If you're a new Google Play developer, you need 12 testers in a closed test for 14 days in a row before you can publish. Many developers don't have twelve people to ask, so services offering "12 testers for 14 days" are everywhere. Some are good, some aren't. Here is what to check before you pay anyone.
1. Are they real people on real devices?
Google asks, when you apply for production access, whether your testers used the app and what feedback they gave, and it can ask for more testing when testers weren't engaged enough. Testers who opt in and never open the app don't help you there. Ask how testers are found, whether they use their own phones, and whether they'll actually use your app during the 14 days.
2. Do they stay for all 14 days, and who replaces them?
Testers who leave before day 14 don't count, and a replacement's 14 days start when they join. Ask how many testers you get (more than 12 is safer), how the seller keeps them in the test, and what happens if someone leaves.
3. Do you get feedback you can use?
Your application asks for a summary of the feedback and what you changed because of it. A list of crashes, notes on confusing screens, written reports: anything concrete makes that part of the application strong. "12 opt-ins" alone gives you nothing to write.
4. How are the testers added to your test?
The usual way is a Google Group you add to your closed test: you add one address and the seller manages who is in it. Check that the group works in Play Console before you pay, and that you don't have to hand over your Play Console access to anyone.
5. What happens to the testers' and your data?
You're inviting strangers into an unreleased app. Check whether the testers are bound by any confidentiality, and that your app's name and details aren't published where you don't want them.
6. What if it doesn't work?
No one can promise that Google approves your app: that depends on your app and your answers. But a serious service tells you what happens if fewer than 12 testers stay the full 14 days. Look for a clear refund or redo policy, in writing.
A quick checklist
- Real people, on their own Android devices
- More than 12 testers, and replacements if someone leaves
- Testers who use the app during the 14 days
- Written feedback you can use in your application
- A Google Group, no Play Console access needed
- A clear policy if fewer than 12 stay
Need testers? Beta Family's Production Pass gives you 15 real testers in a Google Group, replaces anyone who leaves, and refunds you if fewer than 12 stay for the 14 days. See the Google Play Production Pass.
More guides to beta testing
- Why Google Play asks for more testing, and how to avoid itGoogle Play can ask for more testing when testers weren't engaged enough or fewer than 12 stayed opted in. How to keep your testers active for all 14 days.
- How to answer Google Play's production access questionsAfter 14 days of closed testing, Google Play asks three sets of questions before production access. What it asks, and how to answer each part well.
- TestFlight external testing: how to get iOS beta testersHow TestFlight external testing works: up to 10,000 testers, Beta App Review, public links and their limits, and what testers see. A practical guide for iOS beta tests.
- Closed testing vs internal testing on Google PlayInternal, closed or open testing on Google Play? How the three test tracks differ, and why only a closed test unlocks production for new accounts.
- How to find beta testers for your appWhere to find beta testers for an iOS or Android app, how many you need, and how to keep them testing: your own users, communities, and tester platforms.
- Google Play's 12 testers for 14 days rule, explainedNew Google Play developer accounts need 12 testers in a closed test for 14 days before they can publish. What counts, and how to get through it fast.