February 4, 2021

Impact of Network Variability on Mobile Applications

Inability to Communicate with the Server
Unexpected Behavior Hampers Experience
Increase in Performance Issues
Data Loss
Important Checkpoints to Consider
How Can a Mobile Application Testing Company Help?

The portable application improvement industry has been developing at a fast pace. Numerous applications permit versatile application engineers to pick between utilizing an organization and working without connecting. In an offline mode, applications are not connected to the back-end, instead, the information and data are stored locally. However, in an online mode, internet connectivity is used by applications to communicate with the server.

The network largely affects the application’s behavior including performance, user experience as well as functioning. Mobile applications need to be tested in majorly three different bandwidths:

No Network
Weak Network
Strong Network

Varying bandwidths isn’t the only challenge testers face. Other challenges include:

Network Diversity
Memory Impact
Difficulty in replicating real-time issues

Impact of Network Variability on Mobile Applications

Following are some of the impacts of network variability on applications:

Inability to Communicate with the Server

A sudden change in network conditions may affect the mobile application’s wireless communication and its server.

Unexpected Behavior Hampers Experience

The app might exhibit an unexpected behavior in the absence of a network, which results to misrepresentation of data, distortion of UI. Moreover, it freezes, and hampers the user experience.

Increase in Performance Issues

A user can face different performance-related problems due to network issues. It can cause problems related to functionalities. For instance, an application can crash, slow down and even hang.

Data Loss

A sudden loss in the network can result in users losing their data present on the application.

Important Checkpoints to Consider

While testing networks, several checkpoints and considerations should be understood and examined. First of all, it’s important to check whether the app works in sync with the specs when connected to the internet. Secondly, check and list down the potential errors when a network is absent. Provide recommendations to fix them. Also, check the performance of the application under varying network bandwidth. Upon regaining connection, it should be able to resume itself. Check if any of the data, memory, or functionality is impacted due to low signal strength, the difference in Wi-Fi speeds, 3G or 4G networks.

During a bad network, consider providing an error message. By providing users with an option to retry, users will be able to reconnect as soon as possible. Also, while testing an application on different networks, security considerations such as data pollution, buffering problems, low-level resource usage, multi-user support, and encryption should be kept in mind.

How Can a Mobile Application Testing Company Help?

It’s quite challenging to test an application on multiple devices and networks while considering all possible user scenarios. Not only this, but the infrastructure, technology, personnel and experience required to conduct these tests are also difficult to acquire. However, for a mobile application testing company, whose sole purpose is to test mobile applications by leveraging these required resources, it isn’t a difficult task.

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About `Author`

Akansha Pandey, Director of Sales at Fluper, is a leader in technology sales with a decade of experience. Known for her strategic approach, she excels in driving business growth and forging strong client relationships. Akansha's expertise lies in consultative selling, team leadership, and exceeding revenue targets. Passionate about mentoring, she enjoys sharing insights with aspiring sales professionals.