I'm developing an application which uses in app purchases with version 3.
And I have added the app as alpha release and published the app on store.
So what I want's to know is after the app is published if I modify some code to test do i have to upload and republish the app to check for results.
Thanks
No you need not republish app unless you want to distribute it to your testers using alpha testing link. You can directly install the apk with modified code on your device to test. Just ensure that the version code and name remains the same as the one installed on the alpha tab.
Related
I currently use the inner sharing of the play console to release new versions to testers. (They have exactly the same package name and signing key.)
However, the testers responded that they could not upgrade from the official version to the test version, so the app update process could not be tested.
If I install the app first and open the inner sharing link, the play store displays
"A public version of this app is already installed on this device. Uninstall it and try again"
Is there a way to upgrade directly from the official version to the test version in the play store like installing an apk? (not uninstall app)
For example, the internal test of the play console may be possible?
Thanks for your help.
If you're using internal app sharing https://play.google.com/console/u/0/internal-app-sharing/ to share your app, then it won't work. Internal app sharing is used to quickly share an app with your internal team and testers, it doesn't undergo google play review process.
So you can't update your public version using this.
You can however, use different play console tracks for uploading your apps and they will support updates. Here https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9845334?hl=en is the link for setting up open closed or internal track. When you upload your app to any of these tracks, they'll go through the google review process and once the app is available on playstore, testers can easily update it.
In case you don't want to wait for review, and want to use internal-app-sharing only, then, you can create 2 different versions of your app(different version numbers) and upload both of them to internal-app-sharing. You can then share the 2 links to your testers, and your testers should first install the lower version app and then open up the link of higher version number apk. It'll show the update button.
Edited(Thanks to #pierre): Although it looks like you're uploading artifacts signed with the same key, the Play Console actually re-signs the artifacts in the internal-app-sharing to avoid distributing an app signed with the production key that hasn't gone through their review process.
We recently decided to update our new application for Beta release on google play,
Now after reading the guide, there were some questions that I had in my mind and wanted to know more about them, I googled for further understanding found some answers but there are still somethings that I wasn't sure about so decided to put this question up:
For Beta releases is it possible to make a beta release that is available to all the google play users(as a normal production app) or will it be available to all?
(Since as per this guide it gives me an idea that the application will only be available to a set amount of users.)
Make sure users can join the tests. Your testers will need to have a Google account (#gmail.com) or a G Suite account to join a test.
Run tests internally. Use the internal testing track to push your app to up to 100 internal testers in seconds.
Once I release a beta application and I decide to now put it for production, will it be uploaded as a different application or the same also will the comments that were posted to the beta release google play app be visible on my production app?
(Didn't quite get anything in relation to this one.)
In one of the points, it said that my application should have a higher version code in the beta release then that of the production release, But if I have a higher version in that release would it not be the application that will be getting downloaded even when it might not be the most stable version? (this one actually confused me big time)
Check your Android App Bundle version number. For an app on the internal, closed, or open testing tracks to be available to testers, it must have a higher version code than your production version.
Is there a designated field where I can provide this email for the beta testers or can I just provide it in the description of the application?
Provide a channel for testers to send you feedback. For closed tests, offer testers the ability to provide feedback by email, at a website, in a message forum, or through another suitable mechanism.
For Beta releases is it possible to make a beta release that is available to all the google play users
You can release your app as an Open Beta, which anyone who wants can get access to (without being invited by you). See https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/3131213?hl=en (specifically the part Step 1: Set up test details - Open test: surface your test app on Google Play)
Once I release a beta application and I decide to now put it for production, will it be uploaded as a different application or the same
Same. There's no re-uploading - you just change the state of the release.
also will the comments that were posted to the beta release google play app be visible on my production app?
Testers can't leave public reviews on Google Play.
But if I have a higher version in that release would it not be the application that will be getting downloaded even when it might not be the most stable version?
Well, that's the point.They have opted in to be testers of your app, so they get the latest available version. If they want to revert back to only getting production versions they can opt out of the test program.
Is there a designated field where I can provide this email for the beta testers or can I just provide it in the description of the application?
This is explained on the page I linked to: Next to "Feedback channel," add an email address or URL to collect feedback from testers. Your app's feedback channel will be shown to users on your tester opt-in page.
Beta releases are just a different track on your app's page.
If you have a public beta program (you'll need to select that as your type), users will see a "Join Beta Program" card somewhere on your app's Play Store page when they visit it. This card should show up below the "Developer Contact" information.
