Archive for the ‘Mobile App’ Category

How Will Your Strategy for Test Automation Evolve Over the Course of 2023 Year?

January 23rd, 2023

Introduction

It is necessary for businesses to have a shorter time-to-market when they have several application development and deployment life cycles that are continuous. They often devote a smaller amount of time to testing while covering a smaller number of test cases. In point of fact, according to the findings of a recent survey conducted by a Leading Analyst company, a business automates just 16% of the Application Testing Lifecycle on average across the board. Even businesses that do engage in automation are unable to get the return on investment (ROI) that they had hoped for. As a result, there is a need for a solution that not only ensures coverage but also automates the whole of the testing lifecycle, which includes design, execution, and reporting.

What are the potential benefits of using an automated testing strategy?

A paradigm change has occurred in testing as a result of the increasing complexity of the software that incorporates cutting-edge technologies such as AI and machine learning, IoT, virtual reality, big data, and the cloud, amongst others. It is no longer sufficient to do manual testing on its own; automated testing must now be combined with it. Nevertheless, developing a plan for test automation is not an easy task since it entails taking into account a lot of different aspects. These may relate to the resilience of scripts, the interoperability of scripts across devices and systems, or their capacity to virtualize, amongst other things. Other possibilities include: In addition, since the DevOps paradigm has evolved to become the new standard in software testing, the use of software test automation services has turned into a crucial component in order to guarantee Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD).

The following is a list of the top current trends in Software Test Automation Services that your testing team needs to get aware of right away.

1.DevOps

The term “DevOps,” which is an abbreviation for “development and operations,” refers to a trend in software testing that employs the ideas of agile approaches in a different manner. In its most basic form, continuous testing is provided by DevOps, which takes any code that is input and instantly builds it before releasing it into production. By identifying errors as they occur rather than many months later, speeds up the process of developing new software and cuts development times.

2. Artificial Intelligence

A new subfield of software testing has emerged as a result of the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), which places more emphasis on automated learning than on human intervention.

Artificial intelligence is essential to the testing of current software because, in contrast to robotic automation software, AI has the potential to gather data and learn from experience over time. AI has the potential to minimize the number of repetitive jobs in the software testing process and to simplify the software development life cycle if it were to learn about the testing cycle, apply reasoning and problem-solving skills, and so on.

3.Automation of Mobile Device Testing

It’s no secret that mobile technology is taking over the globe; in fact, mobile devices are responsible for 62% of all internet traffic. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that one of the primary testing trends for 2023 will be testing on mobile devices.

The use of mobile app testing automation tools makes it simple to determine whether or not your programme is compatible with mobile devices running Android or iOS.

4. Testing and Tools for Integration

Before putting out brand-new software on the market, one of the most essential steps you need to do is to make certain that the software is compatible with the other applications that your customers are most likely to be using. When integrated with other software components, even software that functions well on its own may produce significant problems for users.

5.Regression Testing

There is always a possibility that a change you make to your software may have unintended repercussions for the other parts of your software whenever you make a modification to your programme. It is essential that you have access to a diverse selection of Software Test Automation Services tools in your resource. This is when the testing of regression comes into play.

Conclusion

Because Software Test Automation Services is now an essential component of software testing, the approach for automated testing has to be modified in order to be in line with the testing goals that are now being pursued. In the year 2023, there will be a rise in the use of testing for the purpose of analysing and carrying out intricate test cases. The end result will be improved software that provides complete satisfaction to the consumer.

8 Must-Try Mobile App Development Frameworks This Year

May 11th, 2019

Mobile apps are in huge demand nowadays, all thanks to the ever-increasing number of mobile phone users because of which, mobile app development frameworks are being used more and more by IT service companies.

And this doesn’t end here, over the years the mobile industry has seen a considerable rise in the number of programming languages for both iOS and Android operating systems.

So let’s take a look at some of the most popular mobile app development frameworks that will become a major tool for the developers this year and beyond.

PhoneGap

Adobe PhoneGap, developed by Apache Cordova is currently one of the most popular cross-platform frameworks in the market. It is basically an open source framework, which means you can reuse the existing web development skills for making hybrid applications. These applications are built with a single codebase which allows you to reach your audience regardless of the device.

React Native

React Native is another popular cross-platform framework in the market which was launched by social media giant Facebook itself back in 2013. It is also an open-source framework that offers ample support to the IDEs and other mobile app development tools. It uses the same fundamental UI building blocks as regular iOS and Android apps for easy operations.

Xamarin

Xamarin is an Android app development framework that lets you build your mobile app a lot faster. Xamarin is so popular that it is used by more than 1.5 million on a global scale. It is perfect for developing android apps without the support of Java. Besides, it offers a complete set of C# code base for developing native apps for other mobile operating systems as well.

Flutter

Flutter is another powerful mobile app development framework which was backed by Google. Besides helping you build native iOS and Android applications, it allows you to develop these applications using Google’s very own programming language known as Dart. Now, what makes it particularly interesting is that in order to render the application, you don’t need WebView or other native UI components either.

Quasar

Quasar came into the market in 2016 and became an instant hit. It has given developers the power to write code a single time and deploy it simultaneously as a desktop (using Electron), mobile app (Android, iOS), and website (SSR, PWA, SPA) using a single code base. Moreover, it offers HTML/CSS/JS minification, source mapping, cache busting, linting code, code-splitting, and ES6 transpiling while keeping a small performance overhead.

Ionic

Ionic is another open source framework that is capable of building amazing native looking apps. It is widely popular because it provides tools and services for developing hybrid mobile apps using technologies such as CSS, HTML5, and Sass. moreover, it has support from community plugins to premium supported integrations.

Mobile Angular UI

This framework is accountable for easy and convenient development. It helps build HTML 5 mobile apps with Angular JS and Bootstrap besides containing some directives that make it easy to learn. It is basically an extension of the Bootstrap extension which contains certain mobile components such as switches, sidebars, overlays, scrollable areas, etc.

Appcelerator Titanium

Titanium is a cross-platform framework that comes with full support for iOS and Android but is not included with CSS and HTML. It is more of a combination of native and javascript that helps improve a better performance for mobile hybrid development. Another noteworthy aspect is that it comes equipped with a number of mobile platform APIs and Cloud services to be used as an app backend.

Closing Lines

If you start looking, you may find plenty of mobile app development frameworks available in the market that are worth considering while working on your next app development project. What I have offered is a list of some of the most prominent ones that are being talked about.

New Trends in iOS App Development – Keep Yourself Updated

January 22nd, 2019

In the cutting edge tech trendsetter world, iOS app development solutions are ready to offer a new scenario to give users a real-time experience with technology. These recent technological advancements with new processing, AI power and graphics is a buzz in iOS mobile app development.

Apple’s iOS is the most advanced app development platform with reinventing and rebuilding everything to make the best products be it a device or software. It’s continuous focus on new concepts helps developers bring the next generation mobile apps with desired features.

Check the new trends in iOS app development:-

SIRI, the AI personal assistant:-

Combination of AI with virtual assistant Siri is a new technological hot potato. This is the main reason why people switching to the iOS instead of Android. Undoubtedly, the developers explore a lot to introduce a Sirikit with endless features. Users can access from the lock screen and hands-free mode. This integration is possible for WatchOS apps as well just using voice.

Siri intelligently suggests the app shortcuts for performing relevant actions. This virtual friend can understand the request given by Homepod and send these to the iOS device. The development of Siri make developers as well as users crazy for iOS.

Apple Pay:-

Mobile wallet has become the norm in this new tech age. Apple Pay changes the whole perspective of cardless payments on iPhone and iPad. This digital wallet is secure and gains popularity across countries.

Apple Pay can be used for a variety of money transactions from food ordering to online shopping. The best thing about this feature is secure in all ways. The user doesn’t need to save any card details to this wallet.

IoT and Wearable Gadgets:-

The HomeKit is Apple’s highly secured IoT ecosystem which helps developers to easily connect with all devices through the internet. This is the next logical step in the home automation with a voice command of Siri.

Internet of Things will help developers to develop smart home and office devices. One can operate the new aged wearable gadgets with ease, share information and commands, switch off devices on just voice notes.

Sensible App security:-

In this cut-throat tech competition, user’s personal data security is the most sensible part of any application development. For Apple, this is the mandatory aspect while releasing an update, so that hackers do not misuse someone’s data. Keeping in the mind the sensibility of user’s security, the expertise made ATS (App Transport Security) mandatory for every newly published iOS application.

The apps run on iPhone or iPad is strictly permitted to read and write files only inside a virtual glass case. This gives the apps only one channel to interact and any attempt to access data from outside is rejected. All these are the in-built features of iPhone and updated with the new age cyber threads.

The Power of AR/VR and 3D:-

In the list of latest iOS development trends, the ARKit 2 is the next generation reality app development platform in the 12th edition of iOS. From improved face tracking to support for 3D object detection, thus enabling a multi-user AR experience.

