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Google Quietly Made It Easier For New Developers To Release Apps On The Play Store
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
Before releasing an Android app on the Google Play Store, developers are required to test their app with a number of different users. This became a requirement late last year when Google implemented a rule that forced developers to test their apps with a minimum of 20 people over a 14 day period. A lot of indie app developers complained about this rule as they felt that it was too much of a burden. Fortunately, Google has heard these complaints and has quietly relaxed the rule a bit.
In an update to the support page outlining Google Play's app testing requirements, Google says that developers who have a personal account created after November 13, 2023 must run a closed test of their app with a minimum of 12 testers over a 14 day period. Previously, the page said that developers with personal accounts had to run a closed test with a minimum of 20 testers over the same period.
Old:
If you have a newly created personal developer account, you must run a closed test for your app with a minimum of 20 testers who have been opted-in for at least the last 14 days continuously.
New:
If you have a newly created personal developer account, you must run a closed test for your app with a minimum of 12 testers who have been opted-in for at least the last 14 days continuously.
While this policy change might not seem like a big deal at first glance, it could result in more indie app developers getting their apps published on Google Play. Many indie app developers work solo and may only have a few friends or family members they can ask to test their app. Previously, this limited pool of testers could be a significant hurdle due to Google's app testing requirements.
Indie app developers who don't personally know enough people to test their app would have to turn to social media platforms like X or Reddit to find additional testers. This extra step — recruiting testers through social media — at best delays the launch of an app and at worst discourages the developer from publishing on Google Play, potentially leading them to choose a different platform or abandon the project altogether.
Alex Walker-Todd / Android Authority
To be fair, the idea behind this policy is sound, as it forces developers to test their app with real users and potentially find issues before they launch it to the public. This, in turn, improves the overall quality of the apps available on Google Play, as developers are more likely to deliver great Android apps when their apps have been subjected to real-world testing by actual users over a two-week period. However, forcing developers with personal accounts to find 20 real testers was a bit too much of an ask, and it seems that Google now agrees, as it's lowered the number of testers needed to 12.
Developers with business accounts aren't impacted by this policy change, as business accounts aren't subject to the same app testing requirement at all. Signing up for a business account on Google Play requires officially establishing a business, which involves providing Google a D-U-N-S number. Google likely waived the app testing requirement for business accounts as the barrier to entry to make them is a bit higher, reducing the chances that an app published will be malware.
At Google Play's scale, it's hard to satisfy everyone, so policy changes like this will undoubtedly continue to happen as Google receives feedback and tries to adapt to new threats. Some indie app developers feel that Google Play is becoming more and more hostile to them, so this change should no doubt be welcomed by them. If you're an indie app developer who felt the old policy was too much of a burden, let us know what you think of this change in the comments below!
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Android 16's Second Developer Preview Is Here With Small But Important Changes
About a month ago, Google surprised us by releasing the first Android 16 developer preview barely a month after the stable Android 15 update came out. It began a much faster development timeline than we're used to, and it's continuing today with Android 16's second developer preview.
Compared to the first developer preview, Android 16 makes some small (but important) changes. Google calls out improved battery life and increased performance as two main improvements. It always takes a while for developer previews and betas to reach the acceptable battery life and performance of a final/stable update, so it's nice to see progress made here with the second developer preview.
Also new is an update to Android's native photo picker. Android 16's second developer preview introduces a search function, allowing you to search for specific photos saved in the cloud, not just ones on-device. Google says this search functionality is "coming soon."
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Google is also adding a new haptics application programming interface (API) that will allow apps to "define the amplitude and frequency curves of a haptic effect while abstracting away differences between device capabilities." In short, developers will have more granular control over device haptics and should be able to create better experiences with them.
There are a bunch of smaller changes, too. This latest developer preview expands Android's adaptive refresh rate (ARR) that was introduced in Android 15. Android 16 makes it easier for apps to use ARR, which reduces display power consumption when enabled. There's also a new Activity Intensity metric added to Health Connect, which is based on guidelines for moderate and vigorous activity from the World Health Organization.
Similar to the first developer preview, Android 16's second developer preview doesn't have much in the way of significant user-facing changes. Instead, it's focused on behind-the-scenes updates to help developers get their software ready for the public rollout later next year.
Per its release timeline, Google will launch the first beta release of Android 16 in January, with additional ones coming in February, March, and April. Google expects to reach platform stability with the March beta, with Android 16's public rollout likely coming in May or June.
You can download the Android 16 beta on your phone if you're interested, though we'd recommend waiting until the public beta to ensure the nastiest bugs and glitches are fixed before making the plunge. However, if you're a developer or have a secondary device to tinker with, you can grab the Android 16 developer beta 2 as of today.
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