Need 11 more Android testers before Google lets our app out of closed testing
Google's rule for new personal developer accounts: 12 testers opted in for 14 straight days before you can even apply for production. Our Android app for AI Applyd is sitting at 1.
If you have an Android phone and two minutes:
- join https://groups.google.com/g/aiapplyd-android-testers with the Google account on that phone
- opt in at https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.aiapplyd.app
- install it from Play and leave it installed
The app is for job hunting. You swipe through jobs that match you, and for the ones you pick it writes a tailored resume and cover letter and sends the application. Replies from employers come back to one inbox.
Staying in for the 14 days gets you a free month of the paid plan. Sign up in the app, then reply here or email ava@aiapplyd.com with the address you used and I'll switch it on.
If you're stuck in the same 12 tester wait, I'm curious where you ended up finding people. The swap subreddits felt like a lot of apps and not many users.
The reason swap subreddits fail here isn't reach, it's that the requirement is 14 continuous days — you get 12 reciprocal installs and a wave of uninstalls once people have their own count, which resets you instead of advancing you.
that's a really useful catch. i hadn't thought about the uninstall wave resetting the clock, which makes swap installs worse than no installs. pushes me toward people who'd actually keep a job app on their phone
This is great work — what's the biggest thing you'd do differently if you started over?
Yeah, getting the required testers can be surprisingly hard when you’re building for a niche audience. I’d probably look beyond swap subreddits and target places where Android users already gather around job hunting career communities, job-search Discords, LinkedIn groups, and relevant Facebook communities.
One thing I’d be curious about though: do the 12 testers actually need to be your target job seekers, or can they simply be Android users willing to test the app? That distinction could make the search much easier.
good question. they can be any android user, google only checks that 12 people stay opted in for 14 days in a row. job seekers are just more likely to keep it installed that long, which is the part that actually matters
That makes sense. It sounds like the key requirement isn't who the testers are, but whether at least 12 people remain opted in and active for the full 14-day period. Job seekers just happen to be a group that's more likely to leave it installed long enough to satisfy Google's requirement.