Developing a mobile app without A/B testing is basically like navigating an ocean without a map. Guesswork will only bring shoddy results and performance issues.

Meanwhile, your competitors are leveraging data-driven insights to optimize their apps. This leaves you at risk of falling behind and losing valuable time, money, and users.

Mobile app A/B testing eliminates this guesswork. If you test your app’s variables, you can then tailor user experiences, improve engagement, and boost retention. Let’s explore why you must start putting your app to the test.

Mobile App A/B Testing: Key Statistics

Here are some noteworthy statistics that demonstrate the impact of A/B testing on today’s mobile landscape (and beyond):

• Nearly half (44%) of businesses use A/B testing software.
• Better UX design from A/B testing can boost conversion by 400%.
• 58% of companies use A/B testing for conversion rate optimization. 60% believe it’s “highly valuable.”
• 63% of companies don’t think it’s difficult to implement A/B testing.
• In 2024, the A/B testing software market is valued at $716.94 million and is projected to reach approx. $1.73 billion by 2031.

These figures show that A/B testing is highly valued for impacting user experience and conversion. Moreover, it’s becoming more in demand and accessible than ever.

What Is Mobile App A/B Testing?

Mobile app A/B testing involves testing multiple versions of an app-based variable. This could be a feature, content, or UX copy. A/B testing for mobile apps is typically server-side. It enables more sophisticated, detailed tests on user behavior, engagement, activity, and conversions.

The Benefits of Mobile App A/B Testing

There are many upsides to conducting A/B tests in your app. Through this process, you can:

• Optimize UI elements and features by identifying the best designs and layouts.
• Improve in-app experiences by testing search algorithms or CTA button placements.
• Boost metrics like monthly active users (MAU), retention rate, and conversion rates.
• Understand user behavior, motivations, and how the app is engaging them.
• Personalize user experiences based on better-understood user preferences.
• Make data-driven decisions instead of simply guessing.
• Test new ideas and features before large-scale updates.

For every benefit, there’s a feature you can A/B test to optimize your app’s performance.

Different Types of Mobile App A/B Testing

Virtually every aspect of an app can be A/B tested. Here are some features often tested on mobile (including apps that typically run each one).

Testing User Flows

Through user flows, users can navigate an app more simply. A/B testing helps to highlight the most straightforward paths to keep users engaged.

Gameplay flow

In mobile games, developers want users to progress through challenges, levels, and rewards. Finding a healthy balance between challenging and addictive gameplay improves these flows.

Developers can A/B test:

• Level difficulties to address common drop-off points.
• Different times to offer rewards for motivation.
• Various progression speeds to see which ones engage players for longer.
• Shorter/longer tutorials to gauge which one is most informative and engaging.

Onboarding flow

You need to get new users up to speed as smoothly as possible. For onboarding flows, you can A/B test:

• When to ask for app permissions
• Mandatory and optional tutorials
• The number of sign-up options 
• Guest login options.

Combining these steps can impact onboarding completion rates.

Apps with smooth onboarding flow: Slack, TikTok, and Duolingo.

Subscription flow

A/B testing subscription flows can heavily influence revenue. You want to make the signup, choice of plan, and payment processes all painless for users. Split testing lets you experiment with variables such as:

• How many steps it takes for users to subscribe
• How many plans users can choose from
• How much each plan costs
• When to include a subscription pop-up.

A/B testing shows developers the smoothest flow for users to make an easy decision.

Apps with smooth subscription flow: Spotify, Netflix.

Checkout Flow

Mobile devices notoriously have high cart abandonment rates (75.5%). So it’s imperative for apps to A/B test their checkout processes to remove potential friction. Consider testing:

• Mandatory and optional registration
• Where to place coupons
• Single-page checkouts or multi-page ones.

Apps with smooth checkout flow: Amazon, Etsy, Shopify.

