Why Mobile App Crashes: Common Causes and Solutions in the BFSI Sector

There is an app for almost anything. Using applications is second nature, so it is no wonder that banks also use apps. However, banking apps require much more care when being developed.

Unstable banking apps have severe consequences:

• Customers can lose trust in the app if it crashes when a user attempts to make a purchase.
• Financial losses due to crashes during transactions can dampen brand reputation and cause users to abandon the app, especially with so many payment applications in the market.
• Crashes may also result in severe non-compliance with industry and government regulations.

The examples mentioned above are crash scenarios. Understanding the cause of these crashes and solving them will ensure your app retains a loyal customer base and attracts more.

Common Causes of Mobile App Crashes in BFSI Apps

1. Network Connectivity Issues: Poor network connections impact the app requests to the server, causing a ‘server taking too long to respond’ error. 
2. Memory Management Problems: Loading large images without optimizing, memory leaks, or poor release of unused resources can cause the OS to forcibly close the app to free up memory.
3. Device and OS Fragmentation: Apps must be tested for compatibility with various devices and OS versions. Applications cannot be designed with a one-size-fits-all approach, and incompatibility can cause crashes. 
4. Security Vulnerabilities: Breaches and flaws can trigger app malfunctions because security threats like malware injections or unauthorized access attempts can disrupt normal app operations.
5. Unhandled Exceptions: Lack of proper error handling causes unexpected shutdowns because when the app encounters an error it doesn't anticipate—such as null references, invalid user input, or failed database queries—it may not know how to respond, leading to a crash.

Read: A Guide on Automated Mobile App Performance Testing

Solutions to Prevent Mobile App Crashes

1. Robust Testing Procedures: Implement comprehensive testing across all devices and platforms, including smoke and sanity testing.

• Thorough testing uncovers bugs and issues that could lead to crashes before the app reaches users.
• Smoke testing verifies the app's basic functionality, ensuring critical features work correctly.
• Sanity testing focuses on specific components after changes have been made, confirming that recent updates haven't introduced new problems. 

2. Performance Optimization: Periodically optimize code and modernize the application with changes to the architecture, servers, databases, APIs, and network configurations. 

• When developers optimize code, it ensures the app handles data optimally.
• It reduces unnecessary computation and leads to smoother operation., reducing the likelihood of crashes. 
• Compress images, use vector graphics, and limit background processes to enhance performance.
• Conduct load, stress, and volume testing to evaluate how the application handles high-traffic 

3. Enhanced Security Measures: Strengthen security protocols and run regular security testing like vulnerability or penetration tests to prevent malicious activities that can cause app crashes.

• Enhancing security measures protects the app from external threats that disrupt app functionality. 
• Secure coding practices also prevent crashes caused by improper handling of sensitive data or authentication errors. 

4. Effective Error Handling: Develop strategies to handle unexpected scenarios, like when the network connection drops while a user initiates a fund transfer. If the app doesn't handle this interruption properly, it might crash.

• The app can manage unexpected inputs or situations by implementing robust error handling. This includes validating user input, handling null references, and anticipating potential failure points.
• Effective error handling improves the user experience by preventing crashes and providing meaningful feedback when something goes wrong.

5. Continuous Monitoring: Use performance monitoring tools, such as HeadSpin's Performance Monitoring and Alerts & Watchers, to detect and resolve issues promptly.

How this helps developers resolve crashes quickly? 

• Continuous monitoring allows developers to observe the app's performance in real-world conditions and detect issues that may not have surfaced during testing.
• Real-time analytics can highlight patterns leading to crashes, such as memory leaks or spikes in resource usage.

Also read - 11 Critical Security Measures for Mobile Banking App Testing

Best Practices for Ensuring App Stability

1. Adopt Agile Development Practices: Embrace modern development methodologies encouraging frequent iteration and early issue detection. Proper development leads to better apps with fewer crashes.
2. Track Performance KPIs: Monitor critical metrics such as Network I/O, CPU usage, and Memory Consumption during the development and testing phases. This helps in identifying performance bottlenecks.
3. Leverage AI-Driven Insights: Utilize AI to proactively identify patterns that may lead to crashes, allowing teams to address issues before they impact users. This creates a proactive approach to app stability.
4. Global Device Testing: Test apps on various real devices worldwide to ensure compatibility and stability across different hardware and software configurations. This helps uncover device-specific issues that might not be evident in a limited testing environment.

Conclusion

A stable and reliable mobile app is crucial for customer satisfaction and retention. Preventing app crashes will enhance your app's user experience and strengthen brand loyalty. 

For financial institutions, this means leveraging performance optimization strategies, handling errors effectively, and more. These dependencies are not always easy to meet. 

Using solutions like the one HeadSpin provides can help. HeadSpin provides access to over 130 KPIs related to app performance, networks, and devices. It helps improve root cause analysis through AI-powered analytics. This testing solution will help you improve app performance and reduce app crashes.

Discuss BFSI testing strategies with our experts.

FAQs

Q1. How do legacy systems contribute to the instability of BFSI mobile apps?

Ans: Legacy systems use outdated technologies, such as old database management systems or obsolete APIs, which often fail to integrate with modern platforms, causing crashes and vulnerabilities. Updating these systems and adopting modern practices improves app stability.

Q2. Why is testing under real-world network conditions important?

Ans: Users access BFSI apps in varied network environments. Simulating weak signals or high latency helps developers ensure the app remains stable under poor conditions, reducing crashes during critical tasks.

Q3. What is the role of third-party integrations in app crashes?

Ans: Third-party services like payment gateways or identity verification tools can cause crashes if they fail or are poorly integrated. Regular updates and monitoring of these services are essential for stability.