Integration testing of your Android with Testsigma.

Android Integration Testing: What, Why, and How to Do it?

The world isn&#8217;t new to the mobile-first approach. Call it convenience or anything else — people consume content on their mobile phones more than on their desktops, which will only increase shortly. According to <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Statista</a>, at least 50% of global online traffic is driven by mobile users. The mobile web will become the future of digital marketing. That being said, your website and app must look perfect across all major platforms. That&#8217;s where Mobile Web Testing takes place, keeping the website and app bug-free.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Mobile_Web_Testing_Approaches">1 Mobile Web Testing Approaches:</a><ul><li><a href="#Cross-Browser_Compatibility_Testing">1.1 Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing: </a></li><li><a href="#Test_On_Real_Devices">1.2 Test On Real Devices: </a></li><li><a href="#Test_Using_Emulator">1.3 Test Using Emulator:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Mobile_Web_Testing_Tools">2 Mobile Web Testing Tools</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="mobile-web-testing-approaches">Mobile Web Testing Approaches:</h2>



What are the best approaches for mobile web testing? — a million-dollar question that, fortunately, has quite straightforward answers. As we’ve already discussed what factors to consider for mobile web testing, let’s discuss the three best approaches for making our lives easier.&nbsp;



<h3 id="cross-browser-compatibility-testing">Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing: </h3>



A cross-browser compatibility tests check if our website or web app performs as intended, no matter which browser or device our users have. During a cross-browser compatibility test, we follow certain practices like validating our site’s HTML/CSS code, plugging in CSS resets, using vendor prefixes, checking how mobile-friendly our website is, and maintaining separate stylesheets for different browsers, etc.&nbsp;



It’s important to note that our users consume content on different browsers, and not all browsers support the features we design. If we take a look at the following graph by <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/browser-version-market-share" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Statcounter</a>, we’ll notice the market share of different browser versions.&nbsp; 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kUVQHGp6zftWBzlMEchT67K_nB2Ux4lU8-SnOyACmQ6hsuMGS3E9T4dFasB1O52v46IKamw85qnwxp2sj-QM2f09HkrP-hPDUAmp8No5fMTct6jRUgpPIViECcnXQs7A5sJya3ia" alt="Mobile Web Testing Approaches- Browser Version Market Share" /></figure>



We can see it for ourselves — the range of web browsing habits is vast, and our website has to be developed to be compatible with various browsers. For that reason, cross-browser compatibility testing exists. One of the best practices while performing this test is to determining if the features we&#8217;ve designed are supported by various browsers, and can we use it to check if multiple browsers support features like fetch and CSS grids.&nbsp; 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FW6zHZ-5q335SeKFj0tT-5lIxjddMvhmwUGQNv_IcgOzN8C3D71fY_pn-aWDCjFW0zT3HlSA0Cqbkkm6DtU_EUWWitRngawLLfO3uIFbCee43lUJck7E6594y7EuA4phVVXmFnZp" alt="Mobile Web Testing Approaches- CSS Grid layout" /></figure>



If the features aren&#8217;t fully supported, we might have to introduce polyfills to ensure the running of essential features. We also recommend going through our exhaustive guide for&nbsp;<a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cross-browser testing</a>.&nbsp;



<h3 id="test-on-real-devices">Test On Real Devices: </h3>



A few may argue that testing on emulators/simulators is cost-effective and less time-consuming. Still, any developer worth his salt will prefer testing on real devices. As already mentioned, how factors like network connectivity, battery consumption, memory consumption, pixel densities, etc., can directly affect the performance of our website or web app. We cannot fetch accurate test results of products on emulators. We can test how end-users interact with our site by testing on real devices.



But this may be limiting in terms of speed, and so that brings us to.



<h3 id="test-using-emulator">Test Using Emulator:</h3>



An essential facet of mobile web testing is leveraging emulators, a strategy seamlessly facilitated by Testsigma. Emulators simulate diverse mobile devices and operating systems on your system. While they offer a budget-friendly means of cross-platform testing, capturing real-world intricacies might remain challenging.



Embrace Testsigma&#8217;s Power: With Testsigma, the emulator-driven testing journey becomes even more potent. The platform&#8217;s automated capabilities align seamlessly with emulated scenarios, efficiently unraveling compatibility issues across devices and systems. Testsigma empowers you to navigate the emulator landscape with precision and confidence, paving the way for comprehensive mobile web testing.



 Signup to make your website mobile web friendly, easily



<a href="https://testsigma.com/signup" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Signup for free</a>



You can check how to get started with <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-do-you-decide-your-approach-for-mobile-website-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile web testing</a> with Testsigma here.



<h2 id="mobile-web-testing-tools">Mobile Web Testing Tools</h2>



Automation tools can reduce effort, cost, and time by several manifolds. But not just that, the accuracy of our tests is higher when we automate them. Apart from offering better test coverage, automation is less time-consuming too.&nbsp;



Testsigma&#8217;s automation tool supports cross-browser testing and has a pool of thousands of real devices for you to perform tests on. A massive stash of devices gives you a competitive edge over other automation tools. Over 2,000 devices run on various (and even outdated) versions of OS, with multiple browsers. 



The <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cross-browser automation testing tool </a>supports parallel execution and uses separate cloud environments for both cross-browser and cross-device testing.&nbsp;



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/GStlofFKaoiyOPBVWPdLwCKHoU3PZ7bqCRbTXgaiDe87obOxh_EpSMUpoYWAwZvA_r7u--0kDc9Kz7s1KE-njvBR4WRBK2pu5Epij_a_AWT3M0H415Id8R7ciO7zIjNKu9QE3KvL" alt="Mobile Web Testing Approaches - cross browser testing" /></figure></div>



It can seamlessly integrate with CI/CD, project management tools, and communication mediums like email, Slack, etc. We send out comprehensive reports and maintain a log of all the bugs via screenshots and records so you can collaborate with your teams and work on fixing bugs.



We’re not joking but it’s really that simple to perform mobile web testing using our tool! If you’re a mobile-first business looking to attract more users, let’s chat. Alternatively, if you’re looking at automating mobile app tests, check out our tool <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. We’ve got a free 21-day product trial. 



Learn More &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/mobile-web-testing-testsigma-vs-appium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mobile testing of Testsigma with others</a>

Mobile web testing 3 approaches that will make your life easy

3 Mobile Web Testing Approaches to Make Your Life Easy

With the rising competition in the app industry, mobile testing without automation seems out of the picture. You can’t imagine frequent deployments or a faster time to market without automating your tests. 



There are plenty of automation tools and frameworks available in the market for both Android and iOS. In this article, we will discuss some of the best mobile automation testing tools that can help you in releasing quality apps on time. 



1. Appium



Appium is a commonly used test automation framework for testing both Android and iOS apps. It helps QAs to test end-user scenarios on native, hybrid, and mobile web apps.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YMtr4utCnUIWTyP5OXYkJk5suBsNhcP628StQVrVdtWR10zgb_J244JmJoVpB8UX1NAhp3uCSwsqdyHUSjuC6zzZ6y1PwCX-BT978yAH2K5GaXSoSUwglpvXVI05mCkpv6xFekc-" alt="Appium"/></figure>







Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Appium supports all the leading languages including Java, Python, Ruby among others</li><li>It allows the test automation team to maintain a single codebase while testing both Android and iOS versions of the application, which saves a significant amount of time and effort</li><li>It covers cross-platform testing as well for Android and iOS applications</li></ul>



Though Appium is one of the most popular mobile automation testing tools, the UI tests of Appium are found to be flaky and the test setup is a bit complicated. 



2. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Testsigma (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank">Testsigma</a>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="766" height="183" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/logo-testsigma-dark-1.png" alt="Testsigma" class="wp-image-15733"/></figure>



Testsigma is a cloud-based, AI-driven test automation platform that supports Agile and Continuous Delivery teams &#8211; for browser as well as mobile testing. It has all the essential elements needed to achieve a super-fast test development using the simple English language. 



Now, Testsigma supports inspection as well as execution of your mobile test cases without any kind of setups at your end. See how it is done in the webinar recording <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://testsigma.com/webinars/reimagined-mobile-test-automation" target="_blank">here</a>.



Features 



<ul><li>Testsigma allows you to perform flawless mobile testing on real devices with no coding expertise required &#8211; for both android as well as iOS </li><li>The in-built element inspector present on the platform identifies all the important information of the elements in the app in just a single click </li><li>It provides complete access to 2000+ real Android and iOS mobile devices </li><li>It offers a seamless integration with popular tools such as Jenkins, Bamboo, Circle CI, etc. to facilitate Continuous Delivery and DevOps workflows </li><li>It offers parallel test execution across different environments</li></ul>



<li>Screenshots and videos are readily available for your test execution &#8211; you can configure them to be recorded for just test failures or for all test executions. </li>



<li>In case you are wondering, what if I want to add custom functionality? Testsigma supports that too.</li>



<li>Awesome support to help you at all steps of your test automation journey is what makes this deal a steal.</li>



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Check here the <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">3 Steps to Automate Mobile Applications Using Testsigma</a>







3. TestComplete



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Ph87IiPeR8wGBP6AbKmwjev6giaLhRdPf2soJGMCtolTkUv9nVdBrNQysuwxEoviY4n5aGxO9Zd8GTOGxiQpBgHEmwsTiMR110RdoFR4rFUiKsH4H2e6fRiH_cyEKxS0LJFyhZcp" alt="TestComplete"/></figure>



TestComplete is an automated UI testing tool which is developed by SmartBear Software. It helps in creating, executing, and maintaining functional tests across the mobile, web, and desktop-based apps. 



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>TestComplete allows you to develop test cases in various languages such as Java, Python, etc. </li><li>It can record the key actions needed to replay the test </li><li>It helps you take screenshots automatically during the test execution and playback </li><li>It comes with a built-in code editor that allows testers to write scripts manually</li></ul>



This tool is pretty popular among the mobile automation testing tools, the only downside would be is &#8211; it is only for Windows and does not support Mac and there is not much support available through open communities. 



4. UI Automator



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/uIEHkESD2TkXXu4LDloxtw1PcOO_Wy_DmsNP3qdVE9iYctJKT7vlA4xpaq-kGrkjEZR9xaXdKwHu7ebqOEKXcQTTeCOpXG06IiBdva6ZeJYB2iSv4MojssgsdADvv6UxZZfac_8g" alt="Android UI Automator"/></figure>



UI Automator helps in creating functional Android UI test cases in order to test the user interface of an application.



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>It interacts with all the Android software and applications seamlessly and checks the interaction of the application under development with other apps. </li><li>It works for all mobile devices that support Android version 4.1 or above. </li><li>The good thing with UI Automator is that in case anything breaks, it is fixed almost immediately as it is maintained by Google.</li></ul>



UI Automator only supports the Java and Kotlin languages. To make this work efficiently, you would need to have good programming skills and deep knowledge of how Android works. 



5. SeeTest



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7q2RFzFW5u9-4QesCSMVphHEVWq3YbEik-TYxH4P_1fyqjzygmZOWe0ED6FRyE9HAkBU-vHzKYaV42rO6rpZryUPYfzWvGzNvpO2z4Ytrekur9XVYPltggKxBENm3a_OpUNm2750" alt="SeeTest"/></figure>



SeeTest is a popular mobile automation tool in the industry and supports both image-based and object-based recognition. It is used for automating Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry applications. 



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>SeeTest offers client libraries for C#, Java, Perl and Python for developing automation scripts </li><li>It allows you to run tests from your local IDE in parallel on a wide range of devices </li><li>It has its own reporting mechanism which includes screenshots and video recording of tests performed </li><li>It allows you to observe or debug running tests in the real-time </li><li>Seamless integration with industry open-source tools such as Appium and Selenium</li></ul>



SeeTest, at the moment, does not support wi-fi connection to Android devices, though this feature is available for iOS devices. Additionally, the library or code file would need to compile with the actual application in order to get access to native objects. 



6. Robotium



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/667B94c-mdd6nsHbxC_b7uEW5w8jMNgIReWp0CTG58k7pRgrA_t_fJKJ74pOMgEWAih3qP0oquTDR2YQdxq2U59-DpNjuDzW7NflMP6YgzL94rIALwnthNs4V7vlg3ro9Oa8UPIK" alt="Robotium"/></figure>



Robotium is one of the earliest Android test automation frameworks which is used to automate test cases for native and hybrid applications. It does not require any additional information about the application’s structure or executed classes as it is used for black-box testing. 



Features 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Robotium tests are mainly composed in Java language </li><li>It provides APIs to directly interact with UI controls within the app </li><li>Robotium allows to compose framework, function, and user acceptance test situations </li><li>It lets users write powerful test cases even with minimal knowledge of the app under the test </li><li>It has a large community of open-source developers who contribute with the new features regularly in subsequent releases</li></ul>



Robotium does not have any record and play functions built in as such. For adding the ability to take screenshots, external libraries might be required.&nbsp;



7. XCUITest



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/AVZXyqqtWTxb5jqqLQO8ISySPntLws5bsk81p-IW05DRQKKjPUwO7tuk2_Ey8bBo7F09pL0WTymnkFU3HohRgUUQhsERvShmjAiIh_in6esa4_v9GWiSMONVV5WVTN7WaXpH8oEF" alt="XCTest"/></figure>



XCUITest is a UI testing framework for iOS apps that was launched by Apple in 2015. It helps the developers and QAs to test the UI of native iOS applications by leveraging Swift or Objective C programming language. 



Features 



<ul class="list_styel_disc"><li>XCUITest is specially designed to simplify UI testing for iOS applications </li><li>As the XCUITest framework is specifically catered for iOS apps, the tests are stable, reliable, and performed faster </li><li>It offers distributed parallel test running </li><li>It comes with a built-in test recorder for tests, UI elements, and their characteristics </li><li>Easy setup and maintenance as compared to other tools such as Apium</li></ul>



XCUITest does not have a large community and finding solutions to issues you may face can sometimes become tricky.&nbsp;



Test automation is a complex process and whether you will get success with it or not depends largely on the automation tools you choose. It is crucial to pay attention to the features of the automation tool before finally selecting it. If you are looking for a most efficient and comprehensive mobile app experience, you can <a href="https://calendly.com/testsigma/demo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="reach out to experts at Testsigma (opens in a new tab)">reach out to experts at Testsigma</a>.

Mobile Automation Testing Tools: Appium, Testsigma, TestComplete and more

Mobile Testing Lab How to decide which way to go

Mobile Testing Lab: How to Decide Which Way to Go?

