Well, testing mobile games for iOS and Android follows similar practices and principles. However, there are several differences due to the varying characteristics of these operating systems. Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into the key differences between iOS and Android mobile game testing. 

1. Device Fragmentation 

iOS is a proprietary software solely owned by Apple. This means Apple is the only producer of all iOS devices. Therefore, it has a more regulated ecosystem with limited device models and screen sizes. This minimizes the fragmentation of devices, making it easier to test your game on iOS devices.  

On the other hand, Android is an open-source software designed by Google. This means developers can create modified versions of Android. In fact, every aspect of the Android operating system can be customized to suit the developer’s specific needs.  

With this freedom, Android developers create devices with varying screen sizes, hardware capabilities, OS versions, and resolutions. This fragmentation makes Android mobile game testing more challenging, as developers must ensure their game runs smoothly across multiple device configurations. 

2. Marketplace Guidelines and Policies 

Apple has strict review guidelines for submitting a gaming application in the App Store. Therefore, you must comprehensively test your iOS gaming app to ensure it meets the required guidelines. In fact, these strict guidelines can impact the testing process, as you may need to adjust your game to meet Apple’s requirements.  

On the contrary, Google has relatively lenient restrictions when it comes to publishing your game on Google Play Store. However, you must comply with specific guidelines for game submission, including content restrictions and security requirements. This will ensure your game remains available on the Play Store unless someone reports it.  

3. Application Permissions 

As initially stated, iOS is proprietary. This implies that it has a more rigid permission system, and users have less granular control over permissions. Testing should ensure that your game adheres to Apple’s privacy guidelines. Otherwise, the game will not be published on the App Store.  

On the other hand, Android gives users more control over application permissions. Users can grant or deny individual permissions on a per-app basis. Therefore, testing should include verifying that your game requests and handles permissions correctly. This will prevent you from granting permission to sensitive aspects of your game.  

4. Application Distribution 

iOS game QA is more restrictive. To distribute your game for testing on iOS devices, you often use Apple’s TestFlight services. Alternatively, you must be a member of the Apple Developer program. This involves a strict review process and may limit the number of testers.  

On the contrary, distributing games for testing on Android devices is straightforward. In fact, you can install apps from multiple sources, such as third-party application stores and direct APK installation.  

5. Development Tools 

Testing iOS games requires Xcode, Apple’s official development environment. Although Xcode is a robust development environment, it is macOS-exclusive and primarily designed for Objective-C and Swift development. Therefore, iOS game testers must be well-versed with Swift and Objective-C to thoroughly test their game.  

On the other hand, Android game testing is usually done using the Android Studio integrated development environment (IDE). This development environment provides a range of testing and debugging tools. What’s more, it supports multiple programming languages.  

6. Performance Optimization  

iOS devices often have consistent hardware specifications within each device generation. This makes it relatively easier to optimize performance for a specific set of devices. For instance, if you’re designing a game for iPhone 14, all features and hardware specifications are constant. Therefore, you can easily optimize your game performance across devices of similar models and generations. 

On the other hand, Android devices vary from one manufacturer to another. For instance, an Oppo mobile phone has varying hardware specifications from a Samsung phone. These differences may include GPU performance, RAM, and CPU power, to mention a few. Therefore, testing on a wide range of devices is crucial to ensure your game runs smoothly on high-end and low-end Android devices. Optimizing performance during Android game testing can be challenging due to this variability.  

How to Test Your iOS and Android Mobile Game  

While testing your iOS and Android mobile game can be challenging and time-consuming, it’s crucial to your game’s success. Here are some best practices and steps to consider when testing your game on both platforms: 

• Define test objectives and scope. Determine which aspects of your game to be tested, including compatibility, performance, game mechanics, and graphics. Also, create test cases and plans highlighting specific features, functionalities, and scenarios to be tested.  

• Obtain testing devices. Acquire a range of devices (for Android) with varying hardware specs, resolutions, and screen sizes. For iOS, you’ll need to use various iPad and iPhone models.  

• Install testing tools. For iOS, you’ll need Xcode on a Mac for development and testing. When testing games on Android, use Android Studio with the Android Emulator and various physical devices.  

• Run all relevant game tests. Execute your tests as outlined in your objectives to ensure your game is free of bugs and glitches, among other issues that may affect the gaming experience. Here are some tests to consider: 

• Security and privacy testing 
• Network and multiplayer testing  
• Performance testing 
• Regression testing 
• Functional testing  
• Compatibility testing 
• Localization testing 
• User acceptance testing (UAT). 

• Submit the game to the application store. Once the game has passed all tests, publish it to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 

• Post-launch monitoring. Continuous monitoring after launching your game is crucial to patch vulnerabilities and improve its performance based on user feedback.  

Final Thoughts 

Mobile game QA on iOS and Android involves similar core principles. However, the differences in device fragmentation, distribution methods, development tools, app permissions, and marketplace policies make it essential to adapt your testing strategy to the specific platform. Both platforms have challenges, but understanding these differences can help ensure a smoother testing process for your mobile game. Consider the steps provided to help you test and launch your app effectively on both platforms.  

