Yes, it is possible to test apps in advance.
Web version as "app" on smartphone/tablet
The very simplest way is to type the web address into the mobile browser. After that, when you add the link to the home screen, the website behaves like the mobile app. Only push notifications are not possible in this form.
This is how it works on iOS (iOS 16.6 / Safari)
Step 1: Click on the Share button at the bottom center (the square with the arrow pointing up)
Step 2: Select "Go to Home Screen" from the drop-down list.
Step 3: If necessary, give it another name and click on "Add" in the upper right corner.
This is how it works on Android (Android 13 /Chrome)
Step 1: Open the browser menu on the top right and click "Install App".
Step 2: Click Install.
In the ovos play Teams app on the smartphone/tablet
To do so, simply download our ovos play Teams app from the respective store:
When you open the app, you will be asked for a team name. This is always the part of the instance web address before the `app.ovosplay.com`. So for demo.app.ovosplay.com, the team name would be `demo`.
If this does not work for your instance yet, talk to your contact at ovos, this can be quickly enabled for you.
Once the team name has been entered, the Teams app will behave like your own app. You will then not have to enter the team name again each time.
iOS: App-testing via Testflight
It is possible to test apps internally before they are sent through Apple's review process. However, everything must already be prepared for this - there must be a store account, we at ovos must have been invited and there must also be a "blank app" to which the test version can be sent.
Once an app version has been sent towards Apple, it can be made available in Testflight - how that works technically is not really relevant to you.
But you can then decide who should get access to the test version - there are internal testers and external testers.
internal testers: here you can find all of them linked to your store account
external testers: here you can invite via email all the people who should test the app
For testing, testers need to download an app - Testflight allows easy beta testing. Here is the download link.
The invited test users will then receive an email informing them that they have been invited for testing.
If you have already downloaded Testflight before, you can follow the invitation right away - if not, the installation of Testflight is necessary first.
After successfully opening it, you only need to accept the invitation and you can already install the trial version.
Android: Alpha, Beta and so on
Android offers three different test options: an internal test, a closed test or an open test. From current experience, a closed test is the most common.
Here is a description of the various testing options from Google itself:
Internal testing: Create an internal testing release to quickly distribute your app to up to 100 testers for initial quality assurance checks. We recommend running an internal test before releasing your app to the closed or open tracks. If needed, you can run internal tests concurrently with closed and open tests for different versions of your app.
Closed testing: Create a closed testing release to test pre-release versions of your app with a wider set of testers to gather more targeted feedback. Once you've tested with a smaller group of colleagues or trusted users, you can expand your test to an open release.
Open testing: Create an open testing release to run a test with a large group and surface your app's test version on Google Play. If you run an open test, anyone can join your testing program and submit private feedback to you. Before choosing this option, make sure your app and store listing is ready to be visible on Google Play.
What is the best way to proceed?
Simply describe the use case for your test run and we will find a suitable way for you to make the app available to a small group in advance.