Some people in the app development community use Apple beta test platform TestFlight as a more exclusive and less restrictive alternative to the App Store.
TestFlight, which was acquired by Apple in 2014, is a developer tool for prototyping apps with a small group of beta testers before launching the titles in the App Store. But more and more, some developers are completely skipping this last step.
According to Protocol, many developers publish apps to TestFlight as a way to build private apps and test capabilities “outside Apple’s strict guidelines for the App Store.” Some apps on TestFlight include small apps with only the most basic features that are not eligible for the App Store, such as apps that are deliberately kept on the platform to add an air of exclusivity and buzz.
“People are complaining about access to the cooler apps that are still in private beta, while indie developers are using TestFlight to find an audience they would never find in the guts of the App Store. And there is no cooler way to show your status than to post a screenshot of your own TestFlight, chock-full of the hottest apps no one knows about yet. “
Part of TestFlight’s appeal is the loose guidelines and no existing commissions for the App Store. The only major limitation is that apps can be used by 10,000 people at a time. Plus, anyone can download private TestFlight apps – if they know where to look.
“The people who know what TestFlight is, have downloaded the app and are ready to jump through hoops and deal with bugs are a specific kind of early adopter,” according to Protocol.
Developers are also starting to capitalize on the underground app ecosystem. Thomas Weigt, an iOS developer at BitSuites, built a website called Departures that lists open TestFlights from both large companies and indie developers.
However, Apple does not consider TestFlight as an alternative App Store. It checks apps only to make sure they are not broken or malicious. After a TestFlight is approved, developers told Protocol that the company rarely looks to subsequent versions. Despite the fact that Apple does not see the platform as a “long-term home” for apps, this is increasingly what the app development community is using it for. Many developers send apps to TestFlight as a form of “creative expression.”
“They don’t want to put it in the App Store,” Weigt said Protocol. “They might just want to share it with their friends. It’s a creative outlet just like painting or something.”
It’s also a way for developers to build buzz around upcoming apps. Clubhouse, a social network of developers, is still TestFlight despite being “the hottest app in Silicon Valley.”
With the extra attention paid to TestFlight lists and exclusive apps, some developers are worried that Apple will cut back on how the platform is used. Until then, however, the trend is likely to continue – especially since Apple has anti-trust control and other criticism for its App Store policies.
“The App Store forces every app to try to become a multinational conglomerate, but TestFlight lets them remain mother-and-pop stores,” Protocols David Pierce writes.
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