When performing functional testing on a mobile application, what exactly needs to be validated?
I’d like to understand the key aspects like user interactions, app workflows, and business logic that should be tested to ensure the app behaves as expected across different devices and OS versions.
What are the essential areas to focus on during this type of testing?
In my mobile QA work, functional testing ensures that the app’s features behave as defined in the requirements.
I usually test critical user flows, like login, navigation, form submissions, push notifications, and error messages. I also validate edge cases, like what happens when the user is offline or when permissions are denied.
For me, it’s all about mimicking real user behavior as closely as possible.
I think of functional testing as validating the what rather than the how. For mobile apps, I always make sure things like button taps, gesture responses (swipe, long press), and screen transitions work consistently across iOS and Android.
Also, if the app has features like GPS, camera, or background sync, those should be functionally tested under different device settings (e.g., location turned off).
From an automation angle, I categorize functional testing into UI, business logic, and integrations.
For example, if your app involves payments, you need to validate transaction success, error handling, and third-party gateway responses.
I also ensure testing covers multiple screen sizes and OS versions. Tools like Appium help simulate various environments to make sure functions behave the same everywhere.