Whitelisting is the process of pre-authorizing users to allow them access to your product.
When should you whitelist users?
Most tests do not require whitelisting. Usually the best course of action is to make it as easy as possible for testers to access your product. The simper the process is for users and the fewer roadblocks, the more engagement you'll get and fewer drop-offs and incomplete testers.
When you need to whitelist testers, it creates extra steps- at a minimum you will need to manually review and accept testers (vs automatic acceptance of testers that pass your targeting requirements).
So, when do you need to whitelist users?
Most common: If you're using a "closed" beta testing app distribution method (e.g. TestFlight closed testing or Android closed testing), and you need to collect tester emails as part of that process in order to provide testers with access to the app.
Less common: If you need to pre-authorize access within your app - e.g. something that your development team custom-built so that only certain users can submit the registration form in your app.
Less common: If you need to manually create accounts for testers using their email addresses
Less common: If you need to pre-authorize account upgrades for certain testers (e.g. to automatically give our users a Premium subscription)
How to set up your test on BetaTesting if you need to whitelist users
Most commonly you will need to whitelist users according to their email or phone number. The right place to collect this information is in the Screening survey. In the screening survey, you can ask each user to provide their email and/or phone number.
The process looks like this:
If you're doing closed beta testing for an iPhone or Android app:
Select "Yes, we need to collect tester's emails" on the tester recruiting page. This will automatically add questions to the screening survey to collect each tester's email.
Ensure your app is set up and approved for external / closed testing by Google and/or Apple before launching your test. You should not be submitting your app for approval after collecting tester emails and you absolutely do not need tester emails before submitting your app for approval to Google/Apple.
Choose Manual Review of participants on the Screening page. You can learn about Automatic Selection vs Manual Review here. This is critical so that you can whitelist testers immediately after you accept them into your test. Otherwise, they may join your test in the middle of the night and by the time you are ready to provide them with access their deadline to test has already expired.
Add questions on your screening survey to collect tester emails or whatever other info you need to whitelist testers on your side (Note: If testing with Android/iOS, these questions will already be there if you selected "Yes, we need to collect each tester's email previously)
Launch your test on BetaTesting when ready. In the coming hours, testers will apply to participate.
Since you using Manual participant review, you will get a list of Pending applicants as they apply to your test (with emails blurred).
After you accept a tester, their email will be visible to you, allowing you to quickly grant them access within your tool (e.g. TestFlight, etc).
We recommend accepting all testers at one time and quickly whitelisting them on your side. It’s essential to promptly whitelist and provide access to testers to download your app (if needed) and sign up. For most tests, testers only have 6-12 hours to finish after acceptance. If you wait too long, they will not be able to meet their due dates for your test. This is why it's critical that your app is already approved and ready for closed testing distribution before launching your test.
Extending tester deadlines to give more time to test
If it takes you longer than planned to get testers whitelisted (or anything longer than 1-hour), you're going to need to manually extend tester deadlines to ensure they have enough time to test. For standard tests, testers only have 6-12 hours each to finish (based on their time of acceptance).
You can review the tester's most current due date in the Testers tab:
If needed, you can extend the deadline for each tester (or any specific testers) by clicking the checkbox next to their name and clicking the button "Change due date".
How Manual Review Works
Emails are blurred until each tester is accepted into the test
After you accept a tester, their email will be visible to you, allowing you to quickly grant them access within your tool (e.g. TestFlight, etc).
This process ensures that only users who have been manually approved can participate in the test.
Tip: It’s essential to promptly whitelist and provide access to testers to download your app (if needed) and sign up. For most tests, testers only have 6-12 hours to finish after acceptance. If you wait too long, they will not be able to meet their due dates for your test.