Blog
November 5, 2020
The world of mobile apps has some big changes in store — including Apple App Clips, Android APKs, and more. Get ahead of the curve and learn about these emerging mobile trends, and what they mean for dev and test teams.
4 Emerging Mobile Trends
Apple App Clips
Apple recently introduced App Clips in iOS 14 to increase user engagement. Apple App Clips allow users to download a subset of an app rather than the entire thing. This makes the entire user experience more simple and faster to access, as opposed to a traditional mobile app. App Clips can be downloaded from the App Store and installed on the device through a link or via NFC.
The Complete Guide to Mobile Automation Testing
Android APKs
Android APKs are similar to Apple App Clips. Android APKs are usually zip files consisting of multiple, single APK files. Google will start enforcing this development and delivery method for Android apps next year. APKs consume fewer resources, like battery and CPU. They are also lighter to download as opposed to traditional mobile apps. For developers, it means updates are quicker and more flexible to push to users.
Foldables
Mobile app testing has grown exponentially more complex with the emergence of foldable smartphones. New foldable releases from Samsung, LG, and Huawei support up to three apps running in parallel in the foreground using on-resume. To ensure that mobile apps perform on these new devices, apps must be tested with multi-window, multi-view, and multi-resume capabilities, in addition to display for a UI/UX perspective.
PWAs
PWAs are the next generation of responsive web apps with mobile-specific abilities. These include push notifications, offline caching for degraded or no network connectivity, and more. Users get a richer experience, and developers benefit from a single code base across web and mobile platforms. PWAs offer easier deployment of changes to production and simpler maintenance. They also don’t need to go through mobile app stores. Both developers and testers need to follow a new strategy to address the capabilities included in PWAs.
Back to topLearn More About Emerging Mobile Trends
With so many mobile trends on the horizon, it’s important for testers and dev teams to stay ahead of the curve. Learn more on these topics in my on-demand webinar, 5 Mobile App Trends & What They Mean for Dev & Testing.
Watch on-demand to:
- Understand the trends changing the mobile app landscape.
- Learn the implications of these emerging trends on development and testing.
- Watch a live demo of an enterprise test automation cloud environment.