How Mobile App Test Automation Works

Mobile app test automation is used to test for a number of things, such as functionality, security, and accessibility. Performance testing, stress testing, functional testing, and accessibility testing are a few types of tests that may be conducted on mobile apps.

Mobile app testing can also include simulation testing to replicate environmental conditions that may affect app performance. These include things like network coverage, conflicting aps, and degraded network conditions.

Most teams accomplish automation with the help of open source testing frameworks. Frameworks such as Appium, Espresso, and XCUITest help teams automate mobile testing.

mobile test automation

Why Is Mobile App Testing Automation Important?

Providing a consistent app experience across devices is critical. Users expect instant, seamless interactions. And every digital experience is a reflection of your brand — which is why mobile app testing should be an integral part of your overall testing strategy.

The mobile space is incredibly fragmented. Between devices, generations, and operating systems, there are thousands of permutations to test. But with mobile test automation, you can quickly scale your tests and boost coverage to accelerate delivery.

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The Current State of Mobile App Test Automation

Mobile app testing automation is not for the faint of heart. Complex test creation, combined with complicated test scenarios, results in excessive manual testing. And that slows down your delivery.

For mobile app test creation, execution, and analysis, a smart end-to-end continuous testing solution can help. Learn more in our eBook, The 3 Essential Building Blocks of Continuous Testing.

Challenges of Mobile App Test Automation

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Complex test creation

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High rates of manual testing

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Flaky automation

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Noisy false negatives

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Expensive DIY labs

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Slow feedback loops

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Difficult to scale

Advanced Appium Tips and Tricks

Find out what’s new with Appium and learn advanced test automation best practices, including:
•    Proper use of object identifiers.
•    Benefits of using deep links to avoid test flakiness.
•    Cross-platform test automation best practices.
•    Leveraging Appium to test application upgrades.

Watch Now

Advanced Appium Tricks

End-to-End Support for Mobile App Testing With Perfecto

Perfecto provides teams with everything they need to develop, execute, and analyze mobile app testing — all from within our cloud-based test lab.

Perfecto Mobile

Streamlined Test Creation

Mobile app testing requires you to achieve a high level of automation. Testing frameworks, like Appium, allow you to scale automated test scripts with ease. And with Quantum BDD, test creation is easier than ever for all members of your team.

Test Creation

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Scalable Test Execution

Accelerate your mobile app testing with Perfecto. Conduct tests in parallel and run each test faster. Perfecto is elastically-scaled with no single point of failure, so you can get the testing cadence you need. And you can even execute tests from within IDEs as well as through CI servers, like Jenkins. 

Test Execution

Test Execution

Cloud-Based Lab

Smart Testing Lab gives you the tools you need to quickly test your mobile app against thousands of permutations. Rest assured that the devices you need to test are available in our lab — it’s always updated, always on, and always available.

Lab

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Smart Test Analysis

Mobile app testing generates so much data that it’s difficult to derive insights. With AI-driven test automation dashboards and heatmaps, you’ll get high-level visibility with timelines, trends, and even drilling down from build to issue to root cause.

Analysis

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Superior Application Quality for Mobile

Maximize continuous testing and shift quality left by combining the power of Perfecto and BlazeMeter. Together, these powerful solutions offer industry-first capabilities to allow you to:

Real Success With Mobile App Test Automation

Learn how Virgin Media successfully kept up with the explosive growth of the mobile market, thanks to Perfecto’s enterprise-grade solution. Hear how they boosted device coverage to provide a consistent, world-class experience across mobile devices.

See Case Study

Mobile App Testing Resources

Boost Mobile Test Automation With Perfecto

Try the world’s only end-to-end continuous testing platform.