About two decades ago, testing was only limited to the desktop. With the rapidly increasing use of smartphones and the internet across the globe, testing has spread across vast platforms. The native and mobile web browser testing is performed more than desktop testing.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_are_Mobile_Web_Applications">1 What are Mobile Web Applications?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_Native_Applications">2 What are Native Applications?</a></li><li><a href="#What_are_Hybrid_Applications">3 What are Hybrid Applications?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_browser_testing">4 What is browser testing?</a></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_difference_between_browser_and_Mobile_Web_browser_testing">5 What is the difference between browser and Mobile Web browser testing?</a></li><li><a href="#When_is_Mobile_Web_browser_testing_required">6 When is Mobile Web browser testing required?</a></li><li><a href="#Why_is_mobile_web_browser_testing_important">7 Why is mobile web browser testing important?</a></li><li><a href="#Best_Practices_For_Mobile_Website_Testing">8 Best Practices For Mobile Website Testing</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="what-are-mobile-web-applications">What are Mobile Web Applications?</h2>



Mobile web applications are web applications that can be accessed via hitting the URL on a mobile browser. The applications are designed using the same code base as Desktop, like HTML, Javascript, and CSS. Compared to desktop and native applications, Mobile Web applications are more primitive in terms of functionality. 



Unlike Native Applications, Mobile web applications do not have to be designed separately for IOS and Android. 



Mobile web applications do not allow users to save data and access any phone-related feature, such as a camera. I.e, using internet banking via a Mobile Web application will not allow you to keep cards or mark any transaction as a favorite. Hence, Mobile web applications are secure to use as well.&nbsp; 



<h2 id="what-are-native-applications">What are Native Applications?</h2>



The applications downloaded on your smartphone before you start using them are known as Native applications. The Native applications are platform-specific. The development of IOS applications is different from that of Android. Native Applications are more secure; they keep most of the data on the device only and not over the internet.&nbsp;



Example of such apps: We all are aware of how online shopping has taken over the world. You can shop anything and everything from online shopping apps such as <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.mShop.android.shopping&amp;hl=en_IN&amp;gl=US" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://apps.apple.com/in/app/flipkart-online-shopping-app/id742044692" target="_blank">Flipkart</a>, etc.



<h2 id="what-are-hybrid-applications">What are Hybrid Applications?</h2>



They are advanced versions of Mobile web applications. Hybrid applications are a blend of native and mobile web applications. These applications can be downloaded and have access to all device features such as camera, contact list, etc.&nbsp; 



<h2 id="what-is-browser-testing">What is browser testing?</h2>



Browser testing is known as hitting the URL on the desktop and launching the site. The exact URL can be used to test across all browsers, and functionality can be accessed. 



<h2 id="what-is-the-difference-between-browser-and-mobile-web-browser-testing">What is the difference between browser and Mobile Web browser testing? </h2>



During browser testing, you need to hit the URL on a browser on a desktop/laptop and access that particular application. 



In mobile web browser testing, you can hit the URL on the browser of your phone and access the application. 



Both the applications do not allow access to features of your devices such as cameras. 



I.e You have to open the net banking of a X bank on a browser. If you are doing ‘browser testing’ &#8211; you will have to start your desktop/laptop and then launch the application. 



In the case of mobile web browser testing, you will be executing the same step via your phone. You just need to hit the URL and launch the application on the available browser on your phone. 



Mobile browsers have made it very easy to access any site without being dependent on a laptop or desktop. It also allows users to access a website for which native application is not available. 



For example, IKEA India does not have a native application for India, but users can still use their mobile phones and access mobile web applications to view products, place an order, and purchase. 



In short, mobile web applications have made access to all sites a lot easier, convenient, and portable to be used in all regards. You do not have to carry your laptops for applications that do not have native applications, instead just surf on your mobile devices.



<h2 id="when-is-mobile-web-browser-testing-required">When is Mobile Web browser testing required?</h2>



With the massive use of smartphones across the world, it has become easy to access any application at any given point in time. Still there exist many applications which either do not have native apps for it or certain features only work on web or desktop applications. 



In such cases, it becomes necessary to access those features on the mobile web browser or web browser. As mobile phones are readily available, users try to open that particular application on a mobile web browser, instead of signing into their systems and hitting the URL. 



Scenario 1 :&nbsp; Feature not provided by a native application



HDFC bank does not provide the add beneficiary details feature in the Native app, it can be only done through the web platform. In such cases, if a user has an immediate requirement to add a beneficiary, they must just hit the URL on the phone browser and add the beneficiary.&nbsp; 



Scenario 2 : Application does not exist



A mutual fund named ‘Mirae Asset’ does not have its native application. If a user has to check the current status of funds at any instance, they can just log in through a mobile web application and check the funds. 



<h2 id="why-is-mobile-web-browser-testing-important">Why is mobile web browser testing important?</h2>



There are so many different devices readily available in the market today to view a website. Each smartphone comes with various screen sizes and resolutions, operates on different network speeds, and has different hardware capabilities. 



Keeping all these differences, it becomes very important that a website is tested thoroughly before it is launched on different platforms. 



The graph below shows the result of a survey performed by <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Statistica</a> in 2020 on the increase of usage of mobile data across years. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/juWLhswQjMNPpGrHwIZSKG_ndV4SyfCc_K5EMk1FTHbiPVqAvN54ubW_Nvc93vxcz-oKAA5Mh61kCoqv656kAKHyQBXfQT1OT69Jt-kr5YnFK-Vj5sds6zlKk3FLFktJFwHpJuS1_1748948719.png" alt="mobile web browser testing"/></figure>



All types of testing need to be performed on mobile web browsers to ensure an application is behaving the same across all browsers and has a uniform UI. 



1. Compatibility testing: This testing is done to ensure that the application works in a similar way on each device regardless of the phone/tab used. It is impossible to test each phone available in the market but we can test on the targeted device before launching a web application in the market. Targeted devices are decided based on most used phones by targeted customers (potential users).



Most of the time, this is repetitive testing where the same test cases are executed on multiple devices. Thus, this type of testing is also considered as a good candidate for automation. If you are thinking about implementing automation &#8211; you should look for a tool that lets you easily automate the test cases and execute them on many devices at once. 



The setup should not be complex for you.  And here I’d also like to tell you about Testsigma (a <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile testing tool</a>), because it has really done some good work and innovation in order to simplify the mobile testing needs. 



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2. Test how user-friendly an application is: Google search engine gives high priority to websites in comparison to desktop apps. Google ranks applications based on how user friendly it is. Hence, the more user-friendly the application is the faster and easier the user will be able to find it.



3. Testing helps in finding latency time of an application: Users prefer to use mobile phones over desktop when they are looking for any query, booking flight/movie ticket. The reason behind being the speed and convenience of using mobile phones. So, to provide users with instant access to your website, it is vital to test the responsive time of your app. The faster the application better the user experience.



4. Testing Improves Website’s Look &amp; Feel



Device-specific testing can ensure an attractive look and feel for your site across mobile phones. The look and feel of any application is the first impression that attracts users. The application should be designed in such a way that it compels users to revisit the site again. It also aids business as users to recommend sites to others by their experience. 



5. Ease of Application access:



A mobile-friendly website should be designed in such a way that it can easily be accessed via any browser across multiple mobile phones, including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc. <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Google uses mobile-friendly</a> features of<a href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)"> websites as a ranking</a> factor. Thus, a responsive mobile view of the website will help you rank higher in the search engines and divert more traffic to grow your business.







<h2 id="best-practices-for-mobile-website-testing">Best Practices For Mobile Website Testing</h2>



To make mobile web testing successful and efficient, it is always good to follow the mentioned practices. 



