Abstract: As the mobile applications and mobile consumers are rising swiftly, it is concern to researchers and testing professionals to devise viable testing techniques to guarantee unwavering quality of these mobile applications. A proper mobile quality charter would serve developers as a parameter for mobile quality confirmation. Due to smaller development life cycle of mobile applications, the developed apps tend to be faulty as little effort is put in ensuring quality of the app. Thus rigorous testing is required for ensuring its quality and that too in little time. Traditional life cycle models which are used for developing desktop/laptop application, same models are adjusted to work on mobile application development. But because of certain characteristics of mobile applications which are diverse from traditional applications, same models cannot be assimilated for mobile application development. For testing also which is a considered as a phase in mobile application development need to be addressed separately. There is various mobile application testing techniques used such as manual and automated techniques. But much importance is given to automated approach due to its various advantages. This paper discusses the characteristics specific to mobile apps along with comparison of manual and automated testing and comparison of various automated testing techniques precisely used for mobile applications.

Keywords: Software engineering, testing, Mobile applications, testing techniques, automated testing.