AppReviewX Log in

How to write a bug report as a tester

The five things every report needs and common mistakes.

updated ·2 min read

In this guide

A good bug report lets the developer see the problem without asking you anything. As a tester you write from what you saw, not from what the code does. Five things make a report usable.

The five things every report needs

  1. A short title. One line that says what is wrong and where. "Save button does nothing on the profile screen".
  2. Steps to reproduce. Numbered, starting from a known place. "Open the app, tap Profile, change the name, tap Save."
  3. What you expected. "The name updates and I return to the list."
  4. What happened instead. "Nothing. No message, the screen stays."
  5. Where you saw it. Phone model, system version, app version or build if you know it. A screenshot or screen recording if it helps.

Add how often it happens: every time, or only sometimes.

Annotated example

Example, not a real report.

Bad: "Profile broken. Please fix." - No place, no steps, no expectation. The developer has to guess and ask.

Good:

Save button does nothing on the profile screen 1. Open the app and log in. 2. Tap Profile, change the name, tap Save. Expected: name updates, back to the list. Actual: nothing happens, no message. Happens every time. Phone: [model], system [version]. Screenshot attached.

  • The title names the problem and the place.
  • The steps can be followed by a stranger.
  • Expected and actual are separate.
  • The device is stated.

Common mistakes

  • Several problems in one report. Write one report per problem.
  • Guessing the cause. "The database is broken" is a guess. Report what you saw.
  • Missing steps. If you skip the part that feels obvious, the developer may not reproduce it.
  • Vague words. "Slow", "weird", "broken" mean different things to different people. Say what happened.
  • Tone. Describe the problem, not the person. See tester etiquette.

Before you send

Re-read it as a stranger. Could you reproduce the problem from the text alone? If not, add the missing step.

On AppReviewX your feedback goes privately to the app's owner. 1 feedback written = 1 credit.

Next steps

Test an app and earn credits. A longer template is in the bug report template article.

Related: