To enable testing of new versions of an app before the official release, the Play Store offers Alpha and Beta testing programs. These tests can be configured by the developer to allow users to try out preliminary versions of the app.
On personal devices, it's possible to join these tests manually by enabling the option directly in the Play Store. However, to configure test participation through a policy in Android Enterprise, the developer must first grant test access to the corporate environment.
To do this, the developer should access the Play Store publishing console and select the app they want to make available for testing, as illustrated in the image below:
After selecting the application, the developer should navigate to the "Setup > Advanced settings" menu, as shown in the image below:
In the Advanced settings, the developer should go to the "Managed Google Play" tab, click on "Enable", and then click "Save changes", as illustrated in the image below:
It’s important to note that no other option should be selected on this tab. If the developer chooses to set an entity ID, the app will be removed from the Play Store and become a private app. When attempting to make this selection, the Play Store will display a warning.
After completing the configuration in the Managed Google Play settings, the developer should go to the "Testing > Closed testing" menu and click on "Create track" to set up a test release that can be included in enterprise policies, as shown in the image below:
After completing the creation of the closed testing track, the developer should select it and go to the "Testers" tab. On this tab, scroll down until you find the "Manage Organizations" option. Then, click on "Add Organization" and enter the Enterprise ID of the desired environment, as illustrated in the image below:
Once this process is complete, the release will be processed by Google and, once finalized, it can be configured directly within the policies of your management portal.
If you don't know your Enterprise ID, go to the web management portal and navigate to "Management > Environment". Then, click the "Settings" icon — the Enterprise ID will be displayed, as shown in the image below:
