Perfecto Mobile, a company specializing in mobile app quality, published recent findings saying that for a particular mobile content to be able to achieve 80% market coverage, it has to be compatible on 26-32 types of devices. Compatibility with lesser number of devices, albeit most being in the league of major smartphone brands, sigficantly reduces the coverage with 10-16 devices only reaching 30% of the market and 17-25% of devices reaching only 50%.
These numbers said the company, are based on its Mobile Test Coverage Index which the company claims to be able to measure the degree of digital engagement across customers in various regions, and by various parameters such as the correct mix of devices, operating systems, hardware and screen sizes. To calculate the Index, the company has used a wide range of public, private and proprietary data, including more than 4,000 device profiles and over 360,000 Perfecto Mobile user profiles across Germany and UK, it added. The data provided via the Index helps customers answer the challenging question of which devices and operating systems need to be incorporated into testing strategies to meet and exceed market demands.
The Mobile Test Coverage showed that in the UK, despite Android accounting for 59% of the overall market, Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S are ranked first and second while Windows Phones took a share of 13%. In terms of brand fragmentation, in the UK, 2012 Samsung Galaxy models still rank in the top 16 devices in the country, proving that for more comprehensive testing, the different models within a brand must be included in any testing exercise. Similarly, while Android KitKat and Jelly Bean are widely adopted, the index recommends that the older Gingerbread OS be included in regression testing because it still has a 10% share in Europe. The findings also showed that Chinese device manufacturers OnePlus and Huawei are gaining market share in Europe, and with their compelling price points, they will be soon become a force to reckon with within the smartphone market, said Perfecto Mobile.
Roi Carmel, Senior Vice President of Products and Strategy, Perfecto Mobile
It is critical that chief digital officers and their teams align app testing and quality assurance strategies with real life customer experiences.Having industry benchmarks grounded in current data helps enterprises assure the quality of digital engagement. This absolutely depends on an app working flawlessly for users on the device, form factor and environment they use.While there's some consistency with the UK and U.S. markets, it's striking how the devices and operating systems to test on vary significantly between markets. The index helps mitigate the risks of developing apps and services for individual markets, and it will be interesting to see how these variations evolve with future releases of our report.
