Native App Testing – How to Perform & Best Practices?

Does your app meet a good UI standard? Are there any system-specific issues that recur in it? Just like a couture tailored to your fit, your apps can also be crafted based on the type of devices on which they will be installed. These apps are called native apps. They play a huge role in leveraging the full potential of the device’s hardware and software capabilities, resulting in the development of high-quality apps with superior performance. In this comprehensive overview of native app testing, we will discuss why it matters ,the step-by-step process, and the best practices of native app testing.

What is Native App Testing?

Native app testing evaluates apps built specifically for particular operating systems, like Android and iOS, to check their user experience, responsiveness, performance, and ability to function well under different conditions. Since these are device-specific applications designed to maximize the device’s potential, testing them requires a dedicated approach.

Why Does Native App Testing Matter?

Testing native apps is so vital because they provide high-quality, superior-performance, and user-friendly applications. Native apps are becoming increasingly popular among everyone. Any anomaly in these applications can lead to several issues like negative user experience, lack of trust, and brand damage.

Let us see what a lack of native app testing can do to your business. In 2018, Snapchat rolled out a major redesign without adequate compatibility and usability testing. This caused the app to function differently on different devices. Users found this confusing, difficult to use, and not up to their expectations. Over 1.2 million users filed a petition to revert this update. The company had to roll back some changes to this update in response to backlash. 

Native App Testing Prerequisites

Before testing a native application, there are a few factors to consider, 

• Requirement analysis – Understand what your app offers and the problem it solves. Clearly define the functional and non-functional requirements and ensure they match the business requirements.

• Test plan and strategy – Develop a comprehensive approach to include different testing types, scenarios, and test cases.

• Device and OS selection – Include a mix of the latest and older devices to ensure the app is efficient with all systems. This ensures that the app is compatible with all devices and operating systems.

• Test data preparation – Prepare valid test data to simulate real user interactions for comprehensive test coverage and scenario-based validation.

• Tools and framework setup – Install and configure testing tools based on the project needs, so that the tester can perform testing more efficiently.

• CI/CD integration – Quickly detect bugs and provide fixes by integrating CI/CD tools with your testing tools.

• Test case creation – Write detailed test cases based on app functionality and user flows. 

• Security and compliance – Verify that data encryption and authentication are in place, as they protect user data and ensure legal compliance.

How Do You Test Native Apps?

Testing a native app requires a dedicated approach because of its integration with the device hardware and OS-specific features. Here are a few aspects to consider for native app testing.

• Functional testing – To test if all the functions of the app work as expected. Examples include input validation, API integrations, data synchronization, and error handling.

• Performance testing – Measures the application’s speed, responsiveness, and stability under different conditions.

• Usability testing – Evaluate the app’s ease of use and overall usability. Apps’ intuitiveness and accessibility are major considerations.

• UI/UX testing – To ensure that the app’s interface is consistent across different OS and adaptable to screen sizes and resolutions.

• Compatibility testing – To check if the app is compatible with different devices, OS platforms, and screen configurations.

• Network testing – Tests how the app works under different network conditions and connectivity issues.

• Regression testing – Verifies if any new updates do not affect the app’s existing functioning.

Principles of Native App Testing

To achieve better outcomes from testing, here are a few principles we must consider:

• Better planning yields better results – Plan your testing cycle considering the resources available. A well-planned test that is well-executed can leverage excellent outcomes.

• Using the right testing environment and frameworks – Choose the tools and frameworks to perform testing. Equip your QA team with adequate training on tool usage.

• Choosing automated testing – There are a lot of automated testing tools available in the market now. Using automation tools can produce better results and reduce a lot of time spent on testing.

• Ensuring security and privacy – Data leaks can lead to breaches of security and brand damage. Adhere to the privacy and compliance policies of your organization.

• Frequent regression testing – Any update made to your app shouldn’t affect the existing functionality. Ensure that you perform frequent regression testing on your application.

Challenges in Native App Testing

• OS updates – Updates for the API can impact the existing features. Frequent updates happening in the device can cause compatibility issues.

• Affecting performance – Native apps using the device’s GPS or other features can lead to higher battery consumption. 

• Different screen sizes – The UI designed for a specific set of devices cannot match all the devices. UI should be responsive to all screen sizes.

• Test automation challenges – Automated mobile app testing is challenging due to dynamic UI elements, gesture-based interactions, and platform-specific differences.

• Third-party integrations – Native apps rely on third-party integrations for payments, analytics, etc, which can lead to security issues.

