When it comes to testing mobile applications, the challenges go far beyond what typical web UI testing entails. Mobile apps must work flawlessly across a fragmented ecosystem of devices, screen sizes, OS versions, sensors, network conditions—and still deliver a high-performance experience. That’s why test engineers must design test cases that account for mobile-specific conditions that web-based apps don’t encounter.
In this post, we’ll break down the 10 critical mobile app test cases that every QA engineer should prioritize—and explain how they differ from traditional web UI testing.
✅ 1. Installation & Launch
Unlike web apps, mobile apps must be installed, upgraded, and uninstalled through OS-specific stores like Google Play or Apple App Store.
Test Cases:
App installs/uninstalls cleanly on all supported devices.
Launches successfully after a clean install or version upgrade.
First-launch behavior (onboarding, permission prompts) works without failure.
🌐 2. Device & OS Compatibility
Mobile ecosystems are highly fragmented. You must ensure compatibility across OS versions, hardware specs, and screen dimensions.
Test Cases:
Verify app functionality on Android 10–14 and iOS 14–17.
Check responsiveness across tablets, foldables, and small-screen phones.
Test on low-RAM or budget devices (to catch memory issues).
📶 3. Network Conditions
Mobile users are always switching between 5G, Wi-Fi, and even no network. Your app must handle this gracefully.
Test Cases:
App behaves predictably with no internet or low bandwidth.
Test auto-retries for failed API calls due to timeouts.
Switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data mid-session doesn’t break functionality.
🔄 4. Background & Resume Behavior
A mobile app should maintain state and not crash when interrupted by a phone call or switching to another app.
Test Cases:
App resumes gracefully from background state.
Data entry is preserved when the user switches away and returns.
Proper behavior after a cold restart or after device reboot.
🔋 5. Battery & Performance
Performance testing on mobile goes beyond responsiveness—it’s also about battery and resource consumption.
Test Cases:
No excessive battery drain during idle or active use.
Monitor CPU/memory usage over time (watch for leaks).
Measure cold and warm start times.
🔐 6. Permission Handling
Mobile apps rely on permissions to access hardware features. You must test both granting and denying permissions.
Test Cases:
App only requests necessary permissions.
Behavior is graceful when permissions are denied or revoked.
Scoped storage compliance (Android 11+) is in place.
🔔 7. Push Notifications
Push notifications are a core engagement channel and must work across all app states.
Test Cases:
Push received when app is in background or killed.
Tapping the notification leads to correct app screen.
Notifications respect user opt-in/opt-out settings.
📲 8. Gestures & UI Flexibility
Mobile users interact via gestures and virtual keyboards, making UX more dynamic than web.
Test Cases:
UI responds correctly to swipes, taps, long presses, and pinch-to-zoom.
Keyboard overlays don’t hide important input fields.
Smooth adaptation to dark mode, orientation changes (portrait ↔ landscape).
🔐 9. Security Testing
Security is non-negotiable, especially with personal data or financial transactions involved.
Test Cases:
Secure storage for sensitive data (e.g., keystore/token vault).
No sensitive logs left in logcat or crash logs.
Behavior on rooted/jailbroken devices is safely restricted.
📊 10. Analytics & Store Compliance
Apps often embed SDKs for analytics and crash reporting, and must comply with store policies.
Test Cases:
Verify Firebase, GA, or Crashlytics events are firing correctly.
App follows Play Store / App Store policy (e.g., no deprecated APIs).
Correct versioning and metadata shown in store listing.
🧪 Final Thoughts
If you’re only testing your mobile app like a web app, you’re missing half the picture. Mobile brings unique challenges and requires a deeper, device-aware test strategy. The 10 critical mobile test areas above should form the core of your test planning, especially for high-scale production apps used across a variety of devices and conditions.
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