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>All business requirements and stakeholder expectations should be tested thoroughly to achieve maximum output from the <a href="https://testsigma.com/guides/test-process/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testing process</a>.</li><li>Make a checklist for the targeted devices and mobile browsers, that you want to test for the responsiveness of your website.</li><li>Prioritize browser testing based on usage, market demand, highest traffic.</li><li>Perform testing on browsers that are not frequently used by users.</li><li>Plan a strategy that maintains the rules and standards to ensure quality and consistency by all.</li><li>Validate each screen size and navigation flow to ensure any UI issue is not missed.</li><li>Validate Performance testing on various network speeds and internet connections to measure the scalability and adaptiveness of the website.</li></ul>



With the convenience of using mobile phones over laptops, the focus of users has shifted from desktop applications to web applications. For the business to thrive, the mobile web application must be designed in such a way that it is easy to access and simple to use. The tester must test it from all aspects to make it user friendly.



Now, Testsigma supports inspection as well as execution of your mobile test cases without any kind of setups at your end. 



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Mobile browser testing what is it and when is it done

Mobile Browser Testing – What is it and When is it Done?

How do you decide your approach for mobile website testing

How To Test Website on Mobile: Methods & Approach

8 Challenges of mobile app testing and how to solve them

8 Major Mobile Testing Challenges & Solution

Mobile Usability testing What is it and how is it done

Mobile Usability Testing | What it is and How to Perform?

Mobile phones have taken over the world in a way few technologies and inventions have been able to in the past. The far-reaching repercussions of such a widely accepted adoption can be felt in all fields of life, from education to tourism. As mobile phone usage and internet penetration continue to grow at unprecedented rates, competition amongst developers is also at all-time heights. Hence, quality control and assurance within the mobile application development sector has become vital. 



A survey done three years ago showed that<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/05/app-glitches-lead-to-abandonment.html" target="_blank"> over 88% of users</a> have at some point of time abandoned an app because of too many bugs or glitches. So, what can app developers and QA managers do to prevent such a migration? This article will take an in-depth look at the various tools and strategies that help with mobile application testing.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Why_do_you_need_to_engage_in_testing_a_mobile_application">1 Why do you need to engage in testing a mobile application?</a></li><li><a href="#What_business_processes_help_with_testing_mobile_apps">2 What business processes help with testing mobile apps?</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Test_Case_Reviews">2.1 1. Test Case Reviews:</a></li><li><a href="#2_User_Interface_Testing">2.2 2. User Interface Testing: </a></li><li><a href="#3_OS_and_Version_Support">2.3 3. OS and Version Support: </a></li><li><a href="#4_Documented_Beta_Testing_Strategy">2.4 4. Documented Beta Testing Strategy: </a></li><li><a href="#5_Flexible_Schedule">2.5 5. Flexible Schedule: </a></li><li><a href="#6_Staggered_Rollout">2.6 6. Staggered Rollout: </a></li><li><a href="#7_Battery-Testing">2.7 7. Battery-Testing:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Mobile_Application_Testing_StrategynbspTypes">3 Mobile Application Testing Strategy&nbsp;Types:</a></li><li><a href="#Why_Opt_for_Automated_Mobile_Application_Testing">4 Why Opt for Automated Mobile Application Testing</a></li><li><a href="#Formulating_the_right_Automated_Mobile_Application_Testing_Strategynbsp">5 Formulating the right Automated Mobile Application Testing Strategy&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="#How_Testsigma_Can_Help">6 How Testsigma Can Help</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="why-do-you-need-to-engage-in-testing-a-mobile-application">Why do you need to engage in testing a mobile application?</h2>



Studies by Gartner showed that as early as 2013, companies were bringing in<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/19/gartner-102b-app-store-downloads-globally-in-2013-26b-in-sales-17-from-in-app-purchases/?guccounter=1" target="_blank"> $26 billion through app revenues</a>. They also predicted a 2.6 times growth in downloads and 2.9-fold increase in revenues in the years to come. Keeping with these figures, global in-app purchases and downloads have sky-rocketed in recent years, thanks to companies taking their business online and onto smartphones. 



However, testing has also grown in prominence and importance because without rigorous testing, companies cannot put useful apps onto the market. Even a small bug will make consumers avoid, uninstall and leave bad reviews for your application. All of these will affect your application&#8217;s overall impact and adversely affect your brand&#8217;s credibility.



Studies show that in 2017, the worldwide failure rate of iOS apps was as high as 54%, with Android apps crashing 10% of the time. However, this trend needs to improve if businesses wish to engage with their customers and better their brand&#8217;s visibility and trustworthiness. 



Also, since bugs, glitches and bad user interfaces are preventable digital diseases, companies must do everything in their power to ensure maximum usability and robustness. By using simple, efficient and <a href="https://testsigma.com/automated-mobile-app-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">automated mobile application testing</a> tools like Testsigma, companies can avoid embarrassing themselves and prevent app glitches significantly.



<h2 id="what-business-processes-help-with-testing-mobile-apps">What business processes help with testing mobile apps?</h2>



<h3 id="1-test-case-reviews">1. Test Case Reviews:</h3>



 Go through cross-team Quality control and assurance test case reviews. Not only will this help speed track the testing process, it will also help make the objectives clearer. Before adopting any new feature, QA specialists must review various test cases associated with the feature. Companies must complete this review process before even finishing the new feature’s wireframe design.



<h3 id="2-user-interface-testing">2. User Interface Testing: </h3>



Make sure your Product Design, UX and QA teams help in developing your user interface. This helps companies get varied opinions on the subject, helping in the creation of an engaging user-interface. User Interface development and testing is a vital cross-departmental activity that helps organisations create useful and engaging apps. Involving QA specialists in this process can help them ensure the perfect alignment between the design and the code which implements it.



<h3 id="3-os-and-version-support">3. OS and Version Support: </h3>



Before starting with any design process, ensure the team is aware of what OS and versions your app must support. Run a market analysis to understand what the current OS trends are, and based on user data, decide which versions to support, and which to avoid. Trying to support every version available will only lead to diminishing returns that hurt your company&#8217;s profit margins. Once you know which OSs to support, determine the number of form factors to consider, and start development with these in hand.



<h3 id="4-documented-beta-testing-strategy">4. Documented Beta Testing Strategy: </h3>



This Mobile Application Testing Strategy&nbsp;makes sure you adopt a well-documented User Acceptance or Beta-testing strategy. This will help prevent ambiguity and confusion regarding what tests to run, and how to use the internal resources available to the team. Additionally, it also enables internal users to try out specific test cases defined by the QA team.



<h3 id="5-flexible-schedule">5. Flexible Schedule: </h3>



Sometimes analysts have a hard time figuring out all the bugs because they have been staring at the same piece of code for hours. Hence, it is always best to employ a switch-and-bait system of testing, allowing for a new pair of eyes to systematically test the features.



<h3 id="6-staggered-rollout">6. Staggered Rollout: </h3>



Consider adopting a staggered rollout plan to allow for adequate testing and monitoring. Not only will this make it easier to find and solve bugs, but it will also help boost the overall user experience.



<h3 id="7-battery-testing">7. Battery-Testing:</h3>



Invest in a well-defined battery testing strategy to prevent users from abandoning your app due to its power consumption issues. Battery life consumption has come up time and time again as the most critical factor users consider while deciding on whether to keep an app or not.



<h2 id="mobile-application-testing-strategy-types">Mobile Application Testing Strategy&nbsp;Types:</h2>



&#8220;Owners will interact with their smartphones over sixty-five times a day by 2023&#8221;, predicts Deloitte making it abundantly clear how important mobile applications have become. Hence, mobile app developers face tremendous pressure to ensure their products fulfil consumer expectations. Here are a few routine testing methodologies used by QA specialists to ensure optimum performance.



1. Battery life testing to ensure optimum power consumption.



2. Regression testing on all new features to prevent harmful and unintended ripple effects.



3. Automated testing which enables the automatic loading and testing of use cases for new features.



4. External factors testing to ensure your app responds correctly whenever there is a network issue or connectivity problem. These tests help developers check how the application will respond to adverse conditions such as network issues and connectivity problems.



5. Performance testing to ascertain the efficiency of the application



6. Security testing to promote company goodwill and customer trust.



7. Load testing to prevent app crashes during high-traffic situations



8. Stress testing to identify the breaking point of the application and define its upper limits with regards to load and data



<h2 id="why-opt-for-automated-mobile-application-testing">Why Opt for Automated Mobile Application Testing</h2>



1. Traditional manual QA cycles might take as long as eight weeks, leading to slower turnaround times.



2. Higher demand leads to companies having to release applications within shorter periods.



3. More cost-effective approach when compared to manual testing as it removes other additional expenses.



4. Helps companies improve their brand image, better consumer satisfaction and expectation.



5. Provides developers with a competitive advantage by helping them create better apps more efficiently.



6. Unlike automated testing which goes through several test cases, manual testing no longer ensures 100% efficiency



7. Automation allows the integration of highly complex test cases leading to effective testing



8. Helps improve overall employee morale and productivity by reducing repetitive testing tasks



9. Enables developers to discover bugs early in the cycle leading to faster error correction and improvement<gwmw style="display:none;">



Also Check: The steps you should not miss while doing <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile testing</a>



<h2 id="formulating-the-right-automated-mobile-application-testing-strategy">Formulating the right Automated Mobile Application Testing Strategy&nbsp;</h2>



<stong>1. Choose the best automation tool by comparing key parameters, checking their specifications and analysing which one will best suit your needs. Here&#8217;s a quick look at the various benefits that <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/compare-test-automation-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma&#8217;s tool</a> provides compared to others to give users some perspective on the matter.</stong>



2. Create test cases and provide concise details regarding the data needed and the expected test results. Choose what type of tests you want, and set the key parameters, including coverage area, traffic, and device configurations.



3. Next, conduct the actual tests on the necessary devices and simulators to see how your app responds.



Check out: <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/8-challenges-of-mobile-app-testing-and-how-to-solve-them/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Challenges of Mobile Application Testing</a> with solutions



<h2 id="how-testsigma-can-help">How Testsigma Can Help</h2>



As you can see, Test Automation helps in reducing overall costs and improving the efficiency of your testing life cycle. Partnering with the right service provider, such as TestSigma can help companies get to market faster. These service providers also enable companies to test more efficiently and create bug-free apps that consumers love. Testsigma offers <a href="https://testsigma.com/mobile-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mobile app testing tools</a> that enable companies to test their products without coding experience.&nbsp;



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Our testing solution can help you jump-start your testing cycle and accelerate your development with ease. The experts at TestSigma would love to hear more about your current application or project. So, what are you waiting for? Deliver the best, most efficient and complete uninterrupted mobile app experience to your customers with us by your side! 



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Testing a mobile application an examination of strategy and tools

Best Mobile Application Testing Strategy And Tools

How do you feel when an application on your device starts breaking but it works just fine on your friend’s smartphone? You reload the browser for browser check and wait for the website to load. When it does, it does not feel right. All the features are not visible or you cannot click them.



Eventually, you will find yourself in the middle of two roads:



 1. Consider that the site is facing an issue and maybe come back later. OR



2. Look for another site as this one is broken.



Such incidents are probably the first encounters of compatibility challenges. Even though most of the web browsers adhere to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_standards" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Open Web Standards</a> and render HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it does not guarantee constant performance throughout browsers.



Enters Cross Browser Testing, a comprehensive way of finding and fixing compatibility bottlenecks. Browser check for compatibility ensures that your audience is not alienated from the amazing features of your web app–simply because it didn&#8217;t work on their device. Before moving on to how to check browser compatibility ,we can go through the need of responsiveness.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#The_Need_For_Responsiveness">1 The Need For Responsiveness</a></li><li><a href="#What_Is_Covered_Under_Cross_Browser_Compatibility_Testing">2 What Is Covered Under Cross Browser Compatibility Testing?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Check_Browser_Compatibility">3 How to Check Browser Compatibility?</a></li><li><a href="#Conclusionnbsp">4 Conclusion:&nbsp;</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="the-need-for-responsiveness">The Need For Responsiveness</h2>



Responsiveness is the ability of an application to adapt according to any screen resolution or size. The need for responsiveness has become of utmost importance ever since the rise in mobile web use.&nbsp;



A <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">report by Statista</a> has revealed that there would be around 4 billion smartphone users by 2021. This has urged the application developers to ensure that their website serves equally well on all kinds of web browsers and OS versions.



Along with the browser, the “<a href="https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_rwd_viewport.asp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Viewport</a>” is also a key aspect of cross browser compatibility testing as it plays a critical role in how the application will display. If an app ill-performs due to browser or viewport – the user experience is severely hampered.



<h2 id="what-is-covered-under-cross-browser-compatibility-testing">What Is Covered Under Cross Browser Compatibility Testing?</h2>



If you’re targeting compatibility testing, you would have to check the website for literally everything.&nbsp;



However, you might not always have the right amount of time for that.



To maximize test coverage and get it done the first time, a specification list comes in handy. This list guides you on the areas to test, the browsers, versions, operating systems to consider, the benchmarks to meet, as well as time and budget allocation.



<h2 id="how-to-check-browser-compatibility">How to Check Browser Compatibility?</h2>



Here is your comprehensive roadmap to cross browser testing:



Begin With Chrome



A recent report by W3Counter revealed that <a href="https://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">65.3% of the global web browser </a>market share belonged to Chrome. So, Chrome is your go-to browser when you flag off compatibility testing. Perform all the design and functionality tests on Chrome first in order to have a better picture of how the application is intended to behave in front of the end-user.



Shortlist Your Browsers



Rather than merely going with your instincts, it is recommended to choose the browsers on some logical grounds. Prioritize testing the browser-OS combinations that are most popular among your target audience. Check out <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/9-tips-to-avoid-cross-browser-compatibility-issues-from-the-start//" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">this post for comprehensive details</a> on choosing the right web browsers.



Test The Primary Feature



Ensure that the key functionality of the application performs well on all the possible browser-OS combinations. The main areas you should consider for testing are:



<ul class="list_style_disc"><li>Menu bars and dialog boxes function as desired</li><li>Form fields are populated correctly</li><li>Application syncs well with cookies</li><li>Ensure inputs are seamless for all device types</li></ul>



Utilize Automation Testing



It is a no brainer that there’s a lot to test when checking cross browser compatibility for websites. If you <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/cross-browser-testing-manual-vs-automated-browser-testing/" target="_blank">intend to manually tes</a>t across all the possible environments, you will end up draining a lot of resources. Eventually, automated cross browser testing is a practical approach in order to implement continuous testing along with continuous delivery. You may <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/6-steps-automate-cross-browser-testing-continuous-delivery/" target="_blank">read this post to get started with automated cross browser testing</a>.