Best Practices for Native App Testing

• Prioritize all kinds of testing – Perform all types of mobile app testing like functional, usability, performance, regression testing, etc. 
• Handle different conditions – Test how the app functions when it is switched frequently, under different network conditions, with different battery levels to evaluate its efficiency. 
• Test how different device permissions impact the app – When some app permissions are disabled, check if the behavior is overridden or functions correctly. 
• Monitor crash reports and analytics – Maintain app crash reports and analyze them to mitigate vulnerabilities immediately.
• Validate compliance and guidelines – Ensure that your app is compliant with guidelines from the App Store or Google Play. 
• Automation – Rely on automation as it provides huge test coverage and improves the quality of your application in a much shorter time.

How to Perform Native App Testing

1. Define Test Requirements

• Write a short product summary: purpose, primary user personas, and core user journeys.
• Create a prioritized list of features tied to business goals.
• Capture non-functional requirements: performance targets, battery impact, acceptable crash rate, supported OS versions, and maximum acceptable memory.
• Define success/exit criteria for the release. For example, no P1 defects, crash rate < 0.1%, and 95% automated smoke pass.
• Focuses time on what affects users and the business most.

Example checks

• Does the signup flow support target authentication methods (email, SSO, biometrics)?
• Are in-app purchases listed in the requirements and linked to revenue goals?
  

2. Set up the Right Testing Environment

• Create a device matrix – OS versions, manufacturers, screen sizes, CPU tiers, memory bands, form factors (phone/tablet), and locales.
• Use a mix of:
  • Real devices for final verification (touch/accelerometer, GPU behavior, real sensors).
  • Emulators/simulators for early functional automation and quick iteration.
  • Cloud device labs for scale and additional coverage.
• Prepare test environments, including a staging API endpoint, test accounts, mocked third-party services (such as payments and maps), and data seeding scripts.
• Simulate network conditions – Offline, 2G/3G/4G/5G, high latency, packet loss, and unstable connections.
• Automate environment provisioning so tests run consistently in CI.

• Keep a small set of devices as your “golden” list for smoke and regression; expand to cloud labs for matrix runs.
• Use thumbnails/screenshots and device logs for easier triage.
• Add region/language testing in the matrix if you support multiple locales.

Acceptance criteria

• A reproducible staging environment that mirrors production APIs and configurations.
• Device matrix documented and agreed with stakeholders.

3. Perform Core Testing Types 

Functional Testing

• Create test cases for each user flow (happy path + negative/edge cases).
• Validate business logic – Correct calculations, state transitions, and API error handling.
• Verify data persistence (local DB, sync behavior) and correctness after reinstall or upgrades.

• Automate regression for the most stable & critical flows.
• Keep automated tests small and deterministic, mock external services where necessary.

UI / UX Testing

• Verify visual consistency across screen sizes and OSes –  spacing, fonts, icons, layout breakpoints.
• Check responsiveness for orientation changes, split-screen, dynamic font sizes, and accessibility settings (large text, high contrast).
• Evaluate micro-interactions and animations for correctness and performance.

• Touch targets meet minimum size guidelines.
• Keyboard and input focus behavior for forms.
• Accessibility – screen reader labels, logical focus order, color contrast.
• A UI checklist and screenshots of key screens across device categories.

Compatibility Testing

• Run the app on target OS versions, devices, and with third-party integrations.
• Validate behavior when the app coexists with other apps and differing system settings. 

• Library/API compatibility (e.g., deprecated OS APIs).
• Verify migration scripts run properly when upgrading the DB or preferences.

Performance Testing

• Measure app startup time, screen transition latency, and memory consumption.
• Test battery and CPU usage during idle and heavy usage scenarios.
• Load test backend integrations: concurrent users, API timeouts, and data volumes.

• App cold start < X seconds (define per app).
• Memory usage not exceeding device limits causing OS kills.
• Acceptable FPS for animations.
• Use profiling tools on real devices for CPU/memory/graphics traces.
• Run automated performance benchmarks in CI for regressions.
  

Regression Testing

• Maintain an automated regression suite covering smoke paths and critical flows.
• Tag tests by speed and stability; run quick smoke on each PR, full regression nightly, or on release candidate builds.
• Prioritize tests by business impact and flakiness history.
• Use feature toggles to limit exposure and shrink the regression surface for releases.
  

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

• Recruit real users or product representatives and provide predefined scenarios and a feedback mechanism.
• Run short moderated sessions and unmoderated beta tests 
• Usability issues, confusing flows, unmet expectations.

• Behavioral telemetry to see how users actually use the app.
• UAT sign-off from stakeholders or a defined list of blocking issues resolved.