With ARKit 2 developers are enabled to build multilayer games and simulations plus a user can create a piece of art that can be viewed by another person from the same place. These amazing advancements are breaking boundaries and making a stimulating environment for iOS app development.

Swift 5 Updates:-

Out of top programming languages, Swift continuously growing and gives iOS developers a new platform. With a number of advantages such as simplicity, scalability, and safety, this coding language is praised and becomes an easy language for writing native iOS or Mac OS apps.

The new updated version Swift 5 will release shortly giving developers more opportunities for iOS app development.

Core Machine Learning (CoreML):-

Machine learning in the chips is a true game changer in the mobile app development. The ML is a science of using statistical techniques to make system learn about user and data. Apple launched CoreML, used to build apps across Apple devices. Such type of framework can create fast and highly responsive apps in comparison to general iOS.

CoreML 2 also covers script identification, parts of speech tagging, lemmatization, and deploying custom natural language models. Plus this framework is used to analyze natural language text and also deducting language specific meta-data.

Conclusion:-

Trends in the tech world change so quickly. Since mobile applications came into existence to today’s mainstream necessity for everyday life, developers need to stay tuned with the latest updates. If you are looking for the best iOS app developers then you need to hire up to date technical company to accomplish this task. So, do not let behind and keep checking the new trends to stay up-to-date.

Mobile App Development Trends That Will Make Waves

January 31st, 2018

Smartphones have made such a huge impact on our lives in such a short time that today it’s just impossible to imagine our lives without them. Equally undigestible is the fact that something that has been introduced so recently into our lives is now defining us from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.

The primary reason why smartphones are so addictive is the presence of millions of apps available in the mobile app development market to choose from which can assist us in almost everything we do in any given day. Apps or applications as we know, are computer programs designed to run on mobile. Today, the three biggest app stores available to us are-

  • Google Play for Android
  • App Store for IOS
  • Microsoft Store for Windows and Xbox One

Businesses nowadays are using more and more mobile apps to improve their processes and increase the level of accessibility their customers have to them. Let’s look at the few mobile app development trends that will make waves in 2018:

1. AR or VR Apps

AR or Augmented Reality is a live view of the physical world environment perceived via computer-generated information by multiple sensory organs. Apart from the gaming industry, these apps are helping the companies to present in detail the product and services to their clients in real-time.

VR or Virtual Reality is also a computer-generated scenario that simulates a realistic experience through a headset, smartphone, or tablet device. Its apps are used for company branding and aggressive marketing by providing a 3D vision of products using a blend of photography and technology.

2. Android Instant Apps

Instant apps will forever change the way we are used to downloading and installing the apps before running them. For businesses looking to streamline their mobile development, hiring Xano developers can be a game-changer in creating efficient and powerful applications. Thanks to these native apps, one can run the app almost instantly without downloading it.

These apps support the latest version 8.0 (API level 26) and go all the way back to 5.0 (API level 21) so one doesn’t have to worry about purchasing the latest device to operate instant apps. The functionality of these apps is an upgrade to your app and not a separate app for you to download.

3. Business Bots

Business bots or chatbots, in simple words, is a computer program that is capable of conducting a conversation through audio or textual methods. Though started just a few years back, chatbots already made up a market worth of $703 Million by 2016 which by 2021 is expected to reach up to $4.5 Billion.

With such a fast-growing pace, business bots are much ahead in setting the new trend for 2018. According to current research, consumers already love it with 95% of them believing that customer service is going to be the major beneficiary of business bots in the upcoming years.

4. Artificial Intelligence Apps

Artificial Intelligence or AI is the intelligence displayed by machines. The chatbots we were talking about earlier are also powered by AI technology through its applications cover a much wider range of Virtual Personal Assistants to Intelligent Apps to Cyber Security.

AI and machine learning have provided innovative ways to acquire more and more customer data to gain insights which in turn help in taking the right decisions and formulating and implementing market strategies. Therefore, corporate giants such as Google, IBM, Adobe, etc. are investing heavily in AI apps such as Cortana or Siri.

5. IoT and Wearable Apps

IoT or the Internet of Things is the combined network of devices that can be uniquely identified through its embedded computing system to connect and transfer data. Experts claim its value to reach $7.1 Trillion by 2021.

These devices or Things operate through wearable apps that give you access to hardware such as sensors and the GPU. Wearable apps only differ in design and functionality but they all run on similar Android SDKs used in other apps.

Wearable devices cover a wide range from smartwatches to fitness bands to something totally unexpected such as smart shoes, clothes, or jewelry.

