1. What is mobile app testing?
Answer:
Mobile app testing ensures that an app functions correctly across different mobile devices, operating systems, screen sizes, and network conditions. It includes functional, usability, performance, security, and compatibility testing.
2. What are the types of mobile applications?
Answer:
- Native Apps тАУ Built for a specific platform (Android/iOS)
- Web Apps тАУ Accessed through browsers
- Hybrid Apps тАУ Combine features of native and web apps using web technologies inside a native container
3. How is mobile testing different from web testing?
Answer:
Mobile testing includes additional challenges like touch gestures, screen resolutions, battery usage, network conditions, and device fragmentation, which are not prevalent in web testing.
4. What tools are used for mobile app automation testing?
Answer:
- Appium (cross-platform)
- Espresso (Android)
- XCUITest (iOS)
- Robot Framework, TestComplete, Kobiton, BrowserStack
5. What is Appium and why is it widely used?
Answer:
Appium is an open-source tool for automating mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms. It supports multiple programming languages, doesn’t require app source code modification, and allows cross-platform testing.
6. What are emulators and simulators?
Answer:
- Emulator: Mimics Android OS (hardware + software)
- Simulator: Mimics iOS OS (software only)
They are used for initial testing, but not a complete substitute for real device testing.
7. What are the challenges in mobile app testing?
Answer:
- Device fragmentation
- Varying screen sizes and resolutions
- OS versions and upgrades
- Battery consumption
- Network variability
- Security threats
8. What is device fragmentation and how do you handle it?
Answer:
It refers to the vast variety of device models, OS versions, and screen sizes. Use cloud testing platforms (like BrowserStack, Sauce Labs) to test across multiple real devices efficiently.
9. What types of testing are done on mobile apps?
Answer:
- Functional Testing
- UI/UX Testing
- Performance Testing
- Compatibility Testing
- Installation/Uninstallation Testing
- Interrupt Testing
- Security Testing
- Localization Testing
10. What is interrupt testing in mobile applications?
Answer:
It checks app behavior when interrupted by incoming calls, messages, notifications, low battery alerts, or when switching between apps.
11. What is mobile performance testing?
Answer:
It involves checking an appтАЩs response time, load handling, memory usage, battery consumption, and speed under different network conditions.
12. How do you test app behavior under different network conditions?
Answer:
By using tools like Charles Proxy, Network Link Conditioner, or emulators with throttling options to simulate 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, or offline conditions.
13. What is the difference between a native and hybrid app from a testing perspective?
Answer:
- Native apps allow deep system-level testing (permissions, camera, GPS).
- Hybrid apps require both web and device-level test coverage. Test both web view content and native wrapper.
14. What are some popular mobile testing frameworks for Android and iOS?
Answer:
- Android: Espresso, Robotium
- iOS: XCUITest, EarlGrey
- Cross-platform: Appium, Detox, Flutter Driver
15. What is UI Automator?
Answer:
UI Automator is an Android testing framework for functional UI testing across multiple apps. It allows testers to interact with system apps like the Settings or Notification Panel.
16. WhatтАЩs the role of ADB in mobile testing?
Answer:
ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a command-line tool that helps interact with Android devices/emulators. ItтАЩs used for installing apps, viewing logs, simulating inputs, and debugging.
17. What is APK and IPA in mobile testing?
Answer:
- APK (Android Package Kit): File format for Android apps
- IPA (iOS App Store Package): File format for iOS apps
These files are used for manual or automated testing installations.
18. What is mobile app security testing?
Answer:
It ensures the app does not expose data or allow unauthorized access. Key checks include data encryption, secure API communication, authentication, and code obfuscation.
19. How would you test app installation and uninstallation?
Answer:
- Check app installs without error
- Verify app behavior after reboot
- Ensure complete data removal after uninstallation
- Test for storage space issues
20. What is cloud-based mobile testing?
Answer:
It involves testing apps on real devices hosted in the cloud (e.g., AWS Device Farm, BrowserStack). It ensures wide device coverage without maintaining physical devices.
21. How do you test push notifications in mobile apps?
Answer:
Use tools like Firebase or manually trigger test notifications. Ensure notifications are received in foreground, background, and killed app states.
22. What is a mobile test strategy?
Answer:
It outlines the test scope, device matrix, tools, test environments, types of testing, and timelines for mobile application testing.
23. What is monkey testing in mobile apps?
Answer:
Monkey testing involves randomly testing UI elements using tools like UI/Application Exerciser Monkey to catch crashes or memory leaks.
24. How do you ensure app compatibility with different screen resolutions?
Answer:
Test the app on devices with varied screen sizes or use responsive design testing tools to ensure UI/UX consistency.
25. How do you handle mobile app crashes during testing?
Answer:
Check crash logs using tools like Logcat (Android) or Xcode console (iOS), analyze stack traces, and reproduce issues based on logs.