Simplifying Native Mobile App Testing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Native mobile app testing: sounds complex; doesn’t have to be. 

Sure, there are things you’ll need to consider that aren’t relevant when testing a web app, such as device and platform variations and network-related issues. You’ll need to test more, whilst likely working to release schedules that are just as tight, if not tighter. 

Planning your approach in advance – and knowing where AI could save your team lots of engineer hours – is vital in simplifying the process. Here’s how to go about it. 

1. Decide When To Test Your Code

Traditionally, native mobile app testing happens toward the end of a development cycle or Agile sprint. Your engineers build your app’s features, then hand them over to the QA team for testing.

This introduces a lot of inefficiency to the process – yes, even if you are doing so within an Agile framework. Defects are found after code is merged, regression cycles take longer, and feedback loops drag on. This can be a constant thorn in the side of mobile teams who need to ship fast and frequently. 

Shift-left testing moves the testing process closer to where code is authored. Early feedback helps identify defects sooner, reduces rework, and shortens release cycles. Agile teams thrive on fast iterations backed by rapid feedback, and shift-left testing delivers exactly that.

2. Establish Agile Testing Processes for Ultimate Efficiency

You’re probably running on some form of Agile-derived methodology. Most organizations are – it’s not 1986 anymore. 

Whether you’ve chosen classical Agile, Scrum, Lean Development, or any of the 50-odd alternatives out there, it likely boils down to short sprints, a focus on delivering incremental value, and a drive towards continuous integration. To see the benefits of these approaches, testing must align with your way of working. So, make sure you: 

Define Quality Early

At the start of a sprint, consult with engineers, product owners, and quality teams to define acceptance criteria and test scenarios.

Test As You Go

This saves time at the end of the sprint. Pair QA team members and engineers to work in parallel – or get your engineers to test their own code for minimal extra work using a natural language testing tool.

Integrate Tests into CI/CD

Automated test suites should run on every pull request, commit, and merge. This continuous feedback loop catches regressions before they reach main branches.

3. Prepare Your Native Mobile App Testing Environment

Native mobile app testing is more complex than web app testing because of the variety of devices, platforms, and OS your app will run on. Testing across Android, iOS, and hundreds of devices with separate specs and screen sizes isn’t an easy task.  

Simulators and emulators are a good way to address this – emulators especially offer an accurate reflection of how your app would behave on real devices, without the complexities and cost of real device testing. 

Ensure emulators for Android and iOS are easily accessible on your build servers or developer machines. Modern tools with dedicated mobile support optimize emulators for testing workflows, including faster cold starts and seamless execution across native and hybrid views. 

What About Real Device Testing? 

It’s beneficial if you have the time to weather queues for specific devices and absorb steep scaling costs. Rely on emulators and simulators for the bulk of your native mobile app testing, then – if budget allows – use real device farms for top-end verification. 

4. Create Clear, Maintainable Tests

Making sure tests are clear, focused, and easy to maintain will save time in the long run – they’ll be easy to debug, and easier to update as your app evolves. 

Follow An ‘Arrange, Act, Assert’ Test Structure For Clarity

• Arrange: Set up your app in the desired state (e.g., user logged out)
• Act: Perform actions (e.g., navigate, enter credentials)
• Assert: Verify expected outcomes (e.g., home screen is shown)

Use Natural Language Test Creation

Opt for an AI platform that allows you to describe user actions and expectations in plain language and generates robust interactions that adapt as UI changes.

Create Reusable Tests

Modular tests are easier to update and reduce duplication – a big win in Agile projects where features evolve quickly and end-user requirements don’t stay still.

5. Leverage AI for Reliable Test Automation

One of the biggest challenges in native mobile app testing is flaky tests caused by UI timing, network delays, or environment quirks. 

AI-based automation can dramatically reduce flakiness and save your team many hours of maintenance work per week. Just ask our clients, Retool, who saved over 40 engineering hours per month with Momentic’s AI features. 

Self-Healing Tests

Instead of hard-coded identifiers that break when UI elements shift, intent-based locators interpret element descriptions and adjust tests as your app evolves.

AI-Powered Assertions

Rather than rigid assertions, AI can interpret expected conditions (for example, “home screen shows a welcome message”) and validate them even in dynamic interfaces. This is especially useful for native apps with non-deterministic UI behavior or rich graphical elements. 

Autonomous Test Agents

These autonomous AI coworkers can work away in the background, exploring your app, identifying critical user flows, and suggesting or generating tests automatically. 

6. Run Continuous Feedback and Monitoring as Part of Native Mobile App Testing

Feedback shouldn’t stop once your code has passed your pre-release tests. Live monitoring and validating behavior in real or production-like environments (‘Shift-Right’ testing) uncovers issues that only surface in real-world situations. 

Integrate Test Results with Team Tools

Feed test results into dashboards, workplace communication tools, or ticket systems so your team can monitor quality metrics in real time. 

Monitor Production with Synthetic Tests

Use automated tests as ‘production canaries’. Run these synthetic checks in production to watch for regressions that slip through cracks.

Track Flaky Tests

Identify flaky tests and quarantine or fix them quickly, before they erode trust in automation – use a native mobile app testing tool with self-healing tests and smart waits to achieve this. 

Analyze Test Coverage Trends

Metrics like coverage by feature, frequency of failures, and time to fix give teams insight into where best to focus their efforts. This helps teams create an effective way of prioritizing fixes based on impact. 

7. Ensure Different Squads are on the Same Page

Centralized strategy accelerates everything. If you’re running a large, multi-squad team, sharing test modules, tooling, and best practices makes everything more efficient and avoids duplicated effort. 

Agentic AI tools can suggest or generate tests autonomously, helping teams expand coverage quickly and create a centralized source of test scenarios. Combine this with sprint goals to tailor test suites to key priorities.

Keep Quality Standards Tight

Create organizational definitions of when a testing process is ‘complete’, including milestones for test coverage, performance checks, and accessibility audits.

Platforms that support writing tests in plain language, and that can execute against multiple environments, help teams hit these standards with considerably less manual labor. 

8. Optimize Your Approach and Tooling for Native Apps

If you're testing native mobile apps, there are a few features you should look for in your automated testing tools that will really up your game. 

Native UI Context Switching

Native apps often mix views, like WebViews and custom components. A flexible test engine that can handle context switches without brittle scripts saves a lot of time.

Fast Emulator Cycles

Choose tools that optimize emulator launch times and interactions to keep feedback loops short. Slow emulators kill momentum (and your team’s will to live).

Platform-Specific Conditions

Make sure tests consider platform differences (e.g., Android back button behavior vs. iOS gestures). Write tests that account for both, or maintain portable modules with platform overrides.

Network Variability

Simulate offline conditions or throttled networks early in the pipeline. This surface-area testing gives you an idea of how your app will behave in the real world.

9. Constantly Maintain and Improve Test Suites

Your product won’t stay static, so neither should your test suite. Whilst adding tests for new features, regularly remove outdated tests, and replace those that consistently fail due to changes in your product. 

Refactor Often

As you add more tests, refactor for clarity and reusability. Agile teams that ‘treat tests like code’ keep quality and maintainability high.

Train Your Team

Invest time in training engineers on best practices such as clear naming, modular design, and optimal use of AI testing tools.

Momentic: The Ultimate AI Tool for Native Mobile App Testing

Want to make your native mobile app testing faster, more accurate, and more extensive than traditional automation tools could ever allow?

Momentic’s AI testing platform is built by engineers for engineers, and offers: 

• Natural language test creation: Write what you want Momentic to test in plain English – the AI will take care of the rest
• Record and playback features: Record yourself completing an action in your app, then let the AI turn it into a test
• Self-healing tests: Say ‘goodbye’ to brittle selectors – intent-based AI locators ensure that tests update with DOM changes
• Agentic AI testing: Let your autonomous AI coworker explore your app and suggest tests based on requirements

You’ll also benefit from a suite of native mobile app testing features, including 1s emulator cold starts, 1s app installs, and seamless context switching between native and WebViews.

‍Book a demo today to take your mobile app testing processes to the next level.