What is alpha testing?

"Alpha" comes from the first letter of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing the initial and most important phase—the first complete test of an app. This stage is also associated with early development, meaning the product may still be incomplete or buggy. An app in alpha testing is not yet ready for public use, as it requires significant feedback and fixes before its wider release.

During alpha testing, developers focus on several key areas:

• Core functionality: Verifying that the app performs its intended functions.
• Stability: Ensuring the app doesn't crash or cause performance issues.
• User experience: Testing ease of use, interface clarity, and navigation.
• Compatibility: Checking cross-device and cross-operating system compatibility.
• Security: Examining data storage, user authentication, and privacy concerns.

Providing a high-quality app that is as bug-free as possible is essential. Alpha testing is an important step to fix problems before releasing the app to a wider audience for beta testing. By testing in-house and fixing as many flaws as possible before the public sees the app, alpha testing acts as a safety net. It helps protect the brand’s reputation and reduces the risk of crashes, poor user experience, and early uninstalls, all of which can severely impact a product's success post-launch.

Alpha and beta testing are both controlled testing strategies. The distinction between the two lies primarily in who conducts the tests. Alpha testing is an in-house process, often on emulated devices, while beta testing is conducted by external users in real-world conditions.

Additionally, alpha testing is almost always conducted before an app is available on app stores. Beta testing is also usually conducted before an app is officially available on app stores, but may involve a limited release through methods like invitation-only access or pre-release programs (such as TestFlight for iOS).

• White box testers: Developers or engineers who understand the app's code and test its core functionality with full visibility into the system.
• Black box testers: Non-technical staff who assess the app from a user's perspective without knowing its inner workings, offering valuable insights into user experience and usability.
• Pre-release testing: Testing conducted in later stages of development, before the app is available to the public.
• Closed environment testing: Testing conducted in a controlled environment that simulates various conditions but prevents real-world interference.
• Feature validation: Testing to ensure a particular feature is meeting the needs of its intended functionality.
• Functional testing: Checking if the app operates according to its core objectives.

The alpha testing stage is an ideal time to start building your tech stack, and one key component to consider early on is a mobile measurement partner (MMP). Establishing your tech infrastructure during this phase helps ensure smoother scaling post-launch, and having an MMP in place brings immediate benefits.

By integrating an MMP like Adjust, you can start off strong with unbiased measurement of your pre-launch campaigns—whether you're focused on building awareness, generating leads, or securing crowdfunding. This is important because biased attribution occurs when platforms or networks present their ads’ results in an overly positive light, crediting themselves for conversions that, when assessed more accurately, may have come from another source.

This can lead to misleading data and wasted budgets, as biased reporting obscures the real performance of your campaigns. An independent MMP ensures a clear, impartial view of which channels and campaigns are truly driving results. Request a demo to see how Adjust’s attribution can help your app during (and following) alpha testing.