Google App is Published on Internal Test Track but Can't Be Found/Downloaded

android google-play publish google-play-console rollout

88,203

Solution 1

If this is the first time your app is being published on a track, it will take a couple of hours to be processed. This is only a one-time thing though, for future updates, the availability will be immediate on the internal test track.

Once the app is available, you'll also need to follow the opt-in link to be eligible for the download of the app.

Solution 2

Please delete cache and data of google play app on your device, then new updated version will be available

Solution 3

For Android App Bundles (AAB)

On the left menu, select Release > Devices and versions > App bundle explorer.
Select the artifact filter near the top right of the page.
On the “Choose an artifact” table, select the right arrow on the artifact you want to view.
Select the Downloads tab.
To share a link to install a specific APK: In the “Internal app sharing link” section, select Copy shareable link.

As of today, the format of the shareable link:

https://play.google.com/apps/test/<package.name>/<version.number>

For Both APKs and AABs

You can use Internal app sharing instead.

Upload an APK or app bundle on the internal app sharing upload page Then you can make your app available to anyone by sharing a download link.

Before anyone can download, they need to turn on internal app sharing on their Google Play Store app.

Open the Google Play Store app Google Play.
Tap Menu Menu > Settings.
In the “About” section, tap the Play Store version 7 times.
After the Internal app sharing setting appears, tap the switch to turn on internal app sharing.

More information can be found here.

Solution 4

Answer for latest play console 2021 I was having same problem but since play console is lot different I didnt found any suitable solution but after trying a bit, this was solution that worked for me.

Play Console > Setup > Internal App Sharing > Email Lists > Make sure your email list is checked and saved.

In uploader and tester section make sure 'Anyone you shared link with can download' is selected.

Thats it.

I also created video on how this problem can be solved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAiu76l4-7s

Solution 5

I just went through this completely unintuitive process, so let me clear up some myths:

Internal testing does NOT require the app be publicly released
The review process for your app apparently needs to complete before the app is available, as others pointed out, but the Play Console gives no indication this is a prerequisite, and happily states in several places that the App is available to internal testers when it is not. In my case the review took about a month to complete, which is why the "We are experiencing longer than normal review times" message was appearing in the console. This was the initial creation of my app, so I don't know which items-under-review were actually required, as the whole backlog completed at the same time (also with no notice to me).
Even at this point, if I follow the 'join' link on my phone, I still have the same issues the OP had. Clearing Play Store cache and other tricks did nothing. Instead, I had to click it from a PC, follow the prompts, and choose to install to a specific device (which requires the 7-tap developer mode on the device mentioned by others)

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88,203

Author by

FreeZey

Updated on May 05, 2022

Comments

FreeZey about 2 years

I've successfully completed the publishing process for an APK to the Internal Test Track. But when I try to view the App for download on the Google Play Store using the "VIEW ON GOOGLE PLAY" link in the screenshot below...

...it opens a new window with the following error:

I've also tried using the testers link "download it on Google Play." below...

...but it results in the same message stating the App can't be found.

This is the first time the App has been published and it's being done on the Internal Test Track.

The automated testing picked up a few warning and minor issues but no errors:

Has anyone experienced this issue before? I've contacted Google support for advice but I thought it would be worth trying here too and seeing if anyone had any suggestions on what to try next. Thanks.
- Jacksonkr over 2 years
  
  Google Play Console > Release > Internal App Sharing > Select "Anyone you shared the link with can download" - even though I was already on the list, this is what made it work ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
FreeZey over 5 years

Thanks! The App was online for over 24 hours when I was experiencing the issue. But I did as advised and send the opt-in link to my tester user and this time it went to a summary page which DID link to a working store page. I also promoted the App from Internal to Closed but I don't know if that was a factor, I only mention it in case someone else see's this solution and the opt in link alone doesn't work for them.
JMK about 5 years

Ah so it takes time for this link to show up! I swear there is no mention of that on the portal, it seems like an instant thing, no wonder I was confused/thought I had made a mistake!
HX_unbanned almost 5 years

@JMK, how long it takes for this link to show up? I am now googling all over the place to understand why it is not showing up for me...
JMK almost 5 years

@HX_unbanned IIRC it took a day or two, was convinced I had done something wrong initially but it showed up eventually.
HX_unbanned almost 5 years

@JMK , thanks. Lets hope it happens to me as well :)
Muhammad bin Yusrat over 4 years

Isn't this something that should be 'fixed' by Google by now because this clearly doesn't seem to be the right functionality i-e linking users to a 'page not found' address.
Robin Manoli over 4 years

what if the opt-in url doesn't appear because the app is not published? what do you have to do to publish it when the internal test is already published?
Pierre over 4 years

The internal test track is only available to apps already published in the store.
Robin Manoli over 4 years

It was available for me even though I never published the app. After a lot of searching I realized that the app is pending for publishing. Although I was never informed of this, it is possible to see in the app's dashboard.So even that the internal test version is "launched" (not sure about the English word used), it might not be published and might be pending and you are not informed. Then go to the dashboard (or overview) of the app. It is linked on the left menu above Statistics. In the dashboard, at the top, where the app and logo are displayed, it says if it is pending for publishing.
Sharad S Katre over 4 years

How we can get to know that the app is available?
Machado over 4 years

It took me 4 days to get this in a published state. Google has really changed it's methodology.
Andi over 4 years

I have the same issue now and I was wondering if i do something wrong. But the status is in the dashboard togehter with an information at the top that the app is still in check. A link leads to this explanation: support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/63342‌82 So seems to be ok. I'm waiting for a status change now...
Beat over 4 years

For me (or now) it said that it can take up to 48hours
Ujjwal Singh about 4 years

@Pierre yes the internal-test track cannot be used unless the store listing is live. i.e. one has to wait until the app is published live at-least once..
Derek Lee about 4 years

For those of us not used to having to manage the cache of installed applications manually: This varies by device/OS version but some combinations of: Apps → Settings → Device (if displayed) → Apps/Applications/App Manager/Application Manager → Shows list of all apps installed → Google Play Store → Storage (if displayed) → Clear Cache/Clear Data (or search Google for your specific device)
nxmohamad almost 4 years

what on earth. the 'only applies to already published app' is such a crucial piece of info that needs to be made more obvious!
martijnboland almost 4 years

I'm getting the error: "The app '<appname>' needs to be published before you can use internal app sharing." :( Kinda defeats the whole point for it
Gayan almost 4 years

@DShook Maybe your package name is invalid. stackoverflow.com/a/57594516/3647002
stefanosn almost 4 years

If the internal test option is only available to already published apps why google is letting me use the internal test option! This is crucial! I was looking into this for over two hours! Google a multi billion company cant use child logic to help developers do their job. Unbelievable situation!
David Pears over 3 years

Is that true? You can only internally test an already published app? That makes little (well, no) sense?
Meekohi over 3 years

This has not been my experience -- it can take several hours for an update to appear on devices even after using the test track for many months.
Pierre over 3 years

@Meekohi This question is not about an open or closed track but about the internal test track.
Meekohi over 3 years

Correct, I am referring to the internal test track.
Pierre over 3 years

Consider reaching out to Play Developer support if you're seeing a different behaviour.
Adrian Laurenzi over 3 years

This works great, thanks so much. One note to people who have multiple Google Accounts. Make sure on Google Play Store you are logged into to the one that you selected when uploading the bundle/APK. If you dont you will get an infinite loading spinner.
Nigel over 3 years

According to the Google support contact us flow "...our support specialists won't be able to help you fix this problem. Please try one of the solutions given previously."
Pierre over 3 years

What have you tried? Was it your first upload? How long did you wait? It looks like this has worked for most people so I assume there is something different to your case and if so you may want to consider creating another post with the details of the symptoms and what you've tried for the best answer.
sokarcreative over 3 years

I have to do this every time I use a new internal test version of another package name. Seriously..
Mark McCorkle over 3 years

An internal test track is different than internal app sharing. People are really confused here. No, internal test tracks do not require a published / released version of the app.
rh16 over 3 years

If you have followed the steps in the accepted answer, this is most likely what will solve it for you
Jeff Ward over 3 years

This is so frustrating. Why would an app need to be published before it can be internally tested? Why is there no indication of an error? It simply doesn't work. But having built many Google integrations -- OAuth, YouTube, apps -- that's what I've come to expect from Google: Bad docs, no support, good luck.
Jeff Ward over 3 years

FYI - it just started working after a weekend, APK submitted Wednesday 12/9, not working Friday, working Monday 12/14. So 3-5 days for me. It also didn't download on the device directly, but the link works from Google Play on desktop -> install to device.
Maciej Pigulski over 3 years

