Android is the world’s most popular operating system, with over 2.5 billion active users in 190 countries. It is developed by Andy Rubin as an open-source alternative to iPhone and Palm OS, became the most popular mobile operating system in the early 2010s.
Android is the leading platform in the majority of countries, but has struggled to overcome Apple in Japan and the United States. In nations such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Iran, and Turkey, its market share exceeds 85 percent.
Global Market Share of the Android OS
However, with such popularity comes the challenges of Android Device Fragmentation. Device fragmentation in Android refers to the market’s abundance of Android smartphones with varying screen sizes, resolutions , hardware combinations, and software versions. This presents a difficulty for Android developers, who must verify that their applications are compatible with a broad variety of devices, which may be a time-consuming and difficult endeavour.
The user experience of an Android application may be significantly impacted by device fragmentation. If an application is not optimised for a particular device, it may not perform correctly or appear attractive on that device. For instance, an application intended for a larger screen may not be user-friendly on a smaller screen, and an application designed for a certain Android version may not be compatible with an older version.
Android developers can utilise a variety of strategies, including:
In order to assure compatibility, developers can test their programs on a wide variety of devices.
However, of all these strategies, the most vital is Android Testing which ensures that the application works seamlessly across any and all devices.
Pro Tip : The only way to guarantee app speed and stability in the age of device fragmentation is to test them on actual Android devices . Given that hundreds of them are in use around the world, this presents a dilemma. Unless a company has enough finances to spare, it will be unable to build, operate, and improve an Android device lab on-site. In contrast, developers and testers can conduct tests on a real device cloud .
In essence, it enables businesses to evaluate app performance and efficacy on actual Android devices without the need to gather or manage devices. BrowserStack provides the infrastructure in the cloud that enables android testing activities . Also, they can test websites on real browsers installed on Android smartphones. Testers can undertake Android testing by registering for free and selecting the desired device-Android version combination.
Table of ContentsAndroid is a mobile operating system designed specifically for smartphones and tablets. It was developed by Google and distributed for the first time in 2008. Android is an open-source platform, meaning its source code is accessible to developers for modification and enhancement.
Android provides a mobile user interface that includes a home screen, notification centre, and app launcher. It also supports multitasking, allowing users to simultaneously run different apps. Android applications are written in Java and executed on the mobile-optimised Dalvik virtual computer.
Android’s ability to interface with Google services such as Google Maps, Google Drive, and Google Play is one of its defining characteristics. Google Play is the official app store for Android smartphones, allowing users to download and install a variety of programs, games, and other content.
In order to better understand how Android works it is important to have an idea of its Architecture
Android Architecture
Android testing refers to the evaluation of Android applications’ functionality and performance. Android testing entails testing the application on various devices, operating systems, and under various settings to ensure that it functions as intended.
There are numerous Android testing types, including:
Overall, Android testing is a crucial step in the creation of Android applications, as it ensures that the applications function effectively and satisfy user expectations.
The different types of Android Testing will be explored in the next section in some detail.
Some of the different types of Android Testing are enlisted below :
While these divisions are all relevant it is important to look at Android Testing from a Test Pyramid perspective
Android Testing Types
Unit tests are used to test the business logic, which does not use any android components like context, activity, etc., hence a physical device or emulator is not required to execute unit tests.
Unit tests are minimal and execute quickly in part because they lack platform-specific dependencies. Often, they concentrate on a single component, such as a function or class. This essay will focus on unit testing using JUnit4.
JUnit is a “Unit Testing” framework for Java applications that is already included into android studio by default. It is a framework for automating Unit and UI Testing. It includes annotations such as @Test, @Before , and @After , among others. To maintain the readability of this essay, we shall simply employ @Test annotations .
Step 1: Create a new Project
Create a new project by selecting File > New > New Project from the main menu in Android Studio to create a new project in Android Studio. Ensure that Kotlin should be selected as the programming language.
