Different Package Name in Google Play Beta Testing

Question

I already deployed my production app with this package name com.companyname.appandroid. Now I want my developing and QA app in Beta Releasing be recognized with more suffix like com.companyname.appandroid.qa and com.companyname.appandroid.dev.

How is it possible?

Answer 1

I don't think this is possible :(

Answer 2

This is not something that the Play console will do for you.

Some apps do this, since they started beta testing before Google Play beta testing exist, or because they want users to be able to have the beta version and the production version at the same time. One example is Chrome:

Chome Chrome Beta

If you do this, you have to manage them as two completely separate apps in the Play console. This will work, but:

• it will be more work for you because you'll have to update screenshots, descriptions etc separately
• you can't share in-app products
• Users on the beta can get left behind if you update the prod but not the beta
• it is more work to promote an APK from Beta to Prod

Answer 3

It's not possible .if you change package name it will different app.you can give apk name to differentiate.

Answer 4

If you want to publish your beta version as a separate app so that users can use the production and beta app in parallel, all you have to do is to change the applicationId in your app's build.gradle (e.g. by appending ".qa" or ".dev" as you suggest).

This is how e.g. Chrome and Firefox make their beta versions available on the Play Store.

See the Android developer's page on the application ID for more details. It discusses using build variants to publish different versions of the app with different package name, for example to have a "Free" and "Pro" version. For a beta version you would rather use different branches than build variants, but in any case you create different apps with different application IDs.