I think your solution is about closed testing tracks and question is about internal testing tracks. Closed != Internal and your anwser that you can simply use "internal test tracks" is a bit confusing when compared to what is available in those Managed Google Play settings. Even on the screenshot you can see it says "closed testing tracks". Or the case is that closed tracks settings influence internal settings, that wouldn't be a total surprise ;-)
Alex over 3 years

So to conclude...does the app need to be published or not? i have created an open testing track...but am getting the same issue as the screenshot. The play store seriously sucks, it has been the worst part of my mobile app journey.
Nick over 3 years

This is ridiculous. I've got status "active" on the internal test track since Monday, now it's Sunday and app still cannot be downloaded for testing. I tried with Play app and desktop browser. Same is true, by the way, for pre-registration - says it's active, but nothing there. What's the point of testing and pre-reg if you need a published production version?! Not happy.
DuelistPlayer over 3 years

Since the acceptance answer has a million comments, I'll add one here to give weight to this answer: @barbie's suggestion worked for me to get rid of spinner (even if it was to get "not found" instead — that's better than interminable blank screen spinner). I still can't believe manual data & cache delete is needed though.
Henadzi Rabkin over 3 years

They have this small notice in manuals: "Note: If you're publishing an app for the first time, it may take up to 48 hours for your app's internal test to be available."
gMale over 3 years

THIS was it! The old console was bad. The new console is worse. So unclear. Note: I also had to make the app NOT DEBUGGABLE.
ffritz about 3 years

Thanks so much, this was the solution. They could not have designed it worse.
Swissdude about 3 years

Just to add another voice to the choir: I'm struggling with the same problem right now and so far, none of the suggested solutions work. Google really sucks, wrong or outdated docs, confusing instructions scattered all over the web. If I didn't have to, I'd trash the Android version of my app immediately.
Vering almost 3 years

This used to work flawlessly for me, but after changing artifact from apk to app-bundle, I can only download the latest apk-app from 'internal track'. I have tried to do a "clean the track", by creating a release with no artifacts (this is because version-code for apk is like "400123" (for x64) while only 123 for app-bundle). I tried unsubscribing and re-subscribing to the 'internal track'. Deleted my Google-id email from "testers". Cleared Google Play cache on device. Tried installing from web - but here only the newest apk-version is available (which is at least consistent).
Niko Dunk almost 3 years

Careful with this - we just went to production and no one could see it due to this Managed By Google Play setting (which we definitely didn't select). In Setup > Advanced Settings > Managed By Google play you need to UNcheck your org for it to be publicly available!
blalond almost 3 years

I found that the user also has to uninstall the publicly available version of your app from their phone before it allows install from the shareable link. Also needed to set permission according to stackoverflow.com/a/63205627/536625
blalond almost 3 years

This worked for me. The "internal app sharing" link didn't work until I set these permissions. Create such a link via this answer: stackoverflow.com/a/63205627/536625
Ayyappa over 2 years

Now remove option is removed too! WARNING WE NEED TO CREATE A NEW APP IF WE ACCIDENTALLY ENABLE MANAGED GOOGLE PLAY - YUK!
Nigel over 2 years

That sounds concerning. However, I just checked our app which is has "Managed" turned on, and we can still turn it off. I'm interested to see if other people have lost the ability to disable it too?
Chefk5 over 2 years

This solution worked for me youtube.com/watch?v=gAiu76l4-7s
Nicolas Mage over 2 years

A MONTH!! Wow. I would say this is an edge case as the longest review time i've personally ever experienced is ~24 hours and typically less.
Mahmoud over 2 years

No, be careful. Don't turn it on. This is totally a different thing. And If you enabled it you won't be able to revert that.
Jacksonkr over 2 years

@Chefk5 solution works ie Google Play Console > Release > Internal App Sharing > Select "Anyone you shared the link with can download"
andreszs about 2 years

@Pierre not it's not, I have been testing and using a non-published app from the internal testing track all week.
andreszs about 2 years

The review process is not required for Internal testing tracks. You just upload it, without descriptions, screenshots, nor answering the 700 questions for public apps, and it's ready to be installed on any device/emulator. Also, make sure to add the users to the Testers list, otherwise the store won't show the app (even with the invite link - it is for inviting members of your list exclusively).
Pierre about 2 years

By published, I mean on any track that is not "internal testing". Released on a closed track is still considered published even if it's not publicly available.
zaitsman about 2 years

Thank you so much for the detailed response!!!!