How to deal with mobile testing flakiness?

How to deal with mobile testing flakiness?

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4 min read

Our dependency on mobile apps is increasing tremendously, changing the way we eat, play, shop, travel, etc. The growing dependency on mobile apps has created a huge demand for them and organizations are investing in building creative unique, functional apps with higher quality. However, the difference in device models, versions, screen sizes, screen resolutions, network types, operating systems etc., makes the testing process difficult, giving inconsistent results. This inconsistency is referred to as flaky tests and causes the app prone to bugs, making it unreliable.

Flakiness is a serious issue, and it should be addressed on priority to avoid any discrepancy in the end result. It is important to reduce flakiness in order to create apps of higher quality. A well-planned strategy needs to be implemented to eliminate flaky tests and create quality apps, that will eventually gain users’ trust, build brand, and increase ROI.

Reasons for mobile flakiness

Flaky tests are incapable of producing consistent results when performed multiple times. Such results make the app unreliable and are rejected by the users. To create an enjoyable user experience, flakiness should be removed, and a quality app should be developed. Flakiness can occur due to a number of reasons, some of which are listed below. Understand the reason for getting flaky results and implement the necessary steps to resolve them.

Manual testing: Manual testing is extremely tedious and time-consuming making them prone to human errors. When complex testing like end-to-end testing or regression testing are performed by manual approach, it can take days or even months to complete the task, while not giving consistent results. To avoid mobile testing flakiness arising from manual testing, codeless test automation can be implemented. Codeless automation will require minimal human intervention, only while setting up the process. Testing can be automated, the process can be monitored frequently, and reports can be analyzed by a tester to make upgrades or any necessary changes. By implementing codeless test automation, flakiness can be reduced considerably or even eliminated.

Poorly written test cases: Poor test cases gives inconsistent results, causing flakiness. This is one of the main reasons for flaky tests. Hence, to avoid flakiness and improve the quality of the app, organizations should invest in good resources and create a repository of quality test cases.

Fragmented systems: One of the main reasons for flaky tests are the varied device models and versions made available today. These devices are available in different screen sizes, resolutions, operating systems, etc. giving rise to inconsistency in test results. This is one of the major challenges that app testing teams are facing today as the number of mobile devices are continually increasing. Fragmentation issues are more common in Android systems than in iOS systems. The number of Android phones available today are about 24000 which is huge compared to the iOS models, hence, it is often referred to as Android fragmentation too.

The issues of fragmentation can be reduced by integrating device farms in your testing system. Device farms, also known as Device Cloud, provides access to all devices, browsers, and platforms on Cloud, allowing to test the app without missing a single model or version. This not just makes the device availability easy but also cuts immensely on the cost.

Unstable internet: When testing is remotely performed over Cloud, internet stability is an important parameter that has to be considered. Unstable internet connectivity may give inconsistent result, which may not be of any help. Hence, it is essential to have a highspeed, stable internet connectivity. The above mentioned are some of the common and primary reasons for mobile test flakiness.

Organizations should address all reasons that give rise to flaky test results and take necessary steps to resolve them. Only a seamlessly performing app will attract and retain users, while flaky app will aid in losing users, affect brand reputation, and hit the ROI metric.

Conclusion

Flakiness is one of the reasons why apps don’t get you the results you have desired for. Hence, before starting the testing activities, the team should brainstorm on all possible parameters that cause flaky test results and implement new ways to resolve them. Eliminating flakiness helps you create consistently, accurately, and seamlessly performing apps.