Seeking Advice on Meeting Google Play Test Requirements.
geoascencio
Member, PRO Posts: 63
Hello, GameSalad Community,
I'm reaching out for some guidance regarding Google's recent requirement for personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023. We must run a closed test involving at least 20 opted-in testers for a continuous 14-day period. Google suggests "to reach out to your friends, family, colleagues, or classmates to test your app as a beta tester" but as you can imagine, this hasn’t been easy. I've managed to round up 36 testers, but keeping them engaged daily is turning into a nightmare, effectively resetting our progress to day one repeatedly.
I've been all over social media for almost two weeks now, and it's starting to feel like a lost cause. I've heard that there are third-party companies offering to manage this process, but I've also heard that this is how you get banned. I've also seen various services on platforms like Upwork and Reddit groups promising mutual game testing, but the risk of contravening Google's policies is a significant concern.
I'm curious to hear your experiences and strategies. Have any of you employed trusted companies for this purpose without facing negative repercussions? Your insights and recommendations would be immensely valuable to me and possibly other new memebers in the GS community facing similar challenges.
Thank you for your time and support.
Comments
How often do they have to log in? I am been trying to play every day.
@adriangomez Thank you so much for testing it! 🙏🙏 I truly don't know, there's so much conflicting information online. I thought they had to log in two to three times a week because otherwise, that would be insane. But if that were the case, I would be close to publishing, but I haven't been able to get past day 3.
The policy states "You must run a closed test before you can apply to publish your app to production. At least 20 testers must be opted-in to your closed test when you apply for production access. They must have been opted-in for the last 14 days continuously. You can start a closed test once you're finished setting up your app."
I think they want people to test your app 14 days in a row in the same 14 days. Google seems unfazed by all the complaining and angry people online, so I think this is here to stay.
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/14151465