The App Quality Alliance (AQuA) is a nonprofit association of mobile companies that provides best practice guidelines and testing criteria to help developers improve app quality. It operates the Quality App Directory, where developers can register apps that pass the criteria and receive an App Quality Badge. AQuA's guidelines and criteria cover various platforms and are continually revised based on feedback to form the basis of the testing programs.

2. App Quality Alliance
by Martin Wrigley, AQuA
March 2013

3. App Quality Alliance (AQuA)
- The App Quality Alliance (AQuA) is a worldwide mobile
industry not-for-profit association, run and funded by AT&T, LG,
Motorola, Nokia, Oracle, Orange, Samsung and Sony Mobile –
helping developers further-improve the quality of mobile apps
and gain recognition as a result.
- AQuA provides best practice guidelines, app testing criteria,
and the Quality App Directory where developers can register
their app and gain the App Quality Badge

4. The AQuA Best Practice document
A guide to developing high quality mobile applications
Currently covers 3 platforms.
Will be extended to cover more.
AquA is working with industry bodies and experts to
improve and align best practice and other guidelines
Continually revised, based on
community feedback, and forms the
basis of the Testing Criteria.
New version was released
February 2013 incorporating
With input from AT&T, GSMA
and aligned with Google’s
recommendations

5. The Testing Criteria
These are platform-specific sets of tests for
mobile apps, created and continually revised
by the members.
There are tests for apps that require
‘complex’ permissions, and tests for apps
that don’t : ‘simple apps’.
The tests include Application Launch,
Functionality, Operation, User Interface,
Security, Network Usage, Localization and
more.
Java and Android versions are published,
other platform-specific derivatives are
being developed.

7. The Quality App Directory
AQuA launched the Quality App Directory at Apps World in London in October 2012, and is today
launching new additions based on developer and industry feedback.
- The only online directory containing details of mobile apps that have met a specific quality level.
- All apps need to have passed the tests outlined in the relevant TC (Testing Criteria).
- AQuA members have access to all details of apps and developers.
- AQuA runs audit tests on apps when appropriate. If an app fails, the app is marked as ‘failed’.
- NEW: Ability to gain a Quality Badge for your app
- NEW: Online test criteria tool

8. The developer has tested the app against the Criteria and has
stated that it has passed the relevant tests.
The developer has used an AQuA-approved Test House to test the
app against the Criteria and it has passed the relevant tests.
An AQuA member has independently tested the app and is
satisfied that it has passed the tests in the AQuA Testing Criteria

9. Launched Feb 2013
Updated Test Criteria
Updated Best Practice
Quality Badge for Apps
Test Criteria Online Tool

10. Java Verified
AQuA continues to run
JavaVerified, the industry-
recognised Java ME testing
and signing programme
www.javaverified.com
When a Java ME app
passes all of the tests in
the Java ME Testing
Criteria it will be signed
and have access to all
restricted APIs on devices
that support the Java
Verified Signature.