Allion Labs

As smart cars are increasing in market share in recent years, more car manufacturers are creating apps for drivers to provide a connected driving experience. Thanks to this development, we can connect our Android or iOS mobile phones to our cars, providing a more comprehensive set of functions to enhance the overall driving experience. Common app functions include the remote control of vehicles, vehicle positioning, maintenance record queries, and many more. This shows that a car has shifted from being just a means of transportation to being a person-centered mobile system.

The car manufacturer must cooperate intensively with service providers to ensure smooth operation between the app and vehicle. In multi-party collaborations, Allion has seen issues arise during cooperation between car brands, app developers, and cloud developers, who must all collaborate efficiently to create a high-quality app in a short, intensive app release cycle. This is why Allion, a high-quality third-party test center, will help the process immensely.

The most common problems with car apps

App compatibility and connectivity issues

• Latency, inability to connect, or malfunction under different user accounts
• Pairing failure on different mobile devices or software updates
• Varying communication performance with the cloud under different connection environments

App interactivity, functionality, and performance issues

• Installation, update, app start, account management, or security issues
• Inability to operate remotely or functionality issues
• Data either out of sync with the vehicle or incorrect; UI display issues
• Screen latency, application freezing
• An exception occurs after a phone state change (resume from sleep, etc.)

Test Plan Consultancy Services

As a response to the constantly updating automotive app development process, Allion will discuss with customers different types of test programs based on the situation at hand and project needs. A fundamental aspect of this process is reliability.

We have encountered problems as follows:

App fails to install, update, or start

• Unable to log in due to abnormal OTP code for account login (NG)

Incorrect app information 

• The Year of Manufacturing is displayed as “null” (NG)

For questions like this, we will arrange a small-scale simple test called the Smoke Test. Before each version of the app is released ensure that there are no basic functionality problems. These include the account login problem or the display problem of app vehicle-related information, which can be released in each version.

Functionality issues or UI display issues

• When users chose the “service” option, “no result” shows on Point of Interest (POI) page (NG)
• In the account authentication process, the specifications state the verification code should be limited to being resent a maximum 3 times, yet in reality can exceed 3 times (NG)

In this case, the user needs to confirm the POI nearby during navigation and search. However, if the “service” option is clicked, the POI shows “no result”. When undergoing the app authentication process, the verification code is limited by specification to be resent a maximum of 3 times, yet the app itself does not conform to these specifications. These problems are not major functionality problems and might not even be observed by users, but they will still cause users and car owners to complain.

For problems like this, we will arrange the Sanity Test, which is a functionality test covering a certain range of conditions. It is designed to ensure that the functional operation or the app UI is displayed normally.

Data is not synchronized with the current status of the vehicle

• Trip Start Location is different from the actual start location
• Check for trip details from App, but it is not the same as the actual trip of the vehicle

Problems like this can only be discovered by actually driving on the road. We will regularly arrange road tests according to the situation to ensure that normal function operation and real-time data synchronization can be achieved under actual user conditions.

 

Debug consulting

During the process of development, in addition to the function import, the main appeal of updating an app is to deal with bugs and come up with updated solutions for the new version.  Allion will evaluate the processing status of the project and the needs put forward by customers in accordance with the problems of the app. We will then formulate strategies to verify the processing of these problems. Examples are given as follows:

Bug verification before official release

Before the app’s latest update, Allion first assists the customer in verifying the solution in eliminating bugs that are expected to be imported. This is done as a way of ensuring that after the new version of the app is released there will be no problems with the original bug, which would cause the need to re-release their app. This generates additional resource consumption.

Bug verification during regular testing

Many problems are routinely found during routine app testing. Allion can conduct problem verification according to the project division and customer needs as a way of ensuring several key points: reproducibility of the problem, clarification of steps, verification, fail condition investigation, and other related verifications. These verifications can help save customers’ time, seeing as it is important to quickly find the key problems that need to be addressed within the app development process. Especially when apps are being constantly updated, causing every minute to count.

In addition, we also have the ability of flexible discussion and real-time processing; through intensive and real-time communication and discussion, before and after each app update, with the above-mentioned key test plan consulting and debug consulting capabilities, in assisting customers in filtering many hard questions.

The number of bugs to be solved (only late-stage design changes and new problems) has successfully assisted customers in quickly entering the final stage of their initial project.

Take the next step

In the past, Allion has cooperated with other car app developers, involving unsolved bugs and unhappy users. We helped reduce the percentage of bugs from a surprising 30-40% to only sporadic occurrences.

If you have mobile app testing needs, please contact us directly through email or by contact form. We can assist you in designing a test project that meets your current product needs. We can also assist in the design of an automated car app test project to help your brand solve urgent project needs and long-term, large-scale costs overhead.