BetaTesting works with any third party app distribution platform that is favored by your development team or QA team. Most commonly, TestFlight or Firebase are used for iOS and Google Play beta testing or Firebase are used for Android. You can learn more about each option directly through each app distribution provider.
Only participants that are accepted into your test, passed your screening requirements, and agreed to your test terms will have access to download your app.
We recommend using an external beta link
All distribution platforms provide an option to distribute a beta version of an app using an external beta link, which is best-practice as it makes the process easy for users.
Firebase: See "Create Invite Link" (for iOS or Android apps)
Google Play: See “Open test” or “Closed test: Manage testers by Google Groups”. When using Google Play Closed Testing, use the Google Group option. In your test, provide testers with (a) the link to testers to join the Google Group, and (b) the “shareable link” to download your app.
When joining a test, users are provided with the download link.
Users do not need to be manually whitelisted to test the app.
The max number of downloads can be configured if desired, to limit the audience to the size of your test group.
But isn’t an external beta link publicly accessible?
Distributing a link that provides access to your app is private in the same way that sharing a link to a Google doc or pictures/videos on Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox are - Only users that know about the link can access it. Technically the link is publicly accessible - i.e. if someone has the link, they can access your app. But it’s usually a limited risk, given that you can configure the max number of downloads or test accounts through TestFlight and other app distribution providers. If you limit the number of testers in your distribution tool, we recommend allowing at least 50% extra in case any users need to be replaced.
What if we need to keep our app completely closed?
If you need to keep your app distribution completely closed, BetaTesting offers whitelisting as a way to ensure only pre-approved users can access your test.
With whitelisting, you can manually approve participants by collecting their email addresses or phone numbers during the screening process. Only these approved users will be able to access your test, making it ideal for highly confidential beta programs.