile applications since there are a number of options for different types of apps.

This is why mobile app testing becomes extremely crucial since it helps in testing the app in a rigorous manner. A mobile application testing company like KiwiQA can play a key role in supporting developers and enterprises with various forms of mobile app testing.

As per a survey, close to 98 percent of the apps are not completely secure. This is an alarmingly high number since the private data of the app users could be at stake. Hence, mobile app development companies must make app security testing a part of the DevOps and testing lifecycle.

Companies must move away from the mindset where security testing is pushed to the end of the development lifecycle. All the essential security checks must be performed before the changes are made live on the production server. It is recommended to partner with a mobile application testing company in scenarios where you do not have an inhouse security testing team.

In case you are on the lookout for a detailed checklist to get started with security testing, look no further since we have it all covered in this blog. The learnings of this blog will be helpful in devising a security testing strategy for your mobile app.

State Of Mobile App Security

As per the State Of Mobile report^[1] by Data.ai, close to 4.35 Lakh app downloads are performed every minute. Daily time spent by users has also risen to 4.8 hours in 2021.

Though mobile apps have been widely used across the globe, issues still lie with security aspects of many mobile applications. One out of thirty-six apps are not completely secure for end usage. This is an alarmingly high number and the only resort to bring down this number is by relentlessly focusing on improving the app’s security.

Since app security is of prime importance, many companies opt for mobile app testing services for ensuring that mobile applications are tested in a rigorous manner. As far as mobile apps are concerned, they are primarily categorized as:

• Native Apps – Apps that are built using the SDK offered by the respective mobile OS (i.e. Android or iOS)
• Hybrid Apps – Apps with look & feel of native apps but behave like web apps, thereby taking the advantage offered by both the app types
• Web Apps – Apps that are built using HTML and accessed from the mobile web browsers. These are desktop apps that are tailor-made for the mobile viewport

Also Read – Introduction to API Security Testing

Mobile App Security Issues in Android & iOS

Security issues that you would encounter in Android apps might differ from those witnessed in iOS apps. Well, they are two different operating systems – Android is open-source whereas iOS is closed-source.

Many OEM manufacturers add changes to the Android mainline code at different levels (e.g. kernel, middleware, UI) to have a differentiating factor from the competitors. As an Android app developer, it is recommended to opt for native apps if the app needs access to the device capabilities like camera, GPS, sensors, etc.

Now that we have the platform set, let me walk you through the different security issues in Android and iOS.

Mobile App Security Concerns in iOS

It is a well-known fact that iOS apps go through a much wider scrutiny by the apps team before they are made live on the iOS store. However, it might be incorrect to say that iOS apps are not vulnerable to security attacks.

As per OWASP^[2], here are the top 10 security concerns observed in iOS applications:

• Improper Platform Usage
• Insecure Data Storage
• Insecure Communication
• Insecure Authentication
• Insufficient Cryptography
• Insecure Authorization
• Client Code Quality
• Code Tampering
• Reverse Engineering
• Extraneous Functionality

Mobile App Security Concerns in Android

Contrary to iOS applications, Android apps are more vulnerable to security threats. The app screening process to get listed on PlayStore is not so stringent compared to iOS (or iTunes) store.

Some of the major security concerns observed in Android applications^[3] are:

• Social Engineering
• Data leakage through malicious applications
• Spyware
• MITM (Man-in-the-Middle Attacks)
• Permission issues
• Phishing and malvertising

To identify security issues in the mobile applications, it is important to devise a detailed Vulnerability Assessment plan and Security Testing & Pentesting plan.

Also Read – Android Vs. iOS Mobile App Testing

Detailed Mobile Security Testing Checklist

Here are the major pointers that must make way into the security testing checklist:

1. Perform Security Audit

This is the very first step in identifying security issues in the mobile application. As a QA engineer, you need to know the purpose and depth of the audit. For example, if the application is using third-party APIs, you need to make sure that the data is secure whether it is in transit or at rest.

