Apple Finally Gets Its Own Public Beta Testing Program
For years, Android has offered developers a powerful public beta testing option to squash bugs before releasing their apps to everyone. With the expansion of its acquisition TestFlight in iOS 8, Apple is finally catching up.
A New Era for Apple’s Users?
Apple has always insisted on delivering near-perfect experiences to its users. However, with the September iOS 8 release, developers will be able to ask early adopters to volunteer and log bugs in exchange for getting to test out cutting-edge features.
Last December, our columnist MG Siegler told Apple to offer a beta App Store full of pre-release products or at least some kind of beta testing program with demographic targeting. TestFlight for iOS 8 answers his call.
The Benefits of a Native Beta System
Until now, developers could only add a few hundred devices as testers, which was way too small of a number to do any quantifiably significant beta testing. Apple’s longstanding lack of a native beta system forced developers to go around it and use third-party systems or misuse the iOS developer enterprise program.
This put these beta apps outside Apple’s regulation, which could lead to malicious devs scamming users or just generally terrible UX. By bringing wide-scale beta testing in-house, Apple can now keep an eye on it.
Large Developers Take Advantage
Several large developers like Facebook and Twitter have been eagerly taking advantage of Android beta testing so that bugs don’t get pushed to their hundreds of millions of mobile users. But they had no such option on iOS, and sources tell me this was a big pain point for engineering teams at these giants.
TestFlight’s Integration
With TestFlight integrated into iOS 8, developers will be able to admit a subset of their users to a beta program for their app. These users will get pre-release versions of the app, and developers can track metrics about the tests within TestFlight.
Apple was brief in its announcement of TestFlight’s integration into iOS 8. It’s likely to port over much of TestFlight’s existing functionality, including:
- Over-the-air updates
- Demographic targeting
- User segmentation
What This Means for Developers
This new feature will allow developers to get their apps out the door faster and with fewer bugs. They’ll be able to test on a larger scale, with more users and devices.
Developers will also have more control over who gets access to these beta versions, allowing them to target specific demographics or interests.
A New Era for Apple’s Users
With this new feature, Apple is finally giving its users what they want: early access to cutting-edge features and apps. This could be a game-changer for the App Store, with more developers taking advantage of this new feature to get their apps noticed.
In conclusion, Apple’s acquisition of TestFlight has brought about a new era for its users. With public beta testing finally available on iOS, developers can now test on a larger scale and deliver better experiences to their users.
Related Articles
- Apple Finally Gets Its Own Public Beta Testing Program
- The Benefits of a Native Beta System
- Large Developers Take Advantage
- TestFlight’s Integration
Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news
Get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage delivered straight to your inbox. Choose from:
- TechCrunch Daily News: Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the latest updates.
- TechCrunch AI: Get the latest news in the fast-moving field of AI.
- Startups Weekly: Stay up-to-date on the latest startups and innovations.
- No newsletters selected.
