We all know that a mobile application is a special type of software, aimed to be used inside mobile software.

There are numerous mobile applications and all of them are aimed at different purposes.

They can be installed either by using special online platforms or other methods.

Installing mobile software from app stores

Installation on Android

To install an application on Android OS in order to perform mobile beta testing, you need:

1. Open the Google Play application on a mobile device or use the website in a web browser;
2. Find the software you need. You can search it either by typing a complete name or keywords;
3. Select an appropriate application from a suggested list;
4. Click on the “Install” button, or if it’s a paid application — add banking data to pay for the web product.

Installation on iOS

1. Open the app store on a mobile device;
2. Find a necessary application;
3. Click on the “Get” button (if this button is blue — the application is free);
4. Confirm the installation by clicking on a special button;
5. Enter your Apple ID or use the Face ID function to verify the installation process.

When you should install software, not using app stores

You may need to install mobile software not through the app store due to several reasons.

First, not all applications are available for installation in a certain country.

Second, not all Android phones support the Google Play functionality.

Thanks to the openness of an Android system, users can install applications not only from official stores.

To use this function, a user should check “Install unknown apps” inside the “Privacy” menu in the device settings.

As for Apple, it’s not so easy and you can’t do without verification in App Store in order to install an application for testing and so on.

Installing applications to perform beta testing

Beta testing is a good possibility to clearly check the software’s functioning on its final stage of verification before release.

There are numerous services to do such tasks.

Further, we’ll analyze the most popular ones in a form of the following comparative table.

Name	Advantages	Disadvantages	Installation process
TestFlight	Free, easy, and clear file editing	Works only on iOS	You need to complete a small registration form to work with software
Hockey	Detailed reports	Paid, doesn’t have test cases	Pay the rate or try a 30-day test period
Crashlitics	Free	No possibility to record error logs and keep a log of version updates	Registration via Twitter; you need to receive an invitation from developers
Ubertesters	Free; there is a possibility to make screenshots	Its graphical interface is very complex	You need to complete a registration form correctly to start working with it

Conclusion

So we can conclude that each day users install and delete mobile software. Especially if you are a QA engineer and your duties include constant testing of mobile software for its correct functioning.