Since there would be multiple areas of security that need to be looked into, you should prioritize the ones that need immediate attention. Authentication and authorization, access permissions, data storage, and cookies are some of the areas that should be looked into at a high priority.

The audit must include the ways to mitigate different types of security threats, along with covering ways in which such security issues can be looked into at early stages of the development & testing cycle.

2. Threat Modeling and Assessment

As mentioned in OWASP^[4], threat modeling is the process of identifying, communicating, and understanding the threats & mitigations within the context of protecting something of great value. In case of mobile applications, threats could be from third-party interactions (e.g. third-party APIs or interactions with third-party servers) or it could be security threat due to poorly designed app architecture.

At this stage, team members need to wear the hats of attackers & users and exploit the security vulnerabilities from all angles. Usage of automated tools like ADB (Android Debug Bridge), MobSF (Mobile Security Framework), and iMAS (iOS Mobile Application Security) can be used for performing automated security tests on Android & iOS applications.

Threat modeling and assessment is an integral step since it helps in realizing a risk-based analysis of the bug priority and its impact. It is an integral part of the mobile app security testing checklist.

3. Security Exploitation

In the previous step, you identified (or assessed) the potential vulnerabilities. Now is the time to use the appropriate pentesting or security testing tools to exploit different vulnerabilities in the app.

Performing this step is critical since it ensures that the security vulnerabilities do not make it to the app that will go live on the app store. QARK (Quick Android Review Kit) and ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) are the widely used mobile app security testing tools.

In case your team is not experienced enough to use these tools, it is advised to onboard an experienced mobile testing services company like KiwiQA that has the experience of working with a wide range of clients.

4. Fixing Vulnerabilities

By the end of this step, you would have identified the vulnerabilities and even tried to exploit the same. The security vulnerabilities must be divided in different priority buckets so that you (and the team) can patch the security issues as per the priority.

Now, you should have a well-tested app that has been tested well from a security standpoint.

Also Read – Guide To Mobile Application Security Testing

Conclusion

In this blog, we deep dived into the essential aspects of mobile app security testing. Testing the mobile app from a security perspective is important for ensuring customer stickiness. It avoids scenarios of any potential data leaks where vital confidential (or personal) information is accessible to an untrusted environment.

To make the most out of security testing, many developers and enterprises onboard an experienced mobile app testing services company in order to release a more secure mobile app in the respective store.

There are a number of mobile applications where users enter personal details and perform financial transactions using modes like credit cards, debit cards, online banking, etc. Any security loophole in the app can be exploited by malicious actors to gain access to the crucial private information that is lying in the mobile device.

Security lapses (or breaches) in the mobile app can be prevented or mitigated with exhaustive penetration testing. Mobile app security is extremely critical from a user’s point of view. Hence, app developers as well as enterprises are leveraging pentesting (or penetration testing) to test the IT infrastructure, database security, web application, and other aspects related to the mobile app.

On the whole, mobile pentesting must be considered as an integral part of the overall app security plan. It is recommended to partner with a proven penetration testing company in case you do not have in-house expertise in mobile app pentesting. In this blog, we will deep dive into the essential aspects of devising a top-notch mobile app pentesting strategy.

What is Mobile App Penetration Testing?

As the name indicates, mobile app penetration testing emulates a real-world attack on the app to detect the security vulnerabilities in the app. The mobile app pentesting strategy is aimed to detect issues on the front-end, back-end (or databases), binary compile problems, and sensitive data storage.

Just imagine the gravity of the damage in scenarios where sensitive data (e.g. username, password, etc.) is stored as normal strings in the back-end. Hackers could also sell this sensitive data on the dark web marketplace^[2]. Such a situation can be avoided by making mobile app pentesting a regular feature in the big scheme of things.

Pen testers are expected to have in-depth knowledge about mobile app environments so that they can create test scenarios that help identify security vulnerabilities in the app. A scalable mobile app penetration testing strategy includes both manual as well as the automated approach to testing.

Also Read – Things You Should Know About Penetration Testing

Mobile App Penetration Testing Best Practices

Now that we have touched upon the important concepts of pentesting of mobile applications, let me cover the best practices for pentesting.

1. Create detailed pentesting plan

Before you can start running penetration tests on the mobile application, it is essential to formulate a plan that outlines the following:

• Pentesting tools
• Test scenarios
• Prioritization of the test scenarios
• Insights into mobile app environments

Some practices of mobile app testing in one mobile OS environment (e.g. iOS) can be replicated with ease in other environments. The practices outlined in OWASP cheat sheet is a good starting point for creating a formidable mobile app pentesting plan.

2. Create testing environments

Like any other form of testing, you need to focus on creating a testing environment that is suited for running penetration tests. There are tools that let you jailbreak the iPhone so penetration tests can be performed on iOS applications.

Android and iOS penetration testing must be considered an integral part of the application’s security audit. Improper platform usage, insecure authentication,  insecure authorization, code tampering, etc. are some of the vulnerabilities that must be looked into when running pen tests on mobile apps.

3. Choose the ideal pentesting tools

There are a number of options when it comes to penetration testing of mobile applications. You will have the option of premium as well as open-source tools. The choice of tool purely depends on the testing environment.

Wireshark, OWASP ZAP, TCPDump, AppCrack, and Apktool are some of the most popular mobile app penetration testing tools. Along with the project requirements, you must also have a detailed look at the in-house expertise with pentesting tools.

Onboarding an experienced penetration testing services company like KiwiQA can be highly beneficial in such cases, as you can make a well-informed choice when choosing pentesting tools.

4. Prioritize test scenarios

The saying ‘one size fits all’ approach does not apply to mobile app pentesting. Test scenarios being developed for pentesting of e-commerce applications can be drastically different from that of a fintech application.

Once the team has designed the test scenarios, it is important to categorize the scenarios in different buckets. You should run pentest for the test scenarios that are of a higher priority. Consider scenarios involving sensitive customer data, financial transactions, etc. on a higher priority in the pentesting plan.

Also Read – How To Perform Penetration Testing For E-Commerce Applications?

5. Launch server attacks

Irrespective of whether you are testing an iOS app or an Android app, the app will be downloaded from the server. Apart from the official iOS store and Playstore, companies leverage the use of app distribution platforms to improve the app’s reach.

As a party of server attacks, you must check about unauthorized and authorized file uploads. Both Playstore and iOS app stores have authentication mechanisms in place between the smartphone and the server. These must be checked thoroughly to ensure that no vulnerabilities exist when there is communication between the phone and the corresponding server (from where the app is downloaded).

6. Launch network attacks

Intercepting the network traffic must be considered on priority in the mobile app pentesting strategy. Network sniffers must be used extensively for sniffing (or monitoring) the network traffic for vital information like protocol used, monitoring network requests & data packets, and more.

It is important to ensure that the data is secure, whether it is in transit or in rest. As a part of network attacks, the pentesting team must examine the authentication, authorization, and session management mechanisms.

Wireshark, Windump, TCPDump, Auvik, and NetworkMiner are some of the most widely used network sniffing tools.

Also Read – Key Stages of Penetration Testing

7. Perform file analysis at various levels

Most applications make use of the OAuth mechanism along with other third-party APIs. As a part of mobile app penetration testing, you have to ensure that sensitive data is not stored on third-party servers.

Frequent checking of buffer overflows and the potential of SQL-based injection attacks must be considered when conducting analysis at binary and file levels.

Conclusion

Penetration testing is critical in today’s times since it ensures that the app is secure from an end-user’s perspective. In this blog, I covered the best practices for pentesting of mobile applications. As mentioned earlier, you should choose the right tools for executing the pentesting strategy.

Many mobile app developers and enterprises prefer to partner with a company like KiwiQA that pioneers in offering penetration testing services. Rather than building an in-house team from scratch, it is recommended to onboard an experienced partner to execute mobile app pentesting strategy at a faster pace.