Android app Beta testing expanding in Google Play (Photo : Reuters)
Google has provided Android developers the option to manage closed beta testing from the Google Play Developer Support.
A move by Google to add new beta options for Android developers comes after the company's need to find new ways for developers to get the software out to testers, ZDNet reported. For users to join these new betas, they have to be part of a Google+ community or Google Group.
It was not the best option to join a beta program, but currently, the idea integrates well with the company's love for all things Google+ can offer. Therefore, the requirement for users to be part of Google+ community no longer applies, and Google now allows developers to established closed betas through email addresses and open betas.
According to Tech Crunch, sidestepping Google+ appears to be an option at Google currently, but more significantly, the new system offers developers necessary flexibility in the way they test their applications. Developers could normally launch two apps into the store, but the move adds yet another problem of complexity to the entire process.
In the new beta option, developers can only provide users with a link to join the beta. As a result, they can try the application with many users in addition to the company giving them the capability of capping the number of testers.
Developers will have to sign up using an email address or use a .csv file with addresses uploaded by the developer, and the developer should overtly permit users into the beta program.
Google also made a small update to the way developers can put price tags to the current apps.
