What are the Spotify Alpha and Beta programs?
By signing up as an Alpha or Beta tester of the Spotify app, you will get early versions of our new releases before we roll them out to everyone else. This is an invaluable help for us, as it allows us to find issues and crashes before we ship the release to millions of users.
The Alpha users will get new versions of the app almost daily, as soon as developers add new changes. These are early versions of the app, and there may be stability issues from time to time. The Alpha users help us find these issues as soon as they are introduced and allow us to fix them as soon as possible.
The Beta users will get new versions around a week before we roll them out to end users. The release will be almost done, but the feedback we get from Beta users makes sure we can find and fix any final issues.
Will Alpha and Beta users get access to new features?
We want to be very open here: in most cases, there will not be any new features in the Alpha and Beta builds. In some rare cases, we may try our new features in these programs, but most of the time new features are rolled out gradually to all users. The main reason to join the Alpha and Beta program is to help us create the best product we can.
Should I do anything special to test the app?
No, just use the app as you usually would and report any issues you find.
How do I sign up?
In order to sign up to the Alpha or Beta program, first join the Alpha or Beta Google group and then accept the test invite.
Android Alpha Google Group
Android Beta Google Group
Then go to the Android App Testing page and click “Become a Tester”.
Now, go to the Play Store, and download or update the Spotify Music app. You will get the latest Alpha or Beta version of the app.
It may take a while before you get the updated version.
In order to stay on the latest version, the best option is to enable automatic updates of the app.
I'm already a Beta tester, can I still sign up to be an Alpha tester?
Yes, just join the Alpha Google Group. Again, note that it may take a while before you get the updated version.
How do I stop being an Alpha or Beta tester?
Go to the same link as when you accepted becoming a tester.
Now, select “Leave Program”, instead.
Then, uninstall the Alpha or Beta version of the app and reinstall the app from the app store.
As with joining, it may take a while for the changes to be reflected in the app store.
How do I report an issue?
In the Alpha and Beta Google Groups, there is a pinned welcome message at the very top. This message includes instructions on how to report issue.
We also also be shutting down the Community Beta Board for Android.
The latest version is having issues, how do I get a stable one?
In some cases, you may run into issues with the early access version. If you do, please let us know what the problem is by reporting a issue.
There is no way to temporarily install another version of the app, so if the app is not usable to you, it is possible to temporarily leave the Alpha or Beta program.
Of course, we will do all we can to fix any critical issues as soon as possible.
Staff / Moderator/ 3 years ago in Social & Random