With the increasing popularity of hybrid apps, many companies are beginning to wonder if this approach to building apps is best for them.
Hybrid apps combine the speed and ease of development with mobile web apps with features typically found in native apps, such as offline functionality, push notifications, and the ability to work with offline data sources such as geographic locations. To get the most profit from your hybrid app project, you must carefully consider how testing will take place within your unique environment.
What are hybrid apps?
Hybrid apps are built using programming languages like HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and native code (Objective-C or Java). However, hybrid apps can also be more difficult to test than native apps because they need to be tested on both the web platform and the native platform.
Advantages of hybrid apps
Fast Deployment Time
One advantage of hybrid apps is that they have a fast deployment time. This is because the code for hybrid apps is written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, all languages that are easy to acquire knowledge and use. Additionally, these languages are cross-platform so that they can be used on both iOS and Android devices.
Lower Startup Costs
Hybrid apps are not so great expensive to develop as native apps. This is because you only need to develop one codebase that can be used across multiple platforms. It means you don’t need to hire separate team developers for each platform, saving you a lot of money in the long run.
PWA (Progressive Web Application) Support
Hybrid apps can be converted into PWA. PWAs are web apps that are reliable, fast, and engaging, making them ideal for all sizes of businesses that want to provide a great user experience without needing a native app.
No limitations of the Apple App Store.
A first-time submission must be validated, and there is a waiting period for validation on the Apple App Store. It varies depending on the season and whether it is an update or a first submission.
Hybrid apps have a great advantage over native apps because their development time is less than native apps since the app can be built in one source code and deployed across all mobile platforms. If the modifications haven’t touched native code, the developers do not need to resubmit the new version.
Disadvantages of hybrid apps
- The performance provided by hybrid applications is slower in every aspect.
- Since a single code is shared across every platform, some aspects of native functionality are not available in a hybrid application. Users can’t expect the highest degree of reliability and quality.
- In contrast to native apps.
What will be the implications of your testing?
Automated Testing
Testing a hybrid application is possible similarly to a web app. An application script will be created for each test scenario, and initially, the testing phases appear to be simpler.
Complexity can arise when the application includes native software, usually the situation. Every test scenario will include multiple test scripts, each written in the native language to the platform where the tests will be run.
One has to deal with issues that could be present across platforms and keep the versions in sync.
Manual Testing
Manually testing a hybrid app is very different from the tests that need to be performed on native applications. Depending on the condition in which this writing is done, the effort, types of tests, and steps may need to be altered to address the graphical features completely.
A WebView increases risk to the app as it is necessary to check if the WebView integration is correct and ensure that the app is adapted to the device’s screen resolution.
The impact of the mobile environment can be just as detrimental as it is for web apps. So special heed needs to be given to this factor. Essentially, one must care for native-WebView interactions regarding session width and height. For example, to have a positive experience in WebView, a user must be able to log in to the native part of the app.
Hence, the main difficulty of manual testing is ensuring a person’s experience is good. Whether to use a native or hybrid app depends largely on technical issues and should be chosen based on organizational and company need. Furthermore, it should not impair the usability of the app in any way.
Hybrid app limitations
- The user interface is very limited. Hybrid apps don’t have the same feel as native apps. The user interface is inconsistent and does not appear to be consistent. Further probabilities are limited because WebView is unavailable and does not allow the device to use its full potential.
- Less responsive and slower transitions between pages. It takes too long to get to the next page. It can kill your interest in the app.
- Hybrid apps rely on the speed of your browser. Slower browser speeds will lead to slower performance, ultimately impacting user satisfaction.
- It is nearly impossible to utilize the potential of platforms with hybrid apps fully. Each platform, iOS, and Android have unique capabilities that developers may wish to utilize. It means that code and plugins tailored to each platform will be used to create a hybrid app. It makes app development more difficult.
How to choose the right app type?
There are three types of mobile apps – native, web, and hybrid. So, how do you know which app type is right for your project? Here are some things that you need to consider when making your decision:
- Native apps come up with the best user experience and often come with custom features that allow them to stand out from competitors. But they also require the most work upfront because they must be coded specifically for each platform they run on, resulting in long development times and high costs.
- Web-based apps are ideal if you want an app that can be accessed across multiple platforms without having to code different versions each time or if your users have limited connectivity.
- Hybrid app development combines the benefits of both worlds by providing a responsive design for optimal usability regardless of device type or connection speed.
Well, it depends on what type of app you choose!
- What kind of audience are you trying to reach?
- How will users interact with the application?
- Is it available in app stores?
- Is there a need to update it frequently
- How do we want the customer to feel when they use our product?
- Who are our resources for development?
Conclusion
A hybrid app is an application that combines the best of both worlds: the native app experience and the web app experience. There are advantages and disadvantages to developing a hybrid app. The biggest advantage is that your app can reach a wider audience. When it comes to app testing, there are some things you need to keep in mind:
- You need to test on both platforms.
- You need to consider how users interact with each platform.
- You need to be aware of the consequences of bugs on each platform.
You have completed your hybrid app development process and want to publish it but app testing is remaining. TestGrid is the best automation tool for testing your hybrid app. It’s a cloud-based platform that can be accessed from anywhere and on any device. It can be used to test apps with native code as well as those with web views.
