Now people live in the digital century – the time of mobile devices, electronic gadgets, IoT products, wireless connections, e-entertainment services, etc. People use mobile devices for various purposes – getting information, paying the bills, communicating with friends, solving business tasks, playing games, etc.
Every mobile gadget requires special software program that will ensure the correct work of its hardware. Nowadays, the most popular OS for mobile devices are Android and iOS.
What Are the Differences Between iOS and Android Development?
- Programming language. Current apps are created in Java (for Android-based programs) and Objective-C (for iOS-based programs). Some developers prefer Java because it is easily comprehended and the implementation of one and the same feature will require less Java code in comparison with Objective-C. But nowadays one more programming language is used. It is called Swift. This open-source language was created by Apple.
- IDE. For coding, the special place is required. It is integrated development environment, for example, Delphi, NetBeans, Visual Basic, etc. Google has Android Studio. Earlier, Eclipse IDE and Android Development Toolkit were used for creating Android-based applications. Apple uses only XCode.
- OS. While developing iOS-based applications, the developers and testers can use only Mac OS. But Android-based programs can be created on Mac, Linux and Windows. It is an advantage. Besides that, Mac OS is more expensive than Windows.
As the development procedure and architecture of Android and iOS products differ, so mobile testing of the apps of both OS will also have specific features.
What Aspects Influence Mobile Testing?
- Deployment. The number of Android devices is bigger than iOS and the process of updating takes more time in comparison with iOS. As a result, Android testing is more time-consuming and it requires more resources and effort. Moreover, sometimes for several product lines it is not foreseen to get the latest updates. iOS devices do not have such a problem.
- Screen size and resolution. The diversity of Android devices causes difficulties for their testing. There are many Android devices with different screen size and layouts. In general, iOS products are similar and their checking will take less time.
- Capacities. Every Android device has its own functionality and performance capacities and these specific features should be taken into account during Android testing. For proper operating, the software product requires the defined capacities.
- Usability. It is more difficult to execute usability testing of Android application as the interface of various devices is different. Moreover, it also depends on the version.
As a conclusion, the general procedure of mobile application testing of both iOS and Android is the same. But Android testing will require more time and resources because of a huge number of available devices.