14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook is introducing a new beta program for its Android app. The company has been looking at ways of doing this for a while, and it experimented with pushing beta updates outside of the Play Store to some users. However, Google shut that down.
Now, it's launching an official beta program through which users can get the very latest version of the app, while Facebook gathers important feedback.
The app is the most popular mobile app out there and needs to work on a great variety of devices.
So far, Facebook has been relying on its internal testing team and on getting its employees to use beta versions of the app. But it needs even bigger feedback, which is how the beta program came about.
What's interesting though is that Facebook has been trying to create a program like this for a while. In fact, it started experimenting with direct downloads, via the app, which would provide beta builds to interested users.
But Google didn't like the idea of an app bypassing the Play store for updates – for security reasons, if nothing else.
Thankfully, the search giant was working on a solution, which it unveiled at its I/O conference earlier this year, namely staging and beta testing, just what Facebook wanted.
Facebook was one of the first to take advantage of the new tools and launch the Android beta program.
Since Facebook is playing by Google's rules, beta testers will first have to join the Facebook for Android Beta Testers group on Google Groups. They'll then be able to enable the beta updates in their Facebook app.
With hundreds of millions of users on Android, Facebook won't be lacking in volunteers. The problem with beta tests like these though is that those who join aren't always representative of the wider audience. Those interested in the latest features tend to have better phones as well.