Is Google Play Closed tracks for testing only?

[Jensa]

Hello Community!

We have a business critical app delivered to us from the developer in Google play closed tracks.
When a new version is released, the developer creates a new track for us giving us full control of when we test it and to what assignment group we want it to be installed. When we are satisfied with our testing we assign the lates track to our production devices.
I recently got the question if Closed tracks is not just for testing apps, and not to be used for production as we do.

I would like your help to elaborate on this. Does anyone use Closed tracks the same way as wee do? Do you see any downsides or risks by managing apps this way?

Thanks for your feedback!
//N

[BenMcc]

@jasonbayton Limits for Play console closed testing is limited by the number of testers and lists you can have on the account. You can have 2000 users per list, 50 lists max per track and a max of 200 lists across the account.

[jasonbayton]

Ok so there's a lot of wiggle room there, and I don't see install base counting towards this.. so sharing a track to an org with 10k devices wouldn't be constrained by any of the above because it's one item in the list?

I know there's an arbitrary limit to the number of organisations you can share to via play for some reason, but that's still a lot of runway. 

[BenMcc]

I still think the biggest problem is that there is nothing to stop Play changing the policy for any of this. Test tracks are designed to be just that and so using a test track as a production outlet may cause problems if, for example, they decided next month to limit test tracks to 500 testers! While it may work, longer term it may not be a great idea!

[jasonbayton]

I don't know of any documented limits to the number of devices installing an app from a track, that's perhaps something Lizzie will provide in the comment below, but on the face of it this doesn't sound like a bad approach.

If I had the option I'd still work from a unique package name. It's easy for a dev to generate this, and push it to play as a private app as the production version, using a closed track just for the testing before it's pushed to production.

That then aligns more closely with how Google expects these things to work, and avoids any potential issues with your flow in future (policies change...)

[Moombas]

Hi Jensa,

just to add here as well, please see this:

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9845334?hl=en#:~:text=Closed%20testin....

Means: No, it's not the way how it should be used as @BenMcc already mentioned.

The way to go would be that the developer provides the app as an apk file (if your MDM provides such "sideload" functionality) or as a private app: https://support.google.com/a/answer/2494992?hl=en#zippy=%2Cmanaging-private-apps-in-admin-console-ve....

[Jensa]

Hi Moombas,

Thanks for your reply.

So, if a developer want to deliver apps to us it "should" be done via Private track, right?
In that case it also means that the developer need to create a a separate package ID just for us?
I see a gap here, a problem for the developers.
If it is not supported to use Closed tracks, where a developer can create multiple tracks/versions and invite multiple customers, then they have to use Private tracks which means that they have to go through massive administration, creating separate package ID´s for each customer, and also build separate tracks for each version and for each customer.
This will most likely result in that developers won´t offer that option, since it´s too complex, which then will result in big companies, like the one I represent, to not choose Android as plattform since we lack control, and that would not be good for Google.

I understand that the intent with closed tracks maybe wasn't to solve use cases like ours, but what is it exactly that is a risk of using it like this?

Kind Regards
//Niklas

[BenMcc]

Hi,

People do use the tracks in the way you describe, and as you have experienced it does work, however there are limits on the testing tracks (number of testers etc) which may or may not be a problem for you. It is also not the way Play is designed to work and there is no guarantee Play won't change how the test tracks work at anytime which may cause problems for you in the future.

Ben

[jasonbayton]

I'd imagine with our use case here the number of testers perhaps wouldn't matter.. unless individual devices fall under the finite limit for distribution via closed track? Otherwise the in-console area to add organisations wouldn't grow past a few IDs typically, especially if it's a track per customer.

@Lizzie are there documented limits to tracks that could impact this approach?