Infrastructure



You need a variety of devices to track and audit the application behavior when browsers are running on different operating systems. You would be choosing either of the following ways when setting up your cross browser testing infrastructure:&nbsp;



<ul><li>Use emulators or simulators and test browsers on these. Although you will heavily slice down the costs, these virtual machines are not scalable, and unreliable.</li><li>If you do not have any budget constraints and can procure real devices and keep them updated &amp; running over time, you may set up your dedicated device lab.&nbsp;</li><li>The final and highly recommended way is to utilize a cloud-based testing infrastructure that can enable you to run tests on a remote lab of devices and browsers. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank"></a></li></ul>



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/automated-cross-browser-testing-tool" target="_blank">Testsigma </a>is a renowned <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/cloud-based-cross-browser-testing-tools-advantages/" target="_blank">automated cross browser testing tool</a> that helps you to easily create and run tests for your applications. The cloud-based tool offers a wide range of 1000+ desktop browsers as well as real iOS and Android device browsers.



Accessibility



The <a href="http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) revealed that 15% of the global population have a disability, making accessibility testing a critical aspect of app testing. Aim for compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in order to cater to the custom needs of the differently-abled users. 



Responsiveness



When auditing the <a aria-label="responsiveness of the application (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-to-test-responsive-web-design-cross-browser-compatibility/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">responsiveness of the application</a>, consider how your end-users would access the application &#8211; this information, along with the data from the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/selecting-a-cross-browser-testing-tool-questions-to-ask/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test on the Right Devices</a> report will help you shortlist the target web browsers.







<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="945" src="https://testsigma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Infographic-for-Here-is-How-to-check-browser-compatibility-for-website-BLOG.png" alt="Testsigma Cross Browser Combatibility Testing" class="wp-image-14480"/></figure>



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion:&nbsp;</h2>



Cross browser testing can be quite daunting for a QA engineer. The biggest pain is accessing all possible devices and browser versions on which the app might run. If you need a comprehensive tool which can cater to all your testing requisites and ensure compatibility across devices and browsers, <a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Testsigma, an automated cross browser testing tool </a>is the best bang for your buck. With the ease of writing automated tests and ability to test over 2000+ browsers, Testsigma stands out as a one-stop tool for cross browser testing. 



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How to check browser compatibility for website

Check Browser Compatibility For A Website – A How-To Blog

It is vital for any business or software to provide a great user experience to a broader user base. An application should work on different devices like mobile, laptop, tablets, and smart televisions according to the purpose of the application. Also, all possible browsers and OS combinations possible. In case the application does not support an environment then it should provide the basic functionality with minimum features. In this way, we will be able to make the application functional for all the targeted users.&nbsp;How can we achieve this? We can do so by focusing on Cross Browser compatibility issues.&nbsp;



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#How_to_Avoid_Cross_Browser_Compatibility_Issues">1 How to Avoid Cross Browser Compatibility Issues?</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Validate_HTML_and_CSS">1.1 1. Validate HTML and CSS</a></li><li><a href="#2_Maintain_Layout_Compatibility">1.2 2. Maintain Layout Compatibility</a></li><li><a href="#3_Use_CSS_Resets">1.3 3. Use CSS Resets</a></li><li><a href="#4_Provide_Support_for_Basic_Features_of_the_Application">1.4 4. Provide Support for Basic Features of the Application</a></li><li><a href="#5_Check_JavaScript_Issues_to_avoid_the_Cross-Browser_compatibility_issues">1.5 5. Check JavaScript Issues to avoid the Cross-Browser compatibility issues</a></li><li><a href="#6_Check_DOCTYPE_tag">1.6 6. Check DOCTYPE tag</a></li><li><a href="#7_Test_on_Real_Devices_to_Avoid_Cross-Browser_Compatibility_Issues">1.7 7. Test on Real Devices to Avoid Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues</a></li><li><a href="#8_Use_Frameworks_and_Libraries_that_Support_Cross-Browser_Compatibility">1.8 8. Use Frameworks and Libraries that Support Cross-Browser Compatibility</a></li><li><a href="#9_Cross-Browser_Compatibility_Test_Early">1.9 9. Cross-Browser Compatibility Test Early</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">2 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">3 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#How_do_I_fix_Cross-Browser_Compatibility_Issues">3.1 How do I fix Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues?</a></li><li><a href="#How_Does_Selenium_Handle_Cross-Browser_Compatibility_Issues">3.2 How Does Selenium Handle Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues?</a></li><li><a href="#How_do_I_ensure_browser_compatibility">3.3 How do I ensure browser compatibility?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="how-to-avoid-cross-browser-compatibility-issues">How to Avoid Cross Browser Compatibility Issues?</h2>



To avoid Cross Browser compatibility issues in the production environment we can follow below points-



<h3 id="h-1-validate-html-and-css">1. Validate HTML and CSS</h3>



Different browsers read, interpret, and handle the code differently. It is quite expected that developers may omit certain ‘closing tag’ or ‘semicolon’ in the syntax while writing code. While most of the browsers may auto-correct such syntax errors few older browsers may not do so. Such errors may pose problems while rendering for old browsers like Internet Explorer.&nbsp;Read here about <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/internet-explorer-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Internet Explorer Testing</a>



While coding such errors can be avoided by adopting the below steps &#8211;



<ul><li>Writing well-aligned code</li><li>Inserting comments wherever required</li><li>Indentation and matching the opening-closing braces</li></ul>



Also, to make it easier there are validation tools available in the market. To handle such situations developers use the below tools for code validation-



<ul><li>W3C HTML validator</li><li>Jigsaw CSS validator</li><li>JS Formatter for HTML</li><li>CSS Lint</li><li>JS Lint</li></ul>







<h3 id="2-maintain-layout-compatibility">2. Maintain Layout Compatibility</h3>



We need a responsive application which works on all devices, platforms, and browsers including all versions. The layout of the application should appear perfect and standard in all the environments where it will be used after release.



Read more on <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/how-to-test-responsive-web-design-cross-browser-compatibility/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cross-Browser compatibility testing of responsive applications</a>.



The reasons for layout incompatibility can be &#8211;



<ul><li>The layout design is unresponsive on mobile devices.</li><li>Differences in the rendering of layout design by modern browsers.</li><li>Modern browsers do not support some layouts.</li></ul>



&nbsp;Methods to maintain layout compatibility-



<ul><li>HTML viewport metatag&#8211; It ensures that the content is properly spanned across a mobile screen.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>CSS Multi-Column layouts&#8211; It helps in maintaining the proper layout of multiple column content according to the layout of the container.</li><li>CSS Flexbox and Grid&#8211; These techniques help in laying out child elements based on their content and the space available for rendering.</li></ul>







<h3 id="3-use-css-resets">3. Use CSS Resets</h3>



Browsers have a default design layout which is applied to the website running on them. In order to apply another design layout to the application, developers need to override the default design. If this is not done then the same application will be rendered differently on different browsers.&nbsp;



This CSS reset is done in code by using CSS reset style sheets by developers. This way any layout design issue can be avoided.



Examples of CSS reset style sheets are-



<ul><li>Github based Normalize.css</li><li>HTML5 Reset</li><li>Eric Meyer’s Reset CSS</li></ul>



<h3 id="4-provide-support-for-basic-features-of-the-application">4. Provide Support for Basic Features of the Application</h3>



We should cross-check the application for providing the native features across different sets of browsers. If a browser doesn&#8217;t support the code then our application should be in a position to provide a different set of code which will run on that particular browser. This will ensure that the application’s basic features are available to the users in any case.



This concept is called feature detection where we are safeguarding the application against an event where the browser doesn&#8217;t support the code. Therefore we provide an alternate code to run on the browser to provide a seamless experience for the user. Additionally, to ensure a smooth and efficient user experience across all browsers, testing with a reliable cross-browser automation tool like Testsigma can help identify potential issues before they arise in production.



We can implement feature detection in code by-



<ul><li>Write your own feature detection code for CSS and JavaScript.</li><li>Use feature detection libraries- e.g. <a href="https://modernizr.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Modernizr</a>, Polyfill, etc.</li></ul>







<h3 id="5-check-javascript-issues-to-avoid-the-cross-browser-compatibility-issues">5. Check JavaScript Issues to avoid the Cross-Browser compatibility issues</h3>



Below steps can be taken to avoid the Cross-Browser compatibility issues related to JavaScript-



<ul><li>Judicious use of JavaScript library, to make sure that the library supports browsers and features of the application.</li><li>JavaScript code using the latest features of ES6/ECMAScript may not work on older browsers. JavaScript Transpiling converts the ES6/ECMAScript based code into a code which can run on older browsers as well.</li></ul>



<h3 id="6-check-doctype-tag">6. Check DOCTYPE tag</h3>



The DOCTYPE keyword is used to define the rules we want to use in the code. We should define DOCTYPE in the code so that the web browser knows the rules and does not go haywire.



Older versions of Internet Explorer check for the DOCTYPE tag at the beginning of the code. If the tag is not found then the application is not properly rendered.



A browser works in three modes they are-



<ul><li>Full standard mode- There are stricter checks by the browser in full standard mode. Browser checks for the errors according to the W3C specifications.</li><li>Almost standard mode- A very few quirks are implemented.</li><li>Quirk mode- It provides backward compatibility to older browsers. In a quirk, mode browsers do not perform error checks. The layout emulates non-standard behaviour.</li></ul>



Therefore when a code misses a DOCTYPE tag the browser moves to quirk mode and then stops performing error checks and behaves in a non-standard manner. Hence, it is important to add the DOCTYPE tag at the beginning of the code.



<h3 id="7-test-on-real-devices-to-avoid-cross-browser-compatibility-issues">7. Test on Real Devices to Avoid Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues</h3>



Although we can test an application on virtual machines and environments. For more effective testing real devices are the perfect platform. To avoid Cross-Browser compatibility issues later we should test the application on real desktops, mobiles, tablets, and laptops. 



To set up a real device lab manually is impossible, in such cases we take the help of <a href="https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing-tools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cross-Browser testing tools</a>. While there are tools that let you execute your cross browser test cases manually or lets you automate them and then execute them, you need to decide what is it that you need. Testsigma, an automated cross browser testing tool, provides immediate access to thousands of browser-OS combinations to the users. You can run test cases in parallel across the real devices in less time. You may choose from the thousands of environments available on the cloud or test on the local machines present in our office premises.



Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/mobile-compatibility-testing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mobile Compatibility Testing</a>



<h3 id="8-use-frameworks-and-libraries-that-support-cross-browser-compatibility">8. Use Frameworks and Libraries that Support Cross-Browser Compatibility</h3>



We should use frameworks and libraries which are standard and which support Cross-Browser compatibility to make our life easier.



1. For JavaScript :



<ul><li>jQuery</li><li>AngularJS</li><li>ReactJS</li></ul>



2. For CSS:



<ul><li>Bootstrap</li><li>Foundation</li><li>960 grid</li></ul>



Check here &#8211; <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/cross-browser-testing-checklist/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cross Browser Compatibility Testing Checklist</a>



<h3 id="9-cross-browser-compatibility-test-early">9. Cross-Browser Compatibility Test Early</h3>



It is advised to start testing as soon as one page of the application is ready to check whether app is cross browser compatible. It will help uncover the compatibility issues early in the development cycle and will be fixed quickly. We should not wait till the later stages of the development cycle to start testing. 



Since Cross-Browser compatibility testing requires test coverage of a number of environments. Hence, we should try to minimise the stress and challenges in the later part of the cycle.



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<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



We will be able to avoid most of the Cross-Browser compatibility issues following the above steps. However, the supporting step for all these precautions is through <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/9-tips-to-avoid-cross-browser-compatibility-issues-from-the-start//" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cross-Browser compatibility testing</a>. For effective testing, we should use automated Cross-Browser compatibility testing tools. 



They are easier to use, provide thousands of environments immediately, provide parallel testing, are scalable, provide testing on real devices, and provide better reporting and logging. Hence, automated Cross-Browser testing tools like Testsigma are essential for effective and faster Cross-Browser compatibility testing of the application.



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<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="how-do-i-fix-cross-browser-compatibility-issues">How do I fix Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues?</h3>



To address cross-browser compatibility issues, ensure that your website adheres to web standards, utilizes <a href="https://github.com/troxler/awesome-css-frameworks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CSS frameworks</a> like Bootstrap, and tests it on different browsers, making necessary adjustments to code and styles as needed. Automation testing tools like Testsigma offer a comprehensive test automation platform for web, mobile, and desktop applications that ensures cross-browser compatibility with its extensive browser coverage.



<h3 id="how-does-selenium-handle-cross-browser-compatibility-issues">How Does Selenium Handle Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues?</h3>



Selenium handles cross-browser compatibility issues by ensuring that web programs look and perform the same regardless of the browser through which they are visited by employing test scripts written in various programming languages such as PHP, Python, Java, and others.



<h3 id="how-do-i-ensure-browser-compatibility">How do I ensure browser compatibility?</h3>



Browser compatibility is the ability of a website or web application to function correctly in various web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. To ensure browser compatibility, developers should test their code across multiple browsers and versions to ensure it works properly for all users. Additionally, developers should use HTML and CSS coding standards supported by all major browsers.



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<ts-linktext-value>Check website responsive in chrome</ts-linktext-value>
<ts-linkurl-value>https://testsigma.com/blog/how-to-test-responsive-web-design-cross-browser-compatibility/
</ts-linkurl-value>
</ts-link-item>
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<ts-linktext-value>Tips for cross browser compatibility testing</ts-linktext-value>
<ts-linkurl-value>https://testsigma.com/cross-browser-testing</ts-linkurl-value>
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<ts-linktext-value>Cross browser testing Challenges</ts-linktext-value>
<ts-linkurl-value>https://testsigma.com/blog/top-3-challenges-in-cross-browser-testing-and-how-to-tackle-them/</ts-linkurl-value>
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How to ensure cross browser compatibility testing

9 Tips to Avoid Cross Browser Compatibility Issues

<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/9-tips-to-avoid-cross-browser-compatibility-issues-from-the-start//" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cross-browser compatibility testing</a> is the most important testing for someone whose business is completely dependent on a website. Take for example an online service provider company. It may have gone through rough testing phases but is there a point in exhausting all your energy when the end-user is not able to communicate with the website properly?



Cross-browser compatibility testing is extremely important for a successful running website where you have one less thing to worry about. Since cross-browser compatibility testing is so important, it should be done with caution and care. 



Similar to any other testing paradigm, developing the software with due consideration to the feedback from testing will always prove to be fruitful in the end. Hence, we have crafted this post in the same direction to provide you with tips on cross-browser compatibility testing. Working your way by keeping these tips in mind will help you design a website that is partially compatible even before testing. <gwmw style="display: none; background-color: transparent;"><gwmw style="display: none; background-color: transparent;"><gwmw style="display: none; background-color: transparent;"><gwmw style="display:none;"><gwmw style="display:none;"></gwmw>Similar to any other testing paradigm, developing the software with due consideration to the feedback from testing will always prove to be fruitful in the end. Hence, we have crafted this post in the same direction to provide you with tips on cross-browser compatibility testing. Working your way by keeping these tips in mind will help you design a website that is partially compatible even before testing.</gwmw></gwmw></gwmw><gwmw style="display:none;">



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Perform_Code_Validation">1 Perform Code Validation</a></li><li><a href="#Build_Browser_Matrix">2 Build Browser Matrix</a></li><li><a href="#Always_Verify_Feature_Support">3 Always Verify Feature Support</a></li><li><a href="#Skip_Unnecessary_Components">4 Skip Unnecessary Components</a></li><li><a href="#Choose_The_Right_Way_To_Test">5 Choose The Right Way To Test</a></li><li><a href="#Encapsulate_Code_In_Framework">6 Encapsulate Code In Framework</a></li><li><a href="#Test_Develop_Test">7 Test Develop Test</a></li><li><a href="#Any_More_Tips">8 Any More Tips?</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="perform-code-validation">Perform Code Validation</h2>



Code validation is a process of determining whether the code written by us is in accordance with the W3C standards or not. This is extremely important as a website developer. Remember how Internet Explorer sank just because they were not following the guidelines? 



Having a validated and well-formatted website will not only make it browser compatible but bring a lot more freebies along with it. Some of them are like improved search engine optimization for better traffic on the website, easy maintenance etc.&nbsp;



To make the website cross-browser compatible, you can check your code using validator tools that can be found on the internet. The text editors also have such functionalities that can highlight the code not compatible with the standards. One such editor that I encountered was Adobe Dreamweaver and it helped me learn best practices in web development too. 



<h2 id="build-browser-matrix">Build Browser Matrix</h2>



A browser matrix is a process of listing down the browsers and their versions for which you are developing the website. It is nearly impossible to satisfy every browser and every version of them even if they are in use. 



A simple reason for this is that browsers reject and accept various CSS and JS properties over time with their new versions. Although this process is gradual in nature, it does happen regularly. For this, you need to decide which browsers are you targeting and the range of their versions.&nbsp;



The best way to finalize a browser matrix is to think about your target audience. If you have a confined audience such as a particular bank whose employees use Firefox 78, then develop accordingly. The general audience gets their browsers updated regularly in the background and hence your browser matrix should also be updated in such cases.



 A browser matrix will help you make a plan about what components to use in your website. This will help you in the end since you will dodge common mistakes of using one deprecated feature of Chrome 70 and one new feature of Chrome 83 etc. 



You can also take help from online cloud-based cross browser compatibility testing tools such as Testsigma that keeps their <a aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com/platforms-browsers-mobile-devices" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">browser configurations</a> updated as they are launched. This will be further discussed later in detail.<gwmw style="display:none;">



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<h2 id="always-verify-feature-support">Always Verify Feature Support</h2>



Now that we have enlightened ourselves with the validator and building a browser matrix, we need to take care of the components we use on our website. As a developer, we may know a lot of things in development but what we may not know is that the feature is now deprecated or is about to. 



Our habit and practice in the past give birth to our ignorance and we never try to check whether the feature is still in use or not. The result is mind-boggling and leaves us wondering for hours why the feature is not working on the web page.



As a web developer, to build a cross-browser compatible website, you should always check the features on each of the browsers you are targeting. For example, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/CSS_Grid_Layout/Subgrid" target="_blank">CSS Subgrids </a>is supported in Firefox but is not supported in Chrome. There are tons of such features that can hinder your user experience and it is always better to be prepared than to repeat everything again.



<h2 id="skip-unnecessary-components">Skip Unnecessary Components</h2>



A lot of times, developers increase complexities of their website without any end-goal. A good example of the same is designing a lot of functionalities together creating congestion on the landing page. These are unnecessary components in terms of landing page and an enemy of cross-browser compatibility scenarios. 



The problem is simple in such cases. The more the components on a page, the more issues they will create and the more time they would need fixing.&nbsp;



Since components will live in a synchronised environment, a small misalignment of a single element could create chaos on the landing page.To simplify this, take the help of <a href="https://www.emailvendorselection.com/best-landing-page-builders/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">free landing page creators</a>, that lets you build customized landing pages effortlessly. Now you are required to adjust all the elements or maybe while adjusting some more elements gets misaligned and the process repeats. Hence, always code only the necessary components to reduce<a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/9-tips-to-avoid-cross-browser-compatibility-issues-from-the-start//"> cross-browser compatibility issues.</a><gwmw style="display:none;">



<h2 id="choose-the-right-way-to-test">Choose The Right Way To Test</h2>



The step of choosing the correct way is always a tricky business. A wrong judgement on this part can lead to wastage of time and efforts. Take for example you are developing a ticket reservation website for citizens of your country. Now you want to test it across browsers to satisfy every user’s requirement. 



Can you take time and guess the correct way to go? Since the browser matrix is huge and the audience is very wide, the best way is to choose an online cross-browser testing tool.&nbsp;



An online cross-browser testing tool is like Amazon. In Amazon, you can just order the items sitting at your home. You do not need to go to the shop manually and purchase from the shop. Similarly, online cross-browser tools provide you with the platform which is already set up and connected with the physical infrastructure. 



You do not need to worry about setting up the infrastructure manually. Now you just type the URL, hit enter and the website is launched within seconds. One such tool is Testsigma that has 2000+ browsers and a lot of features to smoothen your testing. There are integrations available which are regularly updated and a matrix of powerful CPUs that can run your website within seconds.



Another way to go is by developing a device lab (which is extremely expensive) or taking the device lab service on rent. In terms of device labs and online tool, I personally believe <a href="https://testsigma.com/tools/responsive-design-testing-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="online tools (opens in a new tab)">online tools</a> are more robust, faster and are lag-free. Although it ultimately boils down to the developers and testers’ preference and personal choice.



<h2 id="encapsulate-code-in-framework">Encapsulate Code In Framework</h2>



A good way to start the development of the website is to select a good framework and build your website in it. Frameworks bring a lot of advantages with them and most of them are free to use. A framework is already optimized for cross-browser issues and will automatically create responsive elements without any hardcode from the developer’s side. 



Frameworks are developed to let the developer worry just about the functionalities and not thinking much about the cross-browser compatibility issues that would arise in other browsers. <gwmw style="display:none;">



<h2 id="test-develop-test">Test Develop Test</h2>



This is the last step in our development process and our struggles to make a cross-browser compatible website. A lot of the time developers and the teams think that once they are completely satisfied and have developed the functionalities, only then you should test. This is the wrong approach as the issues are piled up when we delay them for later stages. The result is delayed-release and more efforts for improvements.



Similar to unit testing, if the website is tested regularly at frequent intervals, it will be very easy for the developers to get faster feedback from the user. With such feedback, there are lesser issues and lesser work to be done on the elements. 



You can save a lot of time and effort with such an approach and plan your future development processes easily. Consider a situation where you are using some CSS property that has been deprecated. It would be better to get the notification earlier into the process rather than changing the complete website. Therefore, test-build-test and keep iterating your plans as the development process moves on.



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<h2 id="any-more-tips">Any More Tips?</h2>



Cross-browser testing is a necessary job when it comes to website development. At first, it may seem that this is an end process i.e. you develop the website first and then move ahead with testing. It might look logical but creates a huge pile of issues. 



A website is not like the mark sheets that you can check even if piled up. You might notice that some element does not work which has been used exhaustively while development. This comes under bad planning in design and development. We can dodge such scenarios by learning through our experience and keep the above tips in mind.&nbsp;



The tips provided in this post have proved effective with the test of time and it is recommended to follow these. But, these are not the only ones and personal experiences will give birth to a few more that can help other fellow developers/testers. 



Hence, we welcome you to comment on your own experiences and any tips you would want to share with us. We would be more than happy to incorporate those in our post.&nbsp;

7 tips for successful cross browser testing

Testsigma Blog