The document emphasizes the necessity of a comprehensive mobile app testing checklist due to the rapid growth in mobile app usage and high uninstall rates. It outlines various testing areas including functionality, accessibility, performance, and security to ensure optimal app quality and user experience. By addressing these key areas, development teams can enhance app performance and secure user retention in a competitive market.

1. Test Infrastructure & End-to-End Testing Cloud
Comprehensive Mobile App Testing
Checklist for Testers & Developers
Before asking why you need a mobile app testing checklist, let’s start with
some numbers:

2. ● A smartphone user accesses an average of 30 mobile apps in a month,
at the rate of 10 every day, give or take.
● Mobile apps are expected to generate more than $935 billion in funds
by the end of 2024.
● When looking at the time spent on media in the digital world in
America, about 70% of those came from mobile apps.
● 49% of users open apps more than 11 times a day.
● In 2022, 3.8 trillion hours were spent using mobile apps worldwide.
Source
Additionally,
● As of October 2024, mobile dating apps on Android reported an
uninstall rate of approximately 65 percent.
● Mobile gaming apps ranked second, presenting an uninstall rate of 52
percent in the examined period.
Source
Finally,
● More than 1 in every 2 apps that are installed are uninstalled within 30
days of being downloaded.
Source
In light of these stats, it’s evident that modern mobile apps need to present
pristine functionalities and aesthetically pleasing UIs. Guaranteeing optimal
app quality is only possible through comprehensive testing.

3. Given the complex, layered systems of modern apps, as well as their extensive
feature sets, it’s important to have a checklist for mobile app testing. Such
checklists help QA engineers stay on track, and not miss verifying essential
functions and design elements.
General Mobile App Testing Checklist
● Include QA Teams Early On: Collaborate with QA professionals right
from the requirements gathering and brainstorming phase. This helps
testers understand the app’s foundation, market value and expected
real-world outcomes – information necessary to craft effective and
targeted test cases.
Consider running collaborative workshops with QA, business, dev and
product teams to understand requirements and identify possible
challenges. Don’t forget to establish regular contact between
development and QA teams to facilitate easier debugging.
● Run cross-platform tests: Mobile apps should work equally seamlessly
on different devices, screen sizes, resolutions, hardware configurations
and platforms. Testing strategies should include this, within a testing
environment with access to real mobile devices.
● Run rigorous front-end tests: This includes regression tests,
performance tests, non-functional tests, and localization tests.

4. ● Don’t forget relevant back-end tests: This includes any test that checks
the data on all information entered and stored in the app’s front end.
● Prioritize application security: Conduct risk assessment to identify
potential threats in the app’s defenses. Run tests at multiple points in
development – at code level, when the app is running and penetration
tests to simulate external attacks. Using TLS to manage data flow,
storage, and transmission security.
● Check app quality in different network conditions: Your app should be
able to work reasonably well in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G conditions. Check that
only necessary features remain active and under unfavorable network
strength.
● Manage device storage: Most smartphones are already storing lots of
games, other apps and high-res images. Your app cannot take up too
much memory or it will be deleted. Test that it requires minimal space
and internet data to function.
● Maintain low load times: Users do not have patience for apps that take
more than a couple of seconds to load. Test that the app can deliver
expected functions and visuals in 3 seconds or less.
Mobile App Accessibility Testing Checklist
Modern day apps must be usable for users with different needs instead of just
able-bodied ones. Apps must have the features and capabilities to cater to
individuals with special needs and/or physical impairments. Not only does this
make mobile apps more accessible to a larger user pool, it also helps meet

5. and adhere to the many regulations pertaining to web accessibility around
the world.
Check if the app meets the following standards for accessibility:
● The app has a clear title and proper heading hierarchy throughout.
● Text size is in accordance with the user’s phone settings.
● No activity starts with a down-event. Begin actions with an up-event.
Users should have the option to cancel or reverse the action before it
completes.
● The screen should orient appropriately with rotation.
● Informative texts have relevant alternatives, and all screen readers can
find headings easily.
● Use WCAG 2.1 AA level color contrast requirements to cater to visually
impaired users.
● Use a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for standard text and a 3:1 contrast ratio for
large text.
● Provide all audio and video elements with text transcripts. Add captions
for real-time audio and video.
● Refine and recheck audio control. For example, users should be able to
change app volume without changing their device audio.
● Implement touch gestures and haptic feedback.
● Implement assistive navigation to help users with motor impairments
manage through menus.
● Check that interactive elements, such as clicks, are accessible across
platforms.