Step 2: Add dependency to the build.gradle file and click “sync now”
Step 3: Working with the RegistrationUtil.kt file
Construct a new RegistrationUtil file in Kotlin with an object type. Since this is a singleton, we do not need to construct an instance of it in other classes. isvalidRegistrationInput is a function that requires three arguments: username, password, and confirm password. Using the following test cases, we will evaluate this function using various inputs.
object RegistrationUtil < private val existingUsers = listOf("John", "Jane", "Michael") /** * Checks if the registration input is valid. * * @param username The username to be checked. * @param userPassword The password to be checked. * @param confirmedPassword The confirmation of the password. * * @return True if the input is valid, otherwise false. */ fun isValidRegistrationInput(username: String, userPassword: String, confirmedPassword: String): Boolean < // Check if username, password, or confirmPassword is empty if (username.isEmpty() || userPassword.isEmpty() || confirmedPassword.isEmpty()) < return false >// Check if username exists in the existingUsers list if (username in existingUsers) < return false >// Check if password matches confirmPassword if (userPassword != confirmedPassword) < return false >// Check if the password contains at least 4 digits if (userPassword.count < it.isDigit() > < 4) < return false >// All conditions passed, registration input is valid return true > >
Step 4: Create a test class
To build a RegistrationUtil test class, right-click on RegistrationUtil, choose generate, and then select the test. A dialogue box will appear; select Testing library as JUnit4 and leave the class name as RegistrationUtilTest, then click OK.
Step 5: Write the Unit test code
Navigate to the file RegistrationUtilTest.kt and add the following code. The purpose of adding comments within the code is to make the code more comprehensible.
import com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat import org.junit.Test class RegistrationUtilTest @Test fun `empty username returns false`() val result = RegistrationUtil.isValidRegistrationInput("", "123", "123") assertThat(result).isFalse() > @Test fun `username and correctly repeated password returns true`() val result = RegistrationUtil.isValidRegistrationInput("Test User", "123", "123") assertThat(result).isTrue() > @Test fun `username already taken returns false`() val result = RegistrationUtil.isValidRegistrationInput("John", "123", "123") assertThat(result).isFalse() > @Test fun `incorrect confirm password returns false`() val result = RegistrationUtil.isValidRegistrationInput("Test User", "123", "1234") assertThat(result).isFalse() > @Test fun `less than four digit password returns false`() val result = RegistrationUtil.isValidRegistrationInput("Test User", "123", "123") assertThat(result).isFalse() > @Test fun `valid registration input returns true`() val result = RegistrationUtil.isValidRegistrationInput("New User", "12345", "12345") assertThat(result).isTrue() > >
Step 6: Execute the test cases
To run the test case, select Run RegistrationUtilTest by clicking the small run button next to the class name. If all test cases pass, the Run console will display a green checkmark. In our situation, every test passed.
You should run these tests on a genuine device rather than a local computer. They are intended to verify that the integration between various modules or components is successful. These tests are typically medium-sized and should account for roughly 20% of the overall number of tests developed for your application.
With Android, a simple integration test might consist of determining whether tapping a button for a specific Activity leads to a different Activity. Because these tests run on a real device or emulator, they are often much slower than unit tests, therefore you should run them far less frequently.
You will only write a couple of these tests for your application. Around ten percent of your entire tests should be end-to-end testing . As the name suggests, these tests are used to examine the entire user flow, from start to finish.
A multistep user registration flow is an example of a use case for which you would want to create an end-to-end test. As with integration tests, these tests must execute on a real device or an emulator. This implies that they will be slower, therefore you should run them fewer frequently.
These tests have a considerably greater level of fidelity because they imitate a real-world use case on actual hardware (if you’re using a real device for testing). Yet, if the test fails, it can be difficult to determine what went wrong due to the test’s need to examine so many moving pieces.
According to Statcounter, even though Android 10.0 is the newest and most popular version, obsolete versions such as 4.4 and 5.1 are still in use.
Android Version Usage Globally
These obsolete versions may not support some mobile functions and applications. The older devices also have differing screen resolutions, necessitating the categorical design of certain functionalities. Due to the vast number of Android applications available on the market, a typical user has a variety of options. If we are to keep our current customer base and attract new customers, our applications must function without error.
