App-developing companies worldwide are trying to speed up their production processes to keep up with the growing demand for apps everywhere. Statista states that around 62,000 mobile apps were released through the Google Play Store by November 2023. However, with the wide range of apps available today, users are not easily satisfied and anticipate top-notch functionality and user experience from every app they install. Any app that is less than their expected standards is rejected outright.
This has made organizations realize that the apps they release have to perform consistently across every browser, device or operating system if they are to be accepted by their users. With so many devices available these days, it becomes challenging for testers to verify their apps across all of them. Thankfully, with the availability of device farms, testers and developers are able to address this huge challenge. Device farms make it easy for remote teams to access any number of devices or platforms and execute tests based on real-life conditions for comprehensive testing.
This blog highlights how device farms have changed the face of software testing and examines the different ways they are benefitting organizations all over the world.
Demystifying Device Farms
Device farms are a cost-effective and scalable solution for testing applications, providing seamless access to all the devices you need for testing while doing away with the need to purchase or maintain physical devices. They facilitate better collaboration among testing teams, developers, and stakeholders, making the process more effective.
The devices in these farms are maintained by experts who ensure that they are regularly updated with the latest software, contain the operating system version needed for testing, and are easily accessible to subscribed users. Device farms can be cloud-based, on-premise, or hybrid models. Among these three, device clouds are the most popular since they offer unique advantages to users, like better customization, scalability, and remote accessibility.
How Device Farms Add Value To Software Testing
Device farms offer multiple advantages to testing teams, making them a popular choice for organizations worldwide. Let us examine them in detail:
- Efficient device management
Device farms host a large number of mobile devices and provide access to different types of devices, configurations, and operating system versions. Since these farms take care of the setup, configuration, and maintenance of the devices, testers and developers can focus solely on testing. They eliminate the need for developers to procure and maintain a huge inventory of devices.
- Parallel testing
With a device farm, you no longer have to wait for the availability of the physical devices needed to test your applications. Testers can, together, access all the ready devices available in the cloud and perform testing efficiently and uninterruptedly. The absence of wait time helps accelerate the testing process, saving the testers’ time.
- Security and privacy
Device farms have excellent security features that offer safety and privacy for the applications and the date under test. They assure you of secure data transfer, data storage, and isolation., eliminating the fear of leakage of sensitive information.
- Better collaboration among teams
They facilitate improved coordination among testers, developers, and other stakeholders who work together, allowing them to share results and provide feedback about issues. Thus, device farms keep everyone in the loop about the progress of the testing process, enabling timely action and quick resolution of issues.
- Easy integration with management and bug-tracking tools
Another significant benefit of device farms is that they let you integrate with your existing CI tools, facilitating continuous testing through automation processes. It helps streamline the development process, ensuring that code modifications are thoroughly and promptly tested across a wide range of devices.
- Quick resolution of bugs
The device farms let you identify and resolve issues and bugs quickly after identification, preventing them from turning into bigger problems and helping you avoid huge expenses later on.
- Insightful reporting
You derive detailed reports about the applications being tested, along with screenshots, details about device logs, and test results. These insights help you understand the root cause of the issues found and avoid their recurrence the next time.
- Faster time to market
With easy and ready accessibility to legacy and modern devices and all browser versions and operating systems, the testing process runs smoothly without interruptions. Consequently, the overall duration of the testing is reduced significantly, leading to faster development of the final software product and quicker delivery to end users.
- Improved end products
Device farms enable testers to evaluate the applications across the latest devices and OS/browser combinations that users actually use. Besides, they can also verify the apps across different real user conditions, like network speed, lighting conditions, and other factors. This helps them ensure that the apps released are high-quality and will perform consistently under all real-world conditions and on all devices and platforms.
Selecting The Right Device Farm For Your Testing Needs
Now that you know what you will gain by leveraging device farms for your testing project, let us explore the options available for you to choose from.
Based on your budget, unique testing requirements, and preferences, you can opt for either of three types of device farms:
- Cloud-based device farms
Hosted by third-party providers, real-device cloud farms are easily the most popular, especially among organizations. They are ideal for firms that need to cost-effectively test their applications across a great number of devices and platforms without having to physically install hardware.
Benefits:
- Flexible and scalable, letting you add or remove devices whenever you need them.
- Begin testing quickly without investing heavy capital or physical hardware installations.
- No maintenance or update worries as the provider takes care of them.
- On-premise device farms
As the name suggests, they necessitate the physical installation of hardware on your premises. The number of devices installed is lower compared to cloud-based farms. These farms are a good option for businesses that need to test on specific devices or OSes.
Benefits:
- Offer greater control over the test environment.
- Can be tailored to meet your specific testing needs.
- No costs are incurred for cloud access.
- Hybrid device farms
They blend the characteristics of both cloud and on-premise farms and comprise both a cloud-based platform and on-premise devices. They are apt for organizations requiring a flexible and scalable solution for their testing needs.
Benefits:
- Provide greater flexibility compared to on-premise solutions.
- Lets you scale your testing up or down better than on-premise farms based on your changing requirements.
Conclusion
The advent of device farms in software testing has transformed the way the testing process is run, making it more efficient and comprehensive. Device farms have contributed significantly to the release of perfect, high-quality software products with impeccable features and awesome user experiences.
With a highly secure, scalable, and cost-efficient device farm, like that provided by TestGrid, you can elevate your testing to heights you may have considered unattainable. The platform offers you the flexibility to pick from three device farm options: real cloud devices, private dedicated cloud, and on-premise installation.
Combined with TestGrid’s AI-powered, scriptless testing capabilities, you are assured of significant cost reductions, greater testing efficiency, and improved testing speed.
TestGrid provides you with the confidence to release superior-quality applications on time that will satisfy user expectations and maintain a strong foothold in the software market.