6. ● Include legible header tags and refine content layout to cater to users
with cognitive disabilities.
Mobile App Test Automation Checklist
Test automation is an integral part of any software testing suite, but badly
managed automation scripts often cause more hassle for testers and other
stakeholders. For your project to reap the optimal benefits of automation,
consider the following checklist for mobile application testing:
● Decide on which features/modules to automate at the beginning — the
requirements gathering and brainstorming phase.
● Pay extra attention to test cases that will verify core functionalities.
● Work with a tech stack familiar to most of your devs and testers.
● Start building tests from the requirements stage — as developers build
the source code, QAs build test scripts. This is why testers should be
part of the project from Step 1.
● When deciding upon the programming languages to be used by devs
and testers for this project, interact. Certain languages are more
compatible with each other, and it’s ideal if both work with the same
language.
● Avoid code duplication at all costs.
● Clearly define tests as high-priority, repetitive, regression and so on for
easy organization.
● Use design patterns (Page Object Model, Data-Driven, or
Keyword-Driven) to better maintain test scripts.
● Use external data sources ( CSV, XML, databases) for test data.

7. ● Check necessary dependencies like SDKs, emulators, simulators, and
real devices before running your first script.
● Keep your automation scripts updated in accordance with app updates.
● Maintain logs of all automation activities, as part of documentation.
Mobile App Usability Testing Checklist
Simply put, usability testing answers the question, “Is this app easy to use?”.
Your customers have busy lives and limited attention spans, and they won’t
bother with using an unintuitive app. Usability testing, often conducted by a
control group of prospective end-users, gains real-world feedback on the
app’s actual ease of use for the people it was built for.
● Ensure that bright colors are not overused.
● Check that the app informs users about privacy and confidentiality
conditions before collecting data.
● Recruit usability testers from different geographic locations, if possible.
This offers a global POV on app quality.
● Recheck alignment and functions of buttons, content, color, and
element alignment.
● Test for app loading times – it should ideally be under 3 seconds.
● Comprehensively check app font and design in different languages.
● Specifically, check for any language or images that might offend any
cultural nuances.
Mobile App Performance Testing Checklist

8. Performance testing checks the app’s level of operation in the hands of
real-world users – how quick app’s start, process data and even shut down.
Scalability and stability are other elements to test, making this form of
verification absolutely essential to app health.
Check that the following elements work at optimal standards:
– Load times
– Battery usage
– Network scalability
– Memory and CPU consumption
– Performance under different traffic and user activity loads as well as low
battery conditions
– Memory leakage issues
– App performance under different network conditions
– Cache size and availability
– Offline performance, if applicable
– Image processing times
– Load bearing capabilities of API calls
Finally, set up metrics to benchmark and measure performance over time.
Mobile App Security Testing Checklist
In this age of data privacy concerns and relatively frequent data breaches,
your mobile app’s security must be uncompromised. It doesn’t matter how

9. excellent your services are; no user will stick around to have their credentials
and data leaked by your app.
To prevent this, maintain certain standards in security testing as listed below:
– Check that user roles and access are correctly implemented.
– Check ports and hostnames for gaps.
– Verify third-party integrations as threat-free.
– Encrypt vulnerable files.
– Check for platform configuration issues.
– Guard against sensitive data exposure.
– Verify the safety of all third-party components.
– Scan for session management issues.
– Examine server-side code for vulnerabilities.
– Explore for any possible authentication bypass.
– Look for cache vulnerabilities and weak password policies.
– Are there any unencrypted channels that can transfer credentials?
– Verify that all sensitive data is encrypted during both transmission and
storage.
– Check for gaps in data processing and management – prime targets for
data leakage.
– Implement HTTPS – SSL/TLS Security Layer.

10. Mobile App Compatibility Testing Checklist
The issue of device fragmentation is well-known among all software
developers at this point. It is particularly flagrant amongst Android devices
because vendors and carriers can tweak and enhance the SDK before
releasing it to users. iOS, too, has quite a few versions by now. Don’t forget the
different device screen sizes and resolutions, either.
To ensure that your app functions well, regardless of the device used to access
it, run compatibility tests adhering to the following checklist:
● Create a reasonably comprehensive list of manufacturers, models, and
operating versions likely to be used by your target audience.
● Check that all buttons and links are working exactly as expected across
platforms and devices.
● Clarify that there are no resolution issues, image displays, the app cache
and performance glitches across different environments.
● Scan for UI-related glitches, most commonly around text alignment,
menu placement, line breakage, colors and image alignments, text
colors, and so on.
● Don’t forget to verify the app’s ability to visually match the screen sizes,
tables, borders and page displays without requiring trimming on
different screen sizes and resolutions.
● Verify all fields as well as inputs and values.
● Check how the app behaves when the autocomplete features are on
and off.
● Check the nuances of the app’s colors across all screens.

11. Conclusion
In conclusion, with the rapid growth of mobile app usage and high
uninstall rates, ensuring the quality of an app is more critical than
ever. A comprehensive mobile app testing checklist is essential to
maintain app functionality, user experience, and security. By
addressing key areas such as cross-platform compatibility,
accessibility, performance, and security, development teams can
create apps that meet user expectations and stand out in the
competitive market.
Source: This article was originally published at testgrid.io