Apple Now Allows Developers to Test Apps With Up To 10,000 Users

[MacRumors]

Apple today updated its developer news site to let developers know that TestFlight tester limits have been expanded. Starting today, developers can invite up to 10,000 users to beta test their iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and iMessage apps before the apps are released on the App Store.

Developers often use TestFlight to send out pre-release copies of apps to testers and members of the media to suss out bugs and usability issues ahead of the release of an app. TestFlight is simple to use, requiring just an email address to send out beta testing invites, which has made it popular with developers.

Now you can gain even more valuable feedback by inviting up to 10,000 users to beta test your apps before you release them on the App Store. TestFlight makes it simple to invite testers using just their email address and lets testers quickly provide feedback within the TestFlight app.

Prior to today, app developers were only allowed to invite up to 2,000 individuals to beta test apps using the TestFlight beta testing platform, a limit that was put in place in 2015. This is the first time the limit has been increased since then.

Article Link: Apple Now Allows Developers to Test Apps With Up To 10,000 Users

 

[jimthing]

Just out of interest, who needs such a large amount as 10k of these?

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Just out of interest, who needs such a large amount as 10k of these?

It'd be a great away to launch your own apps for your workforce without the need to install certificates.

 

[TheWatchfulOne]

It'd be a great away to launch your own apps for your workforce without the need to install certificates.

Builds distributed though TestFlight expire after 90 days, so you'd have to upload new one nearly every 3 months.

 

[Cosmosent]

This is absolutely fantastic for Kickstarter projects with 10K unit limits ! Bravo Apple !

 

[jhfenton]

Just out of interest, who needs such a large amount as 10k of these?

Any large commercial app that wants a public beta test.

 

[JosephAW]

Sign me up for a test drive of the iPhone 8 Plus A12 4Ghz extreme octal core with 8GB ram and 1TB storage with rear fast laser autofocus AR dual 32 megapixels 20x zoom / 16K video cameras with 3D 4K front camera and 6" OLED 3D AR 4K display and front 180° circular infrared iris recognition and quad speakers with touch anywhere under glass finger print sensor with fast induction charging and thunderbolt dock standard with AirPods 2.0 buds and 30 hr battery and always on Siri 2.0 multi user recognition personal assistant and new mirror finish.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Just out of interest, who needs such a large amount as 10k of these?

A huge commercial app that want a broader amount of testers. For example, Microsoft - Skype.

 

[supernoodle]

Tell me this has nothing to do with the revenue Pokemon go is bringing in and their latest disaster in Chicago with 10-20k players?

 

[adib]

Builds distributed though TestFlight expire after 90 days, so you'd have to upload new one nearly every 3 months.

Then have agile continuous development that uploads a new release every month – or at least every quarter.
[doublepost=1501560230][/doublepost]It sounds like this 10k user limit is per developer account (either individual or institutional) – not per app. In other words, the limit is shared for all apps of a given developer. Note that institutional account needs a D-U-N-S number, they can't just spin up another account to get yet another batch of 10k users if they have multiple apps with disjointed customer bases.

 

[stustill]

Monzo Bank in the UK are using TestFlight to launch a public beta of their new current account.

Just out of interest, who needs such a large amount as 10k of these?

 

[kyjaotkb]

Just out of interest, who needs such a large amount as 10k of these?

VPN companies in China? Could be a way to distribute their apps...

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Builds distributed though TestFlight expire after 90 days, so you'd have to upload new one nearly every 3 months.

Any app not updated every 3 months is a dead app. That goes for TestFlight and the App Store.

 

[TheWatchfulOne]

Any app not updated every 3 months is a dead app. That goes for TestFlight and the App Store.

I agree to an extent. However, a "dead" app from the App Store will keep working as long as it is compatible with the system it's running on. An expired build from TestFlight will no longer work.

I do think an update at least every 3 months is not unreasonable to expect.