You need 12 testers who stay opted in for 14 days. Finding them is the part most developers underestimate. This guide compares the options honestly. The recruitment advice from Google is on its testing requirements page.

What Google suggests

Google says the most common way to recruit testers is through personal and professional networks: friends, family, colleagues or classmates. It also suggests connecting with communities where your potential users already are (for a fitness app, local clubs or online groups) and posting about your app on social media. It advises recruiting a diverse group that represents your intended audience, because the closer testers are to your real users, the more useful their feedback.

The options

Option	Cost	Strength	Risk
Friends, family, colleagues	Free	They answer you quickly	They may forget to stay opted in, or give shallow feedback
Communities of your target users	Free	The best feedback	Slow, and you must be active in the community first
Followers on social media	Free	Real interest	Few people respond
Tester swap groups	Free, but you test their apps too	Quick to start	Everyone is in a hurry, so feedback is thin
A paid service	A one-time fee	Saves your time	Quality varies a lot. See the questions below

Recruit more than 12

Plan for dropouts. If you need 12 and recruit 16, up to four can leave without delaying you. Our guide on what to do when a tester drops out explains why a late dropout is costly.

A message you can send

Hi [name], I am about to publish my first Android app, [app name], and Google requires me to test it with real people for two weeks. Would you help? It takes a few minutes a few times a week. You would use the app, and tell me if anything is confusing or broken. I will send you a short guide. Thank you!

Then send the message template for testers to everyone who says yes.

What to avoid

Accounts that exist only to be counted do not give you feedback. Google's application asks you to summarize the feedback you received and how engaged your testers were, so counted-but-silent accounts do not help you answer. Stay with real people.

If you pay for testers: questions to ask first

• Are they real people on real Android devices?
• Do they need your Play Console password? (They should not. Only your opt-in link.)
• What happens if a tester drops out? Is replacement included?
• What evidence do you get: check-ins, screenshots, written findings?
• What is the refund policy, and under which conditions?
• Does anyone promise Google's approval? Nobody can. Google decides.

Our own answers are on the refund page, and the report format is in the sample report. For costs, see what closed testing really costs.

ClosedTest is an independent service and is not affiliated with Google.