Publishing an Update During a Closed Test

You can publish a new version to the closed track as usual while a test is running. This is when the update is observed and where each account's version appears.

Publish as you normally would

Upload the new version to the closed track and publish it. You do not need to tell us first, change the track, or rebuild the tester list.

While a release is under review it is not yet an installable version, so the change starts being picked up only once review finishes and it reaches a published state.

The change appears at the next run, not immediately

Each account runs at a set interval, and a new version is picked up at the run after it is published. If you open the workspace right after publishing and still see the previous version, that account's next run has not come around yet.

Run times differ per account, so the point at which each one changes over differs too. The whole set of accounts does not switch at the same moment.

Where to check it

The version history on the app detail screen shows which version changed to which, and the time that change was observed. The per-account update table shows the same change broken down by account. The version column in the participating-accounts table shows the version currently installed on each account.

When the three do not agree, some accounts are still mid-changeover. What each of those values points at is set out in how to read the daily execution record.

Updates do not change the service window

The service window is counted from the day you request install and start, and runs for exactly the number of days stated for the product.

It is not extended or shortened by how many new versions you publish, and there is no cap on the number of updates. Publish as often as you need to.

If you change the package name or the track

A changed package name makes it a different app from the one currently being tested. If you move to a different track, the test accounts have to be registered on the new track for installs to continue.

The steps for registering accounts on a new track are in add tester emails to your closed track, and the order for comparing the per-track opt-in link is in check the closed-test opt-in link. In both cases, tell us through support before you publish and we will confirm how it will be handled.

If the update does not show up

Check first that the release is published, that review has finished, and that the test accounts are still on the track's tester list. If all three hold and only the previous version is still visible after the next run, tell us through support along with the time from the execution record.

If the app does not start after the new version installs, or an abnormal termination is observed, noting which step it was according to recording a launch failure separately from Crash and ANR makes the check faster. We reply with the observed values as they stand.