Public Apps
While Apple takes great care to ensure that only apps with the "largest possible public" target group end up in the AppStore, Google does not check how large the target group is. This means that B2C apps can be published just as well as onboarding apps for individual companies.
If the content is not intended for the public, but no other publication channel is possible, it is recommended to deactivate the registration and import users yourself.
Apps as "Closed Testing"
If you do not want an app to be visible to everyone in the PlayStore, but you want it to receive new updates automatically as usual, we recommend publishing the app as a "closed test".
New users must first opt in, i.e. click a button themselves, in order to register as testers.
After the click, they are included in the test program and get a link to the Google Play Store, where they can download the app.
Once the app is installed, it behaves like any other app, updates automatically, etc. As seen in the example here, ovos uses this way to publish the internal app.
Private Apps in Managed Play Store (Enterprise Apps)
Google offers several ways to avoid publishing internal apps to the public PlayStore. However, this only works if you manage your employees' smartphones and tablets - e.g. using Frontline, Business, Enterprise or Education programs. A company's own managed play store can then include the app.
In this case, apps for customers are usually created unsigned and submitted manually.
In this case, the effort for ovos is greater, since the app has to be built and submitted manually so that the customer can upload it him/herself. With this form, additional costs are to be expected.