Planning to deliver engaging and highly immersive games to players worldwide? iXie’s would be the right choice with massive experience in the gaming industry over the past decade.

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Remember, we live in an interconnected world where your video game can go viral overnight, attracting significant traffic. This means you must design your game to handle an increased workload without affecting functionality. And that’s where video game testing tools come into play. Join us as we review some popular video game testing tools to level up your game QA or quality assurance.  

1. Unity Test Tools  

Unity is one of the most used game engines globally, with about 70% of developers using it for mobile game development. This platform offers a set of robust testing tools to help you you’re your video games.  

One of the test tools offered by Unity is the Unity Test Runner, which promotes the creation and execution of tests. This tool helps in ensuring the functionality and stability of video game elements. Also, it supports integration with several testing frameworks and offers an avenue for automated testing, strengthening game QA efforts.  

Unity Test Tools streamline the process of detecting and rectifying glitches and bugs. This enhances the overall gaming experience by facilitating seamless gameplay and minimizing post-release issues.  

2. TestComplete 

TestComplete is a comprehensive automated testing tool that supports numerous types of applications, including video games. It supports different types of testing, such as:  

• Load testing, 
• Regression testing, and 
• Functional testing. 

This feature set enables you to thoroughly test your video game, ensuring it works as expected and is free from errors. TestComplete’s scripting capabilities enhance customization, allowing you to tailor your tests to meet specific needs.  

Additionally, this game testing tool helps game developers systematically evaluate gameplay elements for inconsistencies and bugs. But why do many testers prefer TestComplete for video game testing?  

Well, it automates repetitive testing processes. In doing so, TestComplete expedites bug detection, allowing developers to allocate more resources and time to refining gameplay mechanics. Also, it enables you to simulate user interactions and test across different environments, ensuring seamless gaming experiences.  

3. Xcode Instruments 

If you’re building video games for iOS, Xcode Instruments can be an ideal testing tool to level up your game QA. This game-testing tool offers useful tools for inspecting and improving your video game. It is a flexible and powerful performance analysis and testing solution.  

Xcode instruments offer numerous testing capabilities, enabling you to level up your game QA efforts. Here are some ways you can use Xcode instruments for video game testing: 

• To discover memory problems. 
• To track down issues in your source code.  
• To analyze the performance of your video game and identify areas of improvement.  

4. BugSplat 

BugSplat is a robust tool that enables you to quickly detect defects when testing video games. It is a crucial crash-tracking and reporting tool that supports meticulous crash and exception analysis. These capabilities help you pinpoint problems that disrupt gameplay stability.  

As a result, you can assess and assign newly found defects from actual crashes experienced by game players in minutes. This enables you to fix the most crucial issues by the end of the day, minimizing your video game’s downtime.  

BugSplat provides actionable insights into the root causes of crashes, facilitating efficient bug fixes. In doing so, BugSplat elevates your overall video game quality, enhancing player satisfaction.  

5. GameBench 

GameBench is one of the leading tools for performance data collection, analysis, and optimization for video games and other applications. It is tailored for mobile games and provides a comprehensive solution to assess the stability and efficiency of games across different devices.  

GameBench measures critical video game metrics, including memory consumption, battery usage, and frame rates, helping you detect performance issues that may hinder gameplay experience.  

This tool empowers you to optimize your video games for a wide range of mobile devices, ensuring high-quality and consistent performance across various mobile platforms. Its ability to unearth potential issues early in game development helps ensure a seamless gaming experience.  

6. Hatchet 

Hatchet is a cloud-based testing solution that allows you to perform testing on various devices. It offers automated testing and helps developers detect compatibility issues across different hardware configurations. As a result, developers can identify and rectify glitches and bugs in the early development stages, improving the overall video game performance and quality.   

7. Appium 

Appium is an exceptional framework whose use cases cut across different development aspects. For instance, many of today’s popular video games are tested using Appium. It is an easy-to-use game-testing tool that supports graphics-based content, including video games.  

Appium’s cross-platform compatibility enables you to test your video game on Android and iOS devices using one script. This ensures faster and more efficient game testing.  

8. Valgrind 

Valgrind is a useful video game testing tool that can level up your game quality assurance efforts. If you’ve primarily built your video game using C or C++, Valgrind can be an invaluable testing tool. It facilitates profiling and debugging in C and C++ applications. Developers use this tool to detect memory leaks and other low-level issues in their video games.  

9. PlaytestCloud 

PlaytestCloud enables you to playtest any video game on any platform, including iOS and Android. This tool focuses on gathering user feedback and playtesting. It allows you to remotely test your video game using actual players and collect insights on gameplay, bugs, and user experience.  

Final Thoughts  

Video game testing is crucial in ensuring a seamless gameplay experience and quality. These game-testing tools can help you level up your game QA. However, choosing your preferred tools should be based on the specific need, development environment, and target platforms. Also, assessing the capabilities and features of each tool can help you select the testing solution that best fits your video game QA requirements.  

The post 9 Popular Video Game Testing Tools in the Market to Level Up Your Game QA  appeared first on iXie Gaming.