How to Choose Devices for Testing Your Mobile App

The biggest problem about testing your app manually is to cover the wide range of devices made for this purpose. Many developers and testers get stuck here due to the abundance of smartphone models and limitless fragmentation. This is quite understandable. You cannot test your app on all the devices, not even on half of them. This means that there's always space for an error to stay unnoticed. In this article, you'll find some suggestions that will allow you to quickly and most precisely define the necessary list of devices. This simple procedure enables you to cover with manual tests with almost all of the possible device variations.

The biggest problem about testing your app manually is to cover the wide range of devices made for this purpose. Many developers and testers get stuck here due to the abundance of smartphone models and limitless fragmentation. This is quite understandable. You cannot test your app on all the devices, not even on half of them. This means that there's always space for an error to stay unnoticed. In this article, you'll find some suggestions that will allow you to quickly and most precisely define the necessary list of devices. This simple procedure enables you to cover with manual tests with almost all of the possible device variations.

Steps

1. Define your app’s specifications. If your app is suitable for specific screen resolutions, sizes, etc., include only the devices that support these features.

2. Make a list of the most popular devices among your app’s users. If your app is just going to be released and there’s no stats available, check similar apps.

3. Evaluate the global market. Global statistics will help you define which are the leading models, notwithstanding their sphere of use. Also, consider region and market statistics.

4. Look for trends and announcements from the leading vendors. Understanding the current trends will help you to predict which brands are likely to become the new leaders in the market, as well as specific devices.

5. Build a device coverage matrix. Compare and compile all the lists from the above. If some specific devices haven’t been mentioned yet, consider adding them, too

6. Find devices with similar properties. Check if all the OS versions, screens and hardware characteristics are covered, and skip the unnecessary devices with similar characteristics.

7. Check device availability in your lab. If some are still missing, consider renting or buying used models from an online auction or trading site.

8. Use emulators to extend the coverage of testing. They will not substitute real devices in terms of usability testing, but are a helpful addition to the original device list.