Production Access is Rejected By Google Play | How to Solve it

Recently Google started going vague at developers and started rejecting the production access for many apps after closed testing on the Google Play. Lets see what are the reasons and how you can get production access.

Reasons for production access getting rejected

Based on email sent by Google, it might be because of the following reasons

1. Didn’t fill the production form correctly : Many developers don’t fill this form with all the details. Google might have not understood about your app.
2. Didn’t update your app: Google also thinks that you need to update your app based on the feedback received from the testers. If not, it might mean that you didn’t took the feedback from testers or you didn't act on the feedback.
3. Testers were not engaged : This might not be the exact reason, since I talked to a lot of affected developers and many of them told that their testers tested their apps continuously for 14 days. They got testers from friends & family, fiverr, testing agencies, reddit, etc.

How to Get Production access in Google Play?

I personally talked to lot of affected developers and read a lot on posts on reddit about this issue. To ensure you don’t get this issue, you need to follow this steps

1. Publish at least 3 new closed testing releases
2. Improve the app quality
3. Fill the Production access form with Great answers (I will list the answers below)

1) Publish Closed Testing Releases

In the 14 days of Closed testing, publish at least 3 new releases of your app. Just do some minor changes to your app and upload the release to your closed testing track. Also add some good points in the release notes like how you improved the app.

We are doing this just to tell google that we took feedback from testers and acted on that feedback by updating the app. Don’t ignore this step since it is the important one and do it even if your app don’t have any issues.

2) Improve the App Quality

One of the main aspect google checks is your app quality. Make sure that your app is well designed with a professional UI and UX and also with no underlying bugs or overflowing columns.

You can get a small glance of your app bugs and issues from the pre-launch report. You can find Pre-launch report on the bottom left side of