Facebook Helps Developers Test Apps on Slow Data Networks

Ask any iPhone app development company, and they’ll tell you that network speed has a big impact on mobile software performance. Because apps can behave in unusual and unpredictable ways when they’re being used on slow networks, it’s vital for software developers to test their products and correct any underlying issues before they go to market. To that end, Facebook recently announced the open-source availability of an internally developed tool, which the company used to test its own apps on slow networks over an extended period of time.

Facebook staff originally used the tool to build an internal 2G network that could be used to make voice calls, send and receive data, and send text messages. Originally deployed in early 2013, the tool’s scope was gradually expanded into WiFi and simulated networks across the entire Facebook corporate campus. It was then used to carry out an intensive series of tests on the company’s line of messaging and downloading tools, allowing software designers and engineers to pinpoint and eliminate problems.

The tool is now available to app developers around the world, free of charge, on GitHub, and is circulating under the name “Augmented Traffic Control” or “Augmented Traffic Control Demo UI.” It allows users to specify a range of network performance criteria, then perform test runs to see how apps behave in specified conditions.

Because app performance plays such a strong role in the success or failure of an app once it reaches the market, Denver iPhone app developers and software professionals around the country should take advantage of the opportunities Augmented Traffic Control offers. Early identification and correction of potential performance problems could have a major impact on the way the apps you’re currently developing do once they hit the market.