Google’s marketplace for the apps for Android Operating System Google Play Store provides over 3.5 Million apps for you to download and install. Among them, over a million of apps give the option to enroll as a beta tester for Play Store Apps or early testing of the apps before everyone else could do.
Earlier the app developers including Facebook, WhatsApp provided this through some special invitation mode or confidential enrolling. Now with the introduction of Google play Open Beta feature, anyone can download to test the apps before they are released to the public.
How to Sign-up as a Beta tester for Play Store Apps
- Enroll as a beta tester in PlayStore
- Early access for unreleased apps
- Install Beta from third-party stores
There are mainly two ways that you can adapt to choose to download and install the unreleased versions of your favorite apps on your smartphone from the play store. Mostly, the early-release versions are highly susceptible to the bugs as they have not been debugged to the best level. Addition of new features to the UI can also make the apps much buggier. So as a beta tester, it is your responsibility (morally, yeah) to help developers by giving them feedbacks regarding the features, bugs, and errors in the apps.
It is easier for both users and developers to have these options directly from the Play Store. So you can test any apps earlier, give feedback directly to Google and the Developer without any hassles.
Enroll as a Beta user or Beta tester for Play Store Apps
This method is the most commonly used by Android users who wish to use Beta versions. For this, carefully go through the following steps.
1. Go to Google Play Store
2. Search for or select the app that you want to enroll as a beta tester
3. Scroll down until you see “Become a Beta tester.”
4. Click on the button “I’m in.”
Once you have registered to become an official beta tester for similar apps, you will receive frequent updates by the developer containing new features, but with a lot of bugs in most cases. Further updates will appear only after several hours you joined the beta session.
How to install unreleased Google Play Store apps
In the case of beta versions of other apps, you are using the same app’s but with newly released versions. If you wish to install unreleased apps from the Play Store, there is something called as Early Access.
1. Go to Google Play Store
2. On the top category tabs, click on “Early Access.”
3. Choose any new app to try, tap install.
You will also get periodic updates for the Early Accessed app whenever the developer publishes one.
How to Install Beta from third-party stores
It is the last, but not recommended but a cautious user method of installing beta versions of apps on your smartphone. Unlike the direct Play Store installation, you are entirely dependant on third-party websites who provide you with just the APKs of the apps. There are several reliable platforms where you can get the APKs without any second thought (like APKMirror).
This method is beneficial in many scenarios; especially your beta update is slowing down. You can download all the latest Beta versions of the apps from these stores, which would be faster than PlayStore’s rolling out to smartphones.
Additionally, there is this “Alpha” version of the apps, which is like the “Beta version of Beta.” Apps like Facebook and Twitter for Android have the Alpha and Beta versions. The Alpha versions can only be seen on any other app stores rather than Google Play.
If your smartphone does not allow you to install APKs directly, go to Settings > Security > Check “Install apps from Unknown Sources.”
I hope this article helps you trying unreleased versions of your favorite apps and become a beta tester for Google.