6. M-Commerce Apps

M-commerce or mobile commerce is the present and future of mobile payment options, not sure how? The paying apps you are currently using such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet or the recent initiative of scan and par system leveraged by Visa and Samsung are such examples.

These apps provide state-of-the-art security with coded encryption, secure back-end, and API along with a reputed payment gateway. These security measures seem justifiable when you consider the total net worth of mobile commerce which is roughly $700 Billion as of last year.

7. Cloud Computing Apps

Cloud computing is an IT paradigm that literally fetches data from the cloud, it enables unlimited access to a shared pool of data including streamlined operations over the internet thus relieving your phone memory too in the process.

Cloud apps such as Dropbox, Google Drive, etc are prompting more and more businesses to develop apps that are cloud-driven this year with the help of companies specialized in web design in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Conclusion

Research proves that the mobile app development market of today is growing at an exponential rate with 197 billion apps downloaded just last year with users spending 90% of their time on apps rather than the mobile web. Companies understand this fact well enough and as a result, invest heavily in the production of these apps. So, I believe it’s safe to assume that 2018 too will see a lot more applications leveraging these above-mentioned trends.

Why Creating a User Centric Design is Important in Mobile App Development

October 10th, 2017

Mobile applications are created by businesses to keep their customers engaged with their brand exclusively. The whole concept behind these apps is that when a user visits your business’s website, he or she might also open a new window and check out your competitor’s website. When that user is on your App, he remains in that app and cannot access any other website. They remain immersed in your application.

Because of this reason, there are so many applications that are present in Google’s play store. Each day new apps are added and the competition to remain popular with the fan base is also very tough. To stay ahead of the competition, you need to focus on a customer-centric design for your mobile application development.

The most important thing that one should keep in mind while developing a mobile application is the user’s point of view. If the user faces any challenge operating the app or navigating through its menu, they will uninstall your app in a heartbeat. Below are some of the steps you can follow in creating a user-centric design for your mobile app –

  • Put yourself in user’s shoes

By this, I mean that you must think from the point of view of your target user. Do a little research about your key demographics and if possible even do a small survey to know what they expect from a mobile application. Then, implement that knowledge into your app design.

  • Test the app for glitches

When you download an app on your phone, the last thing you want is for that app to keep on crashing or cause your device to freeze up. Therefore, before the app is released, it must be tested extensively for all possible bugs. Remember that users are very fickle and if they have a negative experience with your app once, they will not give it a second chance.

  • Cater the right features

Due to the high competition in mobile applications, each year a new batch of applications of every category are released with their new and updated features. To remain relevant, make sure that you are adding latest features in your app that will give your app that added value in the eyes of the users. It will also make your app seem more cutting edge.

  • Timely updates

An important aspect of mobile applications is timely updates. Think about some of the favorite apps you use. They all come out with new updates and new versions at least twice in the year. You need to follow the same footsteps and ensure that you come up with an update at least once a year so that any bugs reported in the app are taken care of with the new updates and new engaging features are added.

Creating a user-centric application is great but you need to get the word out about your application. Online marketing is required to get your target users to know about the app and to get it downloaded onto their devices.  To make your app a success, one step is making it customer-centric and the other is making it popular.

Hiring a good mobile app development company can take care of both these requirements. Clap Creative offers mobile app development services that help you create the perfect application for your business that takes care of your customer’s needs. We create applications for Android, iPhone/iPad and using PhoneGap platform. To know more about services, contact us today.

Mobile Website vs. Mobile Apps – Which One Shines a Brighter Spotlight?

January 14th, 2016

Mobile marketing has really taken off big time. There is no denying the fact that the smartphone has become an inevitable part of our daily life. Brands cannot ignore them anymore when it comes to marketing and branding strategies.

Entrepreneurs or those owning an online business, know the importance of mobile devices. Otherwise, you would be losing much of your audience DAILY! If you want to be in the game, the shifting goal posts only makes things harder. To be at the cusp, you have to choose right. And there are just two choices – mobile app or mobile website. What’s it gonna be?

Black or White – Is Mobile Marketing Really that Simple!

When you wish to chart into the waters of mobile marketing, the question is what is best for your business – a mobile website or a mobile app, or both. At first glance, mobile websites and apps may appear similar to you, but there is difference. Whether you should go for a website or an app depends up on several factors including:

  • Target audience
  • Budget
  • Purpose to be solved
  • Type of features required

Let’s dig a little deeper to solve the conundrum.

What Differentiates a Mobile Website from an Application

Before jumping to any conclusion, you should know the actual difference between a mobile website and an app. The major difference between a mobile website and a standard website is that it is designed for smartphones and touch-screen interface. On the contrary, apps are downloaded and installed on the mobile device and doesn’t have to do anything with a browser.