4. Ensure Compliance and Security

• Identify regulatory constraints (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, where applicable) and app store guidelines.
• Identify sensitive data flows and attack surfaces (storage, network, IPC).
• Test authentication and authorization flows, session handling, and token expiry.
• Verify secure storage, including encryption of sensitive data at rest, secure transmission (TLS), and certificate pinning as needed.
• Static code analysis (SAST) for common vulnerabilities.

• Dynamic testing (DAST) for API endpoints and runtime behavior.
• Penetration testing for sensitive modules or before major releases.

• Ensure permissions are requested only when necessary and explain the reason.
• Validate user data deletion workflows and export requests (if required).
• Security and privacy checklist, along with a CVE/vulnerability remediation log.

5. Continuous Monitoring and Improvements

• Instrument analytics and crash reporting – Collect stack traces, device metadata, and release version.
• Track key metrics – Crash-free users, MAU/DAU, retention, session length, conversion funnels, and error rates.
• Set alerts for regressions, including spikes in crashes, API latency, and increases in ANRs.

Operational practices

• Triage incoming crashes by impact (user-facing vs. background) and device/OS concentration.
• Use feature flags to roll back or limit problematic releases quickly.
• Maintain a release retrospective that ties defects back to gaps in testing or requirements.

Continuous improvement loop

• Feed crash/analytics data into the backlog: prioritize fixes that impact core flows or large user segments.
• Regularly update device matrix and test suites as market share shifts.
• Revisit non-functional targets (performance/energy) every few releases.

Perform Core Testing Types:

• Functional Testing: Validate the app’s core features and ensure smooth workflows.
• UI/UX Testing: Assess responsiveness, visual consistency, and user-friendliness.
• Compatibility Testing: Check performance across multiple OS versions, screen sizes, and devices.
• Performance Testing: Optimize speed, battery consumption, and resource utilization.
• Regression Testing: Ensure new updates don’t affect existing functionalities.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Conduct real-world testing with end-users to confirm usability.
• Ensure Compliance and Security: Verify adherence to data privacy, security regulations, and app store guidelines. Test authentication, data encryption, and permissions for secure operations.
• Continuous Monitoring and Improvements: Use analytics and crash reports to track app performance post-release. Regular updates and patches based on user feedback and performance insights.

Start Testing Your Native Apps with Testsigma Today

Testsigma offers a comprehensive suite of features tailored for native app testing that are designed to streamline the testing process and enhance efficiency. Key features include:

1. Codeless Test Automation: Empower your team to create automated tests in plain English, eliminating the need for coding skills. This approach accelerates test creation and reduces the learning curve.
2. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Automate tests for various mobile frameworks, including Flutter testing, and execute them on over 3,000 real devices. This ensures robust cross-platform compatibility and reliable test results.
3. AI-Powered Test Maintenance: Leverage AI-driven capabilities to reduce maintenance efforts by up to 70%. Self-healing test scripts adapt automatically to application changes, ensuring stability and reducing manual intervention.
4. Parallel Testing: Execute multiple tests simultaneously across different devices, significantly speeding up test cycles and reducing time to market.
5. CI/CD Integration: Seamlessly integrate Testsigma into your Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment pipelines, facilitating continuous testing throughout the development lifecycle.
6. Real-Time Reporting and Analytics: Gain actionable insights with detailed reports and metrics, enabling you to optimize your testing strategy effectively.
7. Comprehensive API Testing: Beyond UI testing, validate APIs and web services with integrated API testing capabilities, ensuring end-to-end application quality.

8. Scalable Testing Infrastructure: Accommodate projects of any scale with a flexible, cloud-based platform designed for rapid adaptability and scalability.
9. 24/7 Expert Support: Rely on round-the-clock support to troubleshoot issues and maintain an uninterrupted testing workflow. 

Conclusion

Native app testing is critical in delivering high-quality applications that provide seamless user experiences across various devices and platforms. With the increasing complexity of mobile ecosystems, a robust and efficient testing approach is essential to ensure functionality, performance, and security.

Testsigma offers an all-in-one, AI-powered test automation platform that simplifies native app testing with its codeless automation, extensive device coverage, and seamless CI/CD integration. By leveraging Testsigma, teams can accelerate their testing cycles, reduce manual effort, and ensure their apps meet the highest quality standards. Whether you’re looking to improve test coverage, streamline workflows, or enhance collaboration, Testsigma provides the tools you need to achieve your testing goals efficiently.

Start testing smarter and faster with Testsigma today and take your native app quality to the next level.