A short glossary containing the most common Android-related technical terms an app tester will ever need

· 2 min read
A short glossary containing the most common Android-related technical terms an app tester will ever need

Learning the basic terminology that is being used among developers is a must if your intentions are focused on becoming an expert in Android app testing. Without wasting your precious time at all, we will let you get on with our specially curated Android tester glossary with very brief and understandable explanations right away.

Activity - Activities are a crucial component of an Android app. Most of the time, a user's interaction with a given app does not always begin in the same place and instead, it starts in a certain menu, or an activity, we shall name it.
ADB - The Android Debug Bridge is a versatile command-line tool that lets your PC communicate with a real Android device. ADB commands are generally being used by developers for installing apps and easier debugging purposes, but do provide other functionalities as well.
Android SDK - A software development kit is a combination of software tools allowing the creation of applications for target operating systems and platforms. The Android SDK, better known as Android Studio, provides such comprehensive yet well-organized tools for building high-quality mobile apps, with added support for multiple popular programming languages (Java, Kotlin, etc.)
APK - Android Package files are used for easier distribution and installation of applications.
App release/version - A release defines what a selected installation package houses in terms of a feature-set and its exact iteration, no matter if available for public deployment, or for private testing only.
Changelog - A changelog is a log or a record of the most noteworthy changes made to a project in its every iteration, counting those that have been released and will be. Usually, the common notes included in changelogs are often describing major bug fixes and new feature releases.
Intent - An Intent is a glue between individual apps and their activities, allowing those to be launched and perform actions in conjunction with each other, including sharing data.
Logcat - Logcat is a tool that allows access to messages like errors from applications and services running on an Android device. Moreover, developers are heavily depending on it when squashing bugs.

As you are now familiar with each and every term in our list, you won't be surprised when you hear any of them.

Source: Android Developers - 1, 2, 3; Wikipedia - 1, 2, 3; Quora