Android development, in contrast to iOS development, necessitates proper standards and various performance and optimization benchmarks. Why? Because the iOS device lineup is clean, gradual, and progressive in terms of capability enhancements. This is the phase that demands for rigorous Android development testing.
Android development testing is essential for ensuring app compatibility across a broad variety of device ecosystems and for app users to utilise the app to its maximum.
Android testing is a crucial component of the mobile app development process, as it ensures that the app functions as intended across a variety of devices and operating systems. Listed below are few reasons why Android testing is so crucial:
A badly tested app can be detrimental to the developer’s or company’s reputation. Testing ensures that the application satisfies the quality and performance expectations of users. Thus, Android testing is vital for the development of high-quality, secure, and functioning mobile applications that give a great user experience across a variety of devices and operating systems.
It is necessary to be familiar with the available tools and frameworks, understand when to use them, and, most importantly, understand how to utilise them. QA professionals will only find testing tough if they are unaware of all the available tools or do not know how to utilise them.
Some of the most popular tools and frameworks are discussed below:
Appium is a popular open-source application testing tool. It is a flexible cross-platform testing framework that allows QAs to develop test scripts for multiple platforms, including iOS, Windows, and Android, using the same API.
Hence, QAs can utilize the same code for iOS and Android, saving considerable time and effort. Appium permits testers to develop test scripts in many programming languages, including Java, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python, and C#.
Appium Grid permits the parallel execution of Appium tests.
2. Selendroid
Selendroid is used for testing Android applications and is built on the Selenium framework . Selendroid may be used on Android emulators and actual devices to power the UI of native and hybrid apps. Selendroid, like Selenium, provides playback and recording capabilities.
Selendroid is also compatible with more frameworks, like JUnit. It provides cross-platform support via script export options for languages such as Java, Python, and Ruby.
Calabash is an open-source mobile testing framework that supports many programming languages, including Java, Ruby,.NET, etc., to test native and hybrid applications.
Using Calabash, testers can create and run automated acceptance tests for mobile applications. It allows gestures like swiping, screen rotation, tapping, etc. It is compatible with the Cucumber framework. So, easier for non-technical stakeholders to comprehend and support Behaviour Driven Development (BDD) .
Espresso is an open-source UI testing tool for mobile applications. Google developed this testing framework for Android. It is renowned for its durability, simplicity, and adaptability. Its primary characteristics include Synchronized test executions, intent validations, and the ability to execute recipes.
Espresso permits developers to test both native Android views and hybrid web views. It supports Java and Kotlin test scripts. During development cycles, Espresso allows both black-box testing and testing of individual components.
Unit tests are designed to test a single unit of code in isolation from its dependencies. You don’t really care if a piece of code’s dependencies function well during unit testing, as you must test them individually anyhow.
Occasionally, though, it is impossible to test code without data from another section of the program. Consequently, to make unit testing practicable, the dependencies must be “mocked” out. Here is where Mockito enters the picture. This incredible framework provides a very easy and fluent API for easily creating mock objects. To test interactions, you can stub the state of a method or construct mock objects.
Here are some of the best practices for an effective Android Testing:
Android’s 71% market penetration necessitates a rigorous testing procedure for Android applications. The automation of their testing methodology enables teams to expand their device coverage. Several tools and frameworks for app automation testing are available on the market. Testing teams must meticulously select the appropriate structure and tools, and create the proper expectations for engineering teams.
In addition, it is advised to replace apk emulators with real Android devices in order to test under real user conditions and obtain realistic test results. Using a real device cloud like BrowserStack you’ll have access to hundreds of popular mobile device-operating system combinations such as Samsung Galaxy (S4 -S22) , Google Pixel , and Xiaomi devices for testing their application and script automation instances.
BrowserStack App Automate , you can integrate Appium and Espresso Automation Testing to run automated tests of your Android applications on real android devices.