If a user decides to join the beta program, they'll get any new versions you publish there just like a normal update. Beta users cannot leave reviews! Beta users can leave you, the developer, private comments, but unless they leave the beta program, they can't create a review or edit an existing one.
Once you promote your beta build to production, it'll be available to all users of your app as a normal update. Beta users won't receive an update, since they're already on the version you promoted, nor will they be pushed out of the beta program. If you upload an APK straight to production, beta users will receive it as well (they still won't be able to leave a review).
As for version numbers, you can't upload another APK to the Play Console unless it has a later version code than the latest one already uploaded. If you have version 7 in your production channel, you can't upload a new APK with version 7 to beta; it has to be version 8.
When you upload your app as a Beta version, The users who joined your beta testing can upgrade to that version. The other users who have not joined beta testing, will no see any update for your app.
When you want to make the beta version as a production release, you can do so by simply clicking on Promote to Production option on Google Play Store.
With concern to your confusion, when you have some apk in beta version (say versionCode 2), then you can promote that app as a production, or you can also upload another apk as a production but remember, that should have greater version code (say 3). If you do so, then all users will get that update including beta testers. That will be an update to the same app.(I think you're doubtful here) Hope this helps.
I need that my beta testers have the beta app to let them test it but at the same time they must to have the production app to work in production.
The problem is that seems if they become a beta tester only can get the beta app from the Google Play.
There is a way to have both version in the same device without to have to change the app name?
Thanks a lot.
At the moment this is not possible by design. Beta testers are ideally users who get a slightly earlier version of your app, and use it day to day so you discover issues. The thinking behind this decision was that if you allowed both, then if issues were discovered beta users wouldn't report them, they would just switch to the prod app. Also, as an app developer the beta version should be "production ready" according to your internal QA.
This has value for other reasons. Beta users can't leave public reviews - instead they send private feedback. If you allowed both, then you wouldn't be able to have this feature.
A few well known apps (like Chrome) want users to be able to have both apps. For these apps, they have a separate package name for the Beta version and maintain a separate store listing: Chrome Beta, Chrome.
If you did this it would allow both to be installed. But you would have to maintain two store listings, two sets of reviews etc.
The short answer is No, it can't be done.
Update: it turns out the suggestion below is not true...
But you could sort of achieve this by defining multiple user accounts on the device. Create a second user account on the device that uses a different, not-in-the-beta Google account. User accounts have their own distinct set of installed apps, so you could then switch between the two user accounts to use the beta or prod app.
After some developments after releasing the app to production a bug was reported that I couldn't replicate in the latest version. So I needed to check the production version. As they both have the same name I knew I couldn't have both, so I tried to replace the beta version by the production one.
This is what I found out about how to do it.
Step 1. In my phone I went to the app page but the store insisted to install the beta version.
Step 2. In my phone change the account to one whithout beta test access. The play store detected the other account and installed the beta version.
Step 3. Finnaly I went to the store in my desktop and logged in whith the normal account I have on my device! This worked! The production version was in my phone and I could test it!
So my solution to you is this:
You can't have the two versions simultaneously in the same phone except if they have different names.
But you can replace the beta by the production one if you have two accounts on the phone and
A) Loggout from the account with access to the beta version and then install the production one,
or
B) Install from a desktop.
I have a free app on Google Play, which works normally. I decided to add some features and user needs to pay to unlock them. So I added In app billing to my app. I want to know: what is the best way to test in app billing in my situation.
I tried this way: create new application (in the same google play console as existing app) => upload new apk (which includes in app billing) as Alpha version of new Application.
The first time my new app is suspended by Google (because I use the same logo, screenshots as existing app).
I think if I replace them with other pictures, everything will work.
But I'm not sure that 's right way to test IAB.
Can anybody give me some advices? Thanks a lot
You don't need to create separate app under different package name. Just increment the version number of the current app and publish it under the same package ID as an alpha version. The in-app billing works fine in both beta and alpha releases.
I'm developing an app that I've uploaded to the ALPHA TESTING tab of the console.
But from what I am reading I have to publish it live in order to allow users from a private community to download and test the app?
This defeats the purpose of ALPHA testing. I have to publish my app live to test an ALPHA version. This ALPHA version is not ready for production hence why it's in ALPHA
If this is not the case, how can I install the APK that I've uploaded to the console in the ALPHA testing tab and give access to a group of users?
I don't see a link to it?
Have you read this https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/3131213?hl=en?
Only the users from your Google Group will see your app in a Play Market during this testing.