Testing of Android devices with OEM specific variants and application variants running on them
A major challenge for testing Android devices and applications on those devices is the high level of variants and fragmentation in the Android ecosystem. There are three major factors driving this:
Variants in Android OS version itself
Variants in device display configurations across manufacturers and device models
Need for localization
Each device OEM can choose what version of the Android OS they would support on a particular device. As of February 5th 2018, there are 8 major versions of Android operating systems in use.
Furthermore, there are variations in hardware screen configurations (due to variation of screen sizes and density) among devices and models across various Android device OEMs. As of February 5th 2018, major screen configurations are summarized below:
Another major mobile application testing challenge is localization. Localization does not refer to just changing the language of the application. There are considerations for how the application interacts with the rest of the mobile device and how users feel about being able to change the app language to their own. Although every new language that is supported by the app, potentially opens up a new opportunity to enter a new market, it remains an obstacle to overcome in terms of testing and certification.
Effective testing of these highly fragmented Android devices and applications on them must consider all the variants so that end user functionality is not compromised. mobileLIVE works with all the Canadian telecommunication operators to test Android devices and applications and face this challenge daily. Currently there are no known solution to address this variants in the Android ecosystem challenge effectively. Together with the partners in XIVT, mobileLIVE will seek to solve the challenge of testing basic mobile functionality (calling, messaging, browsing, settings) as well navigation of same native or hybrid application across device variants. There are currently over 2 Billion monthly active Android devices globally, making up for 87.7% of the global mobile operating system market, which makes it 37.93% of all connected devices worldwide. Ability to effectively test all Android and application variants on them will be a major leap forward for the mobile devices and application testing / certification industry.