From closed testing to production access.

Personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023 must run a closed test in which at least 12 testers stay opted in for at least 14 continuous days before publishing to production (everyone). Then you apply for production access in Play Console.

Source: Google Play Console Help, checked on October 30, 2026.

According to Google, it applies to personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023. The easiest check: if your Play Console Dashboard shows the closed-testing requirement for production access, it applies to you.

If you're unsure of your account type or creation date, check the account details in Play Console; there's no need to open a campaign until you know.

Google wants each tester opted in for 14 days in a row. A tester who leaves before 14 days doesn't count; if they rejoin, their days start over. Other testers' days are not affected.

That's why our plans open more seats than 12 and replace drop-outs until day 7.

Yes. Uploading a new release to the closed track doesn't remove testers from the test; as long as they stay opted in, their days keep counting and the app updates on their devices automatically.

What you do: bump the version code, send the release for review and register it on the campaign as a new build so testers are notified. Don't unpublish the track or stop distribution in your testers' countries.

Google's form has three parts:

• About your closed test: how easy it was to recruit testers, how testers used the app, what feedback you collected and how.
• About your app: target audience, value proposition, expected installs in the first year.
• About your production readiness: what you changed based on the test, how you decided the app was ready.

The production access prep page suggests draft sentences for these parts, using recorded data only (participation, task results, bugs, feedback). Every item is labelled not verified by Google. You fill in the form and submit it in your own words.

In Google's own words, reviews usually take 7 days or less, sometimes longer. That's not in our control and we can't speed it up.

Yes. Everyone here is a developer: adding apps and running campaigns is always on for every account, and there's no role to pick. Testing other people's apps is an optional extra; it earns credits you can use to fund your own campaign.

You can pause tester mode in your profile. That only stops new invites; it doesn't affect your apps or campaigns.

A realistic plan: a day to set up, a few days for seats to fill (not guaranteed), 14 days of testing, up to 72 hours of reporting, and Google's review, usually 7 days or less. Plan for about three to four weeks in total.

Late replacements can stretch the test period to 21 days at most.

• Play Console setup: closed track, Google Group, countries, release (30–45 min the first time).
• Wizard: app details and plan (~5 min).
• During the test: review submissions and bug reports (~10 min a day; clean submissions are auto-accepted after 72 hours).
• At the end: check the count in Play Console and apply for production (20–30 min).

After joining, they join the Google Group, opt in via the link and install the app from Play. Then for 14 days they work through 8 phases of tasks: for each task they write the expected and actual result, add a screenshot if needed (hiding personal info first) and file bug reports.

You review their submissions. They earn credits for accepted work; they are not paid money.

A tester with no activity for 2 days is marked at risk and dropped after 4, which frees the seat. Until day 7 of the campaign a replacement joins at no extra cost. Replacements don't inherit past days; they complete their own 14.

Days with a reported blocker (e.g. the app won't open) are excused; nobody is penalised automatically for missing a single day.

You have 72 hours per submission. After that, clean submissions are accepted automatically and flagged ones (duplicate text, reused images, very fast submissions) go to admin review. Testers aren't penalised for your delay.

The only difference is the number of seats. Starter $14.99: 15 seats, a buffer of 3 above Google's 12. Pro $24.99: 25 seats, a buffer of 13 and wider device coverage.

Pro is safer if your app targets a niche audience, has long sign-in or setup steps, or Google already asked for more testing.

No. Credits are what testers earn for accepted, real testing work: 3 per task, 2 per confirmed bug (up to 3), 10 for completing the period. They can't be bought or cashed out.

An app credit is a campaign you buy: one app credit opens one closed-testing campaign on the plan you choose.

Buy app credits one at a time or in bundles: 5% off from 3, 10% off from 5 and 15% off from 10. A custom bundle goes up to 50. The price is calculated on the server and shown before you pay.

App credits never expire: buy now, use them when your next app is ready.

Card payments will open via Polar; your card details never reach us. Until then you can place an order: it stays “payment pending”, and when our team approves it the app credits are added to your account and you're notified.

You don't have to wait to prepare your campaign; a campaign opened with “pay later” moves on once a credit is applied.