Testing In-App Experiences

In-app experiences should make user journeys seamless and enjoyable. Three examples of in-app A/B tests include:

• Layout: Understand what’s aesthetically pleasing to make app navigation easier.
• Messaging: Convey the right message through prompt and pop-up A/B testing. For example, a gaming app could A/B test pop-ups for milestone-based rewards. Developers can better understand how their pop-ups are impacting user engagement.
• UI Copy: Whether through captions, CTAs, or descriptions, UI copy is a key part of hooking users. Testing this can help you understand what’s engaging users.

Test Push Notifications

Push notifications can effectively re-engage churned users. However, they can have the opposite effect if overused or poorly designed. Key variables to test include:

• The frequency of sent push notifications.
• Which times to send them out.
• Sending out the same push notifications or personalizing them.
• Editing copy to maximize the CTA’s impact.

Example: Food delivery app Uber Eats tests which notification generates the highest click-through rate (CTR).

Testing features and functionalities

This experimentation allows apps to validate ideas, eliminate bugs, and segment users. Functionalities like paywall access and recommendations can be A/B tested pre-implementation.

5 Best Practices for Mobile App A/B Testing

Through mobile game-based examples, we’ve shortlisted five key practices for A/B testing in mobile apps.

1 – Start With a Hypothesis

Firstly, what do you want to learn about your app that contributes towards business goals? Write a hypothesis to predict what you expect from the A/B test. Reviewing your current data will inform your approach, and which variables to test.

Example: “Based on the analysis of user behavior, we expect a daily login reward system to increase user retention by 15% over a week.”

2 – Test One Variable Per Test

Testing different variables can make your findings pretty muddy. By testing one variable at a time, you can focus on one single root cause of user behavior. 

Example: Test two placements of a purchase button to determine the higher click-through rate. Version A goes in the bottom center. Then Version B is placed at the top-right-hand corner. 

3 – Segment A/B Test Results

Segmenting A/B tests reveals how different users react to different app changes. It also makes app optimization more accurate, helping you tailor features for different user needs. 

Example: Segment players when testing the impact of daily rewards. Test A’s for casual players (1-2 daily logins) and Test B’s for hardcore players (5+ daily logins). This makes reward systems more personalized.

4 – Test Iteratively and Frequently

Running an A/B test once is not going to yield any meaningful, accurate results. Each test is potentially going to provide different insights. Previous tests impact how you conduct future ones, making them vital assets for optimization efforts. 

Test different features, flows, and functionalities repetitively. These findings will teach you much more about how users interact with your app.

Example: Iteratively test level difficulties. In the first test, adjust the difficulty for two different player segments (A: Difficult B: Easy). In the follow-up test, introduce more dynamic difficulties for players, to optimize engagement.

5 – Document and Review A/B Test Results

It’s essential to keep track of all A/B test findings. By documenting these results, you can keep your optimization efforts organized. This makes it easier to inform future decisions.

By reviewing those findings, you can recalibrate your product roadmap. Then, you can prioritize new features and optimizations more accurately.

Choosing the Right Tool for Mobile App A/B Testing

We have picked five of the best A/B testing solutions for mobile apps. Each one has unique features and special purposes.

A/B Testing Tool	Key Features	Best For
AB Tasty	– Feature experimentation  – Advanced segmentation – Personalization	Boosting user experience
Adobe Target	– A/B and multivariate testing – AI-driven automation – Omnichannel personalization	Automated user personalization
Apptimize	– Cross-platform optimization – User segmentation – A/B testing – Feature flags	Cross-platform testing/optimization
Firebase A/B Testing	– User group segmentation  – Remote config to adjust app behavior/appearance – Wording/messaging optimization	Feature release management
VWO	– Behavior analytics – Mobile split and multivariate testing  – Advanced targeting	Increasing conversions and understanding user engagement

It’s Time for Plan B (and A) 

The results are in! Without mobile app A/B testing, you miss a golden opportunity to fully understand how users are interacting with your app. This data-driven approach is a surefire way to eliminate guesswork and address user frustration. 

It’s not just about improving your app. It’s about creating personalized experiences for each user, which will undoubtedly lead to long-term success.