Google has updated the method it uses to provide testing tools to developers. This will directly affect the experience of users who are made with previous versions of applications.
Goodbye to closed betas and open alphas: this is how trial versions change
All the trial versions of an application can be classified in various ways and the Google Play Store so he admitted to date. However, the company has found it necessary to simplify the experience, so they have changed their policy and reduced the options that developers have.
Right now, there are three levels. The first is from Internal Test and it is a version for quality evaluations that Google recommends to quickly distribute an application. The second level is the version Alfa, which is used for preliminary tests with a reduced selection of testers. It is a step prior to the third and final level, the versions Beta, which are the tests that the most general public can access.
And what changes have been made? Until now, you could do closed betas and open alphas, but not anymore. Onwards, all alphas will be closed and all betas will be open. This means that the users who will participate in the former must be chosen and that access to the latter will be easier. However, tests that are already working as open alphas or closed betas will not be modified so as not to affect developments in progress.
Advocating for a more direct experience
What are these changes due to? It is basically a way of create a much more direct and simple experience, which has many advantages for both users and development teams. The former will have much clearer when they can access a trial version and will be able to access them more easily. The latter will be able to better focus on what each level offers, always ensuring that development is on the right track.
These changes should make the Play Store in a simpler and more efficient test environment. In addition, the distinction between alpha and beta is clearer, which should help less tech-savvy users as well. Now it is as simple as going from closed versions to open versions, and from a small number of people to a large number.