Mobile application testing is the process of checking and confirming the functionality, performance, usability, security and consistency of a mobile app. Today, there are very many mobile app developers who come up with almost new apps daily, each app for different purposes. However, not all apps that are created and developed by mobile app developers can be used. The apps cannot be used maybe because they are not functioning correctly and so forth. Immediately an app is created or rather developed it must be tested before being deployed. Failure to test a mobile app before deployment to the market is very risky and dangerous. The app may develop problems, which may cause bad and negative reviews from the users and low downloads of the app. There are different types of testing regarding mobile apps

• Functional testing- it checks the functionality of the app

• Performance testing-it tests both network and server performance of the app

• Memory testing-it checks the memory usage of an application

• Interruption testing- checks the behaviour of the app in case of an interruption due to incoming calls and low battery warning.

• Installation testing- it checks the installation of the app. How easy is it to install or uninstall an application? Can the app be updated?

• Usability testing- it checks the efficiency and effectiveness of an app when in use.

Mobile app testing can either be manual or automatic. Automated app testing is fast compared to manual. It is also handy and ensures that you release a bug-free application. Automated testing also saves app developers a lot of time and money. This article will focus on the different tools that are used to test mobile applications according to popularity and usage.

Appium

Appium is the tool that is used for automated functional testing of mobile apps. It is among the tools that can successfully do cross-platform testing on both Android and iOS-based mobile apps. Appium is effective and suitable for testing all applications on the Android and iOS platforms. Most importantly it can handle and support all browsers in the Android platform and safari on the iOS platform.

Benefits

It has stable standard APIs, so you don't have to change your app  

You can use any programming language when testing the mobile app

It gives its users freedom regarding how to set up the testing

XCUITest

This tool is only used for iOS testing. It is a tool created by Apple, so you require Xcode for the tool to function. The test use swift or Objective-C programming language. XCUITest is beneficial to mobile app creators because it ensures that testing stays within the Xcode environment. You can use Objective-C or swift programming languages alongside the app code. It allows its user to take advantage of Apple's services.

Espresso

Espresso is a testing tool from Google designed for only testing android mobile apps. The tests are written and must be written in Kotlin or Java, and the UI test occurs alongside the app code. The benefits of espresso as an android mobile testing tool are quite evident. The main function of this tool is to automate the speed of the app. It is reliable as the test only occur when the application is ready. It allows application developers to stay within the android studio environment and to take advantage of Google services.

Earl Grey

Just like XCUITest, earl grey is an iOS UI automation framework and is meant for iOS platforms only. The difference is that earl grey is created by Google and XCUITest belongs to apple. Being an iOS tool implies that it must be written in swift or Objective-C programming dialect. Earl grey synchronisation features are similar to espresso. It implies that automation will not occur unless the app is ready.  

Detox

Just like Appium, detox successfully carries out cross-platforms tests. It is java based which means the tests should and must be written in JavaScript. Detox is a useful tool because it can test both mobile phone platforms, that is Android and iOS platforms. Detox can only allow automation of the app when it is in its idle state.

From the above list, it is evident that there is a variety of mobile app testing tools for the app developers to choose. The important thing is that all these tools allow and facilitate automated testing of the mobile app. Each tool is excellent in its different way and has both pro and cons. When choosing your preferred tool, weigh between the pro and cons of the tool. If the advantages are more than the cons, then use the tool. It is also essential to do research and ask a lot of questions about your preferred tool. The choice of the tool to use when testing the mobile application will depend on the mobile platform. The mobile platforms are iOS and Android. It is also safe to say that different tools for testing mobile apps are appropriate in a separate instance.