Yes. One seat costs 40 credits, about what a tester can expect to earn in a full test. Starter costs 600 and Pro 1000 credits. You need to have completed at least 2 tests first.

Credits are reserved when recruiting starts; seats that don't fill are refunded.

The credit is attached to the campaign when you open it. After that it depends on the campaign's state:

• Before recruiting (draft, validation, ready): cancel and the credit returns to your account automatically.
• While recruiting: a refund request goes to our team; we review it, decide and let you know.
• After testing starts: the credit counts as used, because testers have committed their time. Testers receive compensation credits in proportion to their active days.

Questions about a refund? Write to info@testbunny.co. The full rules are in the terms of use.

You can cancel an order that's awaiting payment from the purchase page at any time; nothing is charged. For unused app credits from a paid order, write to us to request a refund; we review it and let you know. Credits already used on a campaign follow the cancellation rules above.

No, they never expire. If you delete your account, unused app credits and credits end without compensation; we recommend using them or requesting a refund first.

No, and nobody honestly can. Google decides, looking at tester engagement, the app itself, policy compliance and your answers together. None of these is controlled by a third party.

We manage 12 testers staying opted in for 14 days, have them do real tasks and document it in a recorded report. Services promising “guaranteed approval” usually offer a refund that depends on a rejection email and a deadline.

Yes, real users testing on their own devices; many are developers like you. Testers are never paid money: they earn credits for accepted work and can only use them to get their own apps tested. No bots, emulators, fake installs, ratings or reviews; if we detect them, credits are reversed and the account is restricted.

No. Google doesn't share this per tester with anyone. Group membership, opt-in and install are the tester's self-reported steps and are labelled as such; no field means Google verification.

You see the exact number in Play Console. If you like, you can record it on the campaign; it's labelled “developer-reported”.

Google's help page doesn't restrict where you find testers; it suggests your personal and professional networks or relevant communities, and it expects genuine engagement. Manipulating installs, ratings or reviews is clearly against policy.

We only organise real testing work and do none of that. Still, we can't say “there's no risk at all”: Google interprets and enforces its policies.

The most common causes, in order:

• Search: apps in closed testing can't be found by searching Play; they open only via the opt-in link.
• Group membership: the tester must join the Google Group first, then opt in, both with the same Google account they use on Play.
• Country: if the app isn't distributed in the tester's country, it won't show. Country settings apply to all tracks; check them in Play Console.
• Publishing: if the track isn't “Published” yet or the release is in review, the link won't work. The first publication can take a few hours.
• Device: if the device's Android version is below the app's minimum, the app shows as incompatible.

Testers report this as a blocker from the task screen; the day is excused and you're notified.

An opt-in link starts with play.google.com/apps/testing/ and ends with your package name. A Google Groups link is not an opt-in link, and an internal-testing link doesn't work for a closed test.

Copy the link from the Testers tab of your closed track in Play Console. It only appears after the track is published.

• The new release's version code must be higher than the previous one.
• It must be uploaded to the same closed track the test runs on, pass review and be published.
• After publishing it can take a few minutes to reach devices; checking for updates in the Play Store speeds it up.
• Register it on the campaign as a new build so testers know which version they're testing.

Most often Google says “more testing required”. Common reasons and how to avoid them:

• Threshold: fewer than 12 testers opted in when you applied, or 14 days not completed. Avoid: don't apply before checking Play Console; consider Pro for the buffer.
• Weak engagement: testers installed and left. Avoid: make sure the task plan covers core features and add your own scenarios.
• Vague answers: generic sentences in the form. Avoid: describe real bugs and the changes you made.
• App problems: crashes, reviewers can't sign in, policy gaps. Avoid: give reviewers a working test account and run a pre-launch report.

If more testing is required, you can open a follow-up campaign for the same app.

Only what matching and testing need: your name and email from Google, and in the tester profile your device model, Android version, country and languages. We never ask for location, contacts, advertising ID or your Google password. The Android usage signal is optional and only reads the apps you're assigned to.

Details in the Privacy policy. You can download your data as JSON from your profile at any time.

Profile → Your data → Delete my account. A 7-day grace period starts; after that your name, email, profile, device records and evidence images are deleted and remaining records are anonymised. Open campaigns are cancelled.

Step by step: Account deletion.