Google Play -- Download link for unpublished app?

Question

Is it possible to have a download link for an unpublished app in Google Play? I want to send it out to a few people before publishing.

I know I could just send an APK, but I would like to have it staged first.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible to download apps from a URL directly (the Amazon app store is distributed in this way) the only caveat is that the phone needs to be set to accept non app-store (Google Play) apps.

Answer 2

Google Play now allows you to publish beta and alpha versions of your mobile application.

This involves creating a Google Group or Google+ community, and inviting your testers to it. They can then use a link of the form https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.example.packagename to opt in to the beta.

They beta/alpha APK will then be available for them to download normally via Google Play.