Apple Introduces TestFlight Groups for Organizing Beta Testers

[MacRumors]

Apple on Thursday announced TestFlight Groups, a new feature that gives developers more control over organizing external beta testers into groups. TestFlight Groups enables developers to distribute specific builds of pre-release apps, deliver separate instructions for focus areas and apply an action to multiple testers at once

Now it's easier than ever to manage external testers in TestFlight. Organize your testers into groups to quickly send specific builds, provide separate instructions on where to focus, and apply an action to several testers at once in TestFlight.

TestFlight is a beta testing service provided through iTunes Connect, allowing for registered developers to iron out any significant bugs or issues in their apps before making them available on the App Store. Following the integration of TestFlight into iTunes Connect last September, Apple recently confirmed that it will be shutting down the standalone TestFlight website on February 26.

Article Link: Apple Introduces TestFlight Groups for Organizing Beta Testers

 

[jclardy]

This is nice, but if we could get those app store analytics that we were promised almost a year ago now that would be amazing...

 

[charley52]

beta test groups

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Apple on Thursday announced TestFlight Groups, a new feature that gives developers more control over organizing external beta testers into groups. TestFlight Groups enables developers to distribute specific builds of pre-release apps, deliver separate instructions for focus areas and apply an action to multiple testers at onceTestFlight is a beta testing service provided through iTunes Connect, allowing for registered developers to iron out any significant bugs or issues in their apps before making them available on the App Store. Following the integration of TestFlight into iTunes Connect last September, Apple recently confirmed that it will be shutting down the standalone TestFlight website on February 26.

Article Link: Apple Introduces TestFlight Groups for Organizing Beta Testers

Too bad Apple didn't use this on Yosemite's Beta. then we might not have the WiFi problem and assorted other bugs.

 

[Arcady]

Flux capacitor testing?

 

[viorelgn]

Good news for developers.

 

[fervor]

There is a wrinkle...

For 'External' testers to be able to test the app, you must submit your app to Apple for review - this can take days and days and must be done for each iteration of a build.

I don't know about anyone else, but we go through a ton of builds as we dial in apps for release. I can't imagine waiting days for each build to get to external testers (read: clients).

 

[seecoolguy]

too bad they felt they needed to break enterprise distribution when they integrated the service

 

[TimelessOne]

For 'External' testers to be able to test the app, you must submit your app to Apple for review - this can take days and days and must be done for each iteration of a build.

I don't know about anyone else, but we go through a ton of builds as we dial in apps for release. I can't imagine waiting days for each build to get to external testers (read: clients).

Basically it is useless. Apple entire approval process is a joke and needs a huge amount of change.
An app from submission to up for download should be measured in hours not days in apple case.

Let's compare this with Google. From publish to when everyone can see it is hours and those hours are basically the time it takes for a copy of it to get on all the servers. Your server your account uses for the play store is measured in minutes.

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too bad they felt they needed to break enterprise distribution when they integrated the service

Yeah no kidding. I think where I work we have lost over a week of man power time wasted on dealing with Apple bug that they still have not fixed. It is an insane out of time wasted trying to get builds on to devices.

Honestly those enterprise licenses make test builds a lot easier to do. Apple support for devs I would call poor at best.

 

[AlexTroy]

a new feature that gives developers more control over organizing external beta testers into groups

Oh, please. This is an old issue. Other testing platforms such as Apphance and Ubertesters had this feature long time before TF - http://blog.ubertesters.com/distribution-groups-ubertesters-platform/
Anyway, since TestFlight has been acquired by Apple and disconnected Android support, it keeps losing their customers. Not any new tricks and features could help it. Sad but true.