How to make the Final Call

The final call should solely depend on your business goals. If you just want to reach out to a large chunk of audience and spread the word about your brand through your content, then a mobile-friendly website is the ideal solution. However, if you have developed a game, then you should go for an app. Creating an app is more beneficial, even if you don’t have a website in place considering the huge -on-the-go’ users out there.

In brief, if you want to accomplish a specific purpose, a web browser may no have ubiquitous response. Simply develop an app! Otherwise, for a mobile web presence, nothing beats a mobile-friendly website.

All In Favor of Mobile Website

If public communication and online marketing is your primary goal, then a mobile website makes a lot of sense.

  • Accessibility – Mobile websites are instantly available whereas apps need to be downloaded and installed.
  • Intuitive – Mobile websites are more dynamic and flexible than apps.
  • Sharing – It is easy to share the URLs of mobile website allowing your brand to connect to audience quickly.
  • Cost Savings – Mobile websites are time and cost-effective. Even ongoing development and upgrades are less expensive.
  • Reachability – Mobile websites can be easily found in search results, but apps are only found in the app stores.

All in Favor of an App

Despite of the benefits of mobile webs, the apps are still soaring in popularity. Why so? There are various specific scenarios where an app dominates a website hands-on. Developing an app makes sense when:

  • You are developing an interactive game. A website would not deliver similar success story.
  • You are providing some service that your audience will use on a regular basis through their mobile device.
  • You need something to manage your data the way you want. Data on device is more secure than other sources.
  • If you are providing a solution that can function without a network, an app is the right way to go.

Conclusion

Before you get into this ‘app vs web’ war, carefully understand your business’s goals. If your business goals are marketing-driven and you want a solid presence on the search engines, then a mobile website has to be the perfect choice. On the other hand, if you want to engage your users and require something similar to a computer program, an app is the right choice for you.

Alas, we didn’t actually solved the dilemma but gave you enough pathways to walk onto as per your requirements. Which path you take depends on what serves your purpose.

Should You Build PhoneGap or Native Applications?

February 11th, 2015

This is one question that troubles every IOS developer out there especially during the startup days. Typically, people would advise you to move native as soon as possible with no explanation. Core developers have a rigid mind-set where they totally shun PhoneGap and always choose the native route. But there are basis to this mindset and without its proper explanation, you should not move to either road.

So, here are a bunch of reasons that would help you decide whether you need to go for PhoneGap or native application.

Accelerated Development

What PhoneGap promises is speed. This is the foremost reason why people choose to make apps using PhoneGap. When development process is accelerated, a lot of other resources are saved. When you have sufficient experience with CSS, HTML and JavaScript, you can easily use PhoneGap to your advantage and quickly finish building apps. But the speed aspect definitely lacks the native feel.

Depending on the situation, speed may not always be the primary force driving the project. When it comes adding in-depth features, PhoneGap definitely lacks the punch. Its not always about getting an app out quickly. In case of native, the app is more consistent on multiple platforms and devices. To achieve, speed has to be made secondary. If you are in for performance, go native. For smaller projects or cookie-cutter approach, there’s no harm in choosing PhoneGap as your tool of choice.

Performance

This is hands down a native realm. When it comes to extracting performance out of your app, native has to be the perfect approach. Somehow, PhoneGap apps are a little sluggish and don’t meet the performance benchmarks of the native apps. For examples, buttons are more responsive in native environment. UI features are more prominent and at-home in native.

Most large corporations switch to native as soon as the PhoneGap glitches come pounding. The biggest examples is Facebook, which claimed their native app was twice as fast compared to the embedded HTML 5 version earlier. Sometimes, the experience is what matters and native apps deliver the bang for the buck.

Swift or Objective-C

The biggest reason why PhoneGap became popular is that people could skip the Objective-C and Swift learning part. Not all programmers are eager to learn new language. A combination of HTML, JavaScript and CSS can only be used by skilled developers in the right combination to brew something special. Although, learning these languages isn’t hard but who would use them if they can avoid them altogether.

Adding a native feel to an app means you have to know how best to use CSS, HTML and Jscript. And in this case, you can minimise the use of O-C and Swift.

Final Say

It all boils down to your business model and the client’s requirements. If you have the resources to go native, there’s no place like it. When you can program well in HTML 5, CSS, Objective-C and more, you will have great fun making awesome apps. But if you want to build a quick proptotype or working on a small-budget project, PhoneGap doesn’t harm. So, it’s more of a personal battle.