Multi-user beta app

Interesting!
I would be there for the test! But it would have to be a test app including for Edge devices. I don't have a watch.

Yes, the secret code would have been my next idea. Less "non user" friendly, but we can only blame Garmin

peterdedecker said:

i think you would also need to connect your watch to that account. I guess it's OK if you have a watch to spare.

A single watch can be registered to multiple accounts without syncing to all of them.

flocsy🤠 said:

Will the beta app be usable (if it has settings and records fit file)

I think this should work as I have done something similar for private use years ago - I have one Connect account for personal use and one for development, and I temporarily switched a watch to the development account to install a beta app from my dev account. This was actually a bit of a pain, so I subsequently used my personal account for beta apps.

I do think the secret code approach is the best way to go, in the absence of any way to actually upload a beta app which can be installed by other users. The process you described is too much of a hassle for everyone imo, especially compared to simply sharing a secret code with everyone.

I think multi-user betas might be a good feature request tho. A similar feature request could be to allow marking an app as "unlisted" in the store (like an unlisted youtube video), so only people with the URL can download it.

flocsy🤠 said:

We're planning a new app with some friends

If it's just an app with trusted friends, another (not so great) alternative could be to simply distribute the IQ file to all your friends, and have them upload it as a beta to their own accounts. I mean, if they were all willing to log in and out of your special developer account every time they have to update the app, this isn't really much more of an imposition imo.

Compared to the "secret code" solution, the only advantage is that the app isn't listed in the store.

Compared to the "shared developer account" solution, I see a few advantages:

- no need to log in and out of a shared account, or worry that their device will accidentally sync with the shared account (e.g. say they do a wi-fi sync right after logging into the shared account - will the device sync with the shared account or their personal account?)

- no need for them to register their devices with the shared account (this will share their devices' serial number with everyone - maybe not a big deal tho)

Some of the team are only users (they work on other parts of the project, like android, ios), so having to open a Garmin dev account + uploading distributed iq files is also not very user friendly, so I'll go with the secret code + some clear statement in the app description not to download it unless you already have the secret code.

I also want to share my app in beta - after all, what is the point of a beta app if it's not to share it with beta testers? Would be great if this could be made possible with a simple sharing mechanism, e.g. a private link.

bostonwalker said:

what is the point of a beta app if it's not to share it with beta testers

To quote Garmin:

"Connect IQ beta apps allows developers to test app settings and Garmin Connect integration in production without releasing the app."

(Garmin Connect integration refers to writing developer FIT fields and having the graphs and summary information show up in Connect. App settings are settings in Connect, not on the device. Neither of those things will work unless the app has been uploaded to the store.)

I do think that the name "beta app" suggests exactly what you said tho.

Brandon.ConnectIQ maybe this should be also moved to https://forums.garmin.com/developer/connect-iq/f/connect-iq-web-store ?