Cloud Platforms for Mobile App Testing: Potential and Roadblocks in Adoption

The mobile app market is growing at an unprecedented pace, with over 3.5 billion smartphone users worldwide. As the world adapts to this overwhelming and amazing demand, the importance of mobile app testing has increased, making it critical for organizations to ensure that their apps are functional, secure, and user-friendly.

Testing mobile apps can be a complex and costly process, especially because of the ever-changing landscape of mobile devices and operating systems. This is where cloud platforms for mobile app testing come into play.

According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global market size for mobile application testing solutions is expected to grow from USD 2.2 billion in 2020 to USD 4.9 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.2% during the forecast period. Additionally, IDC predicts that worldwide spending on mobile application testing services will reach $18.3 billion by 2025. In this article, we will explore the potential benefits and roadblocks to the adoption of cloud platforms for mobile app testing.

Cloud Platforms for Mobile App Testing: Exploring New Testing Possibilities

The competition to cope with the rapid growth of mobile applications is cutthroat. It keeps organizations on their toes to release new features and updates and address any defects swiftly. This puts a spotlight on the testing process.

What makes cloud-based testing of mobile apps lucrative is that organizations can access a scalable, cost-effective and secure solution for testing their mobile apps. They can run tests across multiple devices and operating systems using real devices, emulators, and simulators. QAs and teams can access these devices and emulators 24x7 from any location to test the application in their desired environment.

Let us look at more factors that make cloud platforms an excellent choice for mobile app testing:

QA teams get a choice of devices, OS platforms, and display settings to test the apps for compatibility. This brings down the overall infrastructure and maintenance costs spent on testing.
With cloud platforms, running parallel tests on multiple mobile devices simultaneously isn’t a problem. This helps QA teams prioritize their tasks better and improve their efficiency.
Cloud platforms provide a secure environment, and the testing can be recorded to ensure smooth process execution.
QA and developers can access tools from anywhere, 24x7.
Testing in a real-time environment with real network carriers is easily possible.
Cloud platforms offer plans like functional testing only, automation testing only so that QA teams can choose one that best suits their requirements.
Apps and websites can be tested on cross-platform mobile devices (Android and iOS).
Teams can broaden their device coverage by testing the latest iOS and Android devices with the new OS.
Team can discover critical bugs faster and remotely thanks to real device access.
QA teams can collaborate faster on a single platform to supercharge their release timelines.
Code-less automation can be done using the Kobiton tool.
Inspector is available on platforms to locate mobile app elements.
Live session sharing is available in Saucelabs.
Integrate CI/CD tools with cloud platform tools to run automation regression jobs can decrease the overall application testing time.

The Road Ahead for Cloud-Based Testing

Though the list of advantages to using cloud platforms for mobile testing runs long, there are several roadblocks that need to be considered before making any decisions. Here is what you should know:

Connectivity issues: Cloud platforms require a stable and strong internet connection. Any interruption in the connection can cause the testing process to be slow or fail completely. This may impact the performance and efficiency of the QA teams and disrupt release deadlines.
Limited access to devices: Some cloud platforms may have a limited selection of devices available for testing. This can impact the testing environment and coverage. Test data and pre-request data are only limited to the active session, unlike physical devices, making the testing tedious for QAs.
Expenses: Some cloud platforms can be expensive, especially for long-term use. This can be a significant barrier for small businesses or startups with limited budgets to spend on testing endeavors. For example, a banking application built for specific users, where application usage is not that scalable and can get a bit expensive considering the userbase.
Security concerns: Storing sensitive data on a cloud platform can raise security concerns, especially if the platform has been previously breached or has a history of security vulnerabilities.
Steep learning curve: Developers may have to learn new things to utilize the platforms to their full potential. This additional time and the resources needed to implement the platform effectively can impact the adoption rate.
Integration issues: Integrating a cloud platform with existing testing frameworks and tools can be complex and time-consuming, especially if the platform uses proprietary protocols or APIs.

Wrapping It Up

Despite these roadblocks, cloud-based mobile app testing will likely evolve in terms of reliability, and automation capabilities. We can expect to see the development of new tools and platforms that can help developers and testers optimize their testing processes and reduce time-to-market.

Additionally, advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning may be leveraged to make cloud-based testing even more effective and efficient. Continued growth and innovation will happen in this space in the years to come.

Check out our related PDF: Mobile App Testing Framework