Importance of Real Device Testing in Automated Testing

Testing on real devices is a constant requirement for mobile applications to provide a high-quality user experience. However, it is challenging to succeed because your clients own thousands of different gadgets. Many app developers struggle to offer compatibility for all devices due to the large range of Android smartphones. Although iOS devices are still widely used in the United States, there are over 24,000 Android smartphones on the market, and Android currently accounts for 73 percent of all devices sold worldwide. This shows that devices running Android cannot in any way be disregarded. However, it is not only useless but also impractical to conduct tests on countless distinct devices.

In this article we will be going throughtesting on real device cloud and its benefits in the automated testing industry.

What is real device testing?

Real device testing often refers to the human quality assurance testing of mobile applications and mobile-optimized websites on actual mobile devices. Although many firms also employ device simulators for device coverage. If your mobile app requires extremely complex gestures to function properly, simulated devices might be unable to match its requirements.

Simulated devices aren’t as accurate as actual ones when testing mobile environments, which are just as important as the app’s functionality.

The elements of the mobile environment are as follows:

• Device’s storage capacity
• Device’s battery life
• Bluetooth Connectivity
• Internet speed and connectivity
• Bluetooth connectivity

Quality assurance testers who use real devices may additionally check for cultural compliance and localization in addition to testing for these device aspects and the app’s functionality.

What are the benefits of real device cloud testing?

A cloud-based mobile app testing platform has various benefits regardless of whether your company operates in an office setting or a remote/hybrid one.

1. Always stay up to date:

It is an absolute must to establish a mobile environment that is up to date with the newest goods to hit the market, regardless of whether they take the shape of devices, operating systems, or brands. Your greatest option for reaching this goal is to test devices with the latest versions of browsers, operating systems, and brand names installed. Choose quickly from an infinite number of possible options!

2. You can conduct business anywhere:

Things start to get nasty when you can’t rely on your team’s members to be present at the site where the physical devices are being tested. The existence of physical devices in the cloud then becomes important. Even if you are working on the busiest project, including cloud-based mobile app testing, you can still communicate with your team and do testing from the comfort of your workstation destination or your “home sweet home.” Your teams can be based in one location, dispersed worldwide, or working remotely. No more worrying about competitive data being stolen because of lost, misplaced, or stolen technology.

3. Receive the latest Updates:

You will have to wait to use any missing features or tools from your device until you can buy them. This is not the case with Real device cloud testing, where you can instantly access all the necessary capabilities through plugins and extensions.

4. Flawless communication:

There is no need to send many emails and wait impatiently for a response only to hear from customers about the same bug. You can immediately mark an issue as detected and alert your team to its existence using project management tools like JIRA and Slack.

5. Parallel testing:

Using a genuine device hosted in the cloud is perfect for large-scale testing because it allows you to test up to 100 different devices concurrently. The benefit of testing on actual devices in the cloud is one of the most important ones.

6. Scalability

A cloud-based testing platform can scale to accommodate both manual and automated testers running scripts. When needed, developers can quickly acquire fresh OS and device combinations.

7. Increased team productivity:

With everything required for mobile app testing in one place, remote development and QA teams can communicate test findings and work together to resolve application issues more quickly and easily.

8. More extensive device support:

Test your native and hybrid apps on Android and iOS devices. A cloud-based testing platform allows your employee’s quick access to a wider variety of devices.

9. No device upkeep or upgrades are necessary:

Reduce the discomfort of maintaining physical and on-site equipment. Maintaining the ideal device mix or managing the complexity of the frequent device, OS, or browser upgrades are not issues you must be concerned with.

Why is cloud-based testing on real devices the best option?

There will always be a question in the testers’ minds regarding whether they should use cloud testing on real devices rather than alternatives like emulators. This section will help testers understand why cloud testing on real devices is the best option compared to other testing techniques. Here are some parameters that may be assessed using a real device cloud to enhance a mobile application’s usability and performance.

1. User Interface

User experience is vital for organizations because if customers can’t find what they need with a few clicks or scrolls, they may quickly abandon the mobile app. A strong user interface is a must-have feature for mobile apps to deliver excellent user experiences. The best technique to evaluate user experience when external hardware and components are involved is through real device cloud testing.

2. Network Situations

One of the main causes of the subpar performance of mobile apps is the fluctuation of mobile network connections. It is difficult for 4G and 5G network operators to maintain stable connections because so many people use those networks. Organizations can implement network bandwidth throttling with real device cloud testing, allowing them to tighten or relax the bandwidth numbers.

Simulators cannot provide accurate results because software, hardware, and network reception issues cause network faults. On the other hand, testing on actual cloud-based devices can help with testing and give a realistic insight into how the network is doing.

3. Battery

Mobile applications can impact the battery life of mobile devices. App developers need to test their apps on actual devices to verify and prevent this scenario. A well-designed simulator cannot accurately simulate all possible app and device battery depletion scenarios.

4. Sensors

Mobile devices use a wide range of sensors to provide various functionality. The various sorts of sensors found here include light, proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, magnetometer, temperature, and relative humidity sensors. Testing these sensors on real devices is essential because they are made of complex technology. QA experts frequently use emulators to test sensors in the initial stages of development. Sensor testing on real devices is essential in the final stages of app development to obtain precise, pertinent insights into the functioning of apps.

5. CPU Usage

Due to increased CPU use, mobile devices may become hotter, negatively impacting app performance. The utilization of RAM and the GPU might also impact CPU consumption. Due to these traits, simulators have difficulty estimating CPU utilization in mobile devices. Therefore, mobile device cloud testing is required to collect precise data regarding the CPU utilization of mobile devices.

Which one should you choose for your organization: Real device cloud testing v/s Physical Device Testing?

Many things must be examined and considered while software testing on a mobile application or website. When comparing the two, there shouldn’t be a significant difference between the expected and actual results. This is a safety measure to ensure the software performs as we want. It should be cost-effective and efficient in every way, rather than making a huge dent in your budget and using much of your time. Furthermore, it shouldn’t make it difficult to meet the deadlines.

Whether your plan involves testing on real devices in the cloud or on physical devices, you need to keep the following factors in mind when choosing a testing strategy:

1. Examine the test’s objective:

Have a close look at the test objective. Do you want to test the entire program, or will unit testing suffice for now? You must have this knowledge when choosing whether to run your test utilizing physical or real device cloud testing.

2. Requirements:

Check to see what requirements your website or app has, and decide accordingly. Do you need to put the camera’s functions to the test? Do you need GPS technology to help you? When will you begin testing browsers on mobile platforms? It would help to consider these factors before choosing to go forward with real-device cloud testing.

3. Assessment:

Find out how much risk is involved in the course of action you intend to follow. Compare that to an alternative method of doing things. Testing on real devices in the cloud could be more manageable than testing on physical devices, which might cost you more money. You must first consider it carefully.

4. Project schedule:

Learn about the resources at your disposal for the project. To know whether it is a short-term or long-term aim, discuss it with your team. A physical device can be ideal if you work on a project with a short turnaround time. However, using an actual device in the cloud is ideal if you are working on a long-term project and must keep track of every test log.

5. Application or website type:

Consider the mobile website or application you want to test. It might be a website for online commerce or a virtual reality (VR) app. Before choosing the testing method for the website or mobile application, you must first assess the project’s scope.

Time and money are very critical considerations when choosing the testing strategy you will employ. Testing experts frequently use real device cloud testing to complete it more quickly. Testing a real device, on the other hand, can cost more money and take more time.

6. Support for both ATLC and SDLC:

Keep an eye on the lifespan of software development and the lifecycle of automation testing at once. Every app and website would require testing at different stages and intervals. Verify that the strategy you chose is appropriate.

7. Team capabilities include:

Employ the best testers you can find, but the testing process shouldn’t be so demanding that testers become burned out and unmotivated.

8. Flexibility

Any mobile application or website must have functionality that can adjust to changing conditions. It is anticipated that your testing procedure will back this up.

LambdaTest is a digital experience testing platform that lets you perform manual and automation testing of mobile apps on real Android and iOS devices. It offers mobile test automation using several app testing frameworks like Appium, Espresso and XCUITest.

Enterprises can benefit from delivering more stable mobile applications more frequently by testing applications in a cloud environment that simulates real devices. In addition, real device cloud testing has the potential to provide organizations and their QA teams with the flexibility they require to create mobile apps that have optimal performance and to react more swiftly to the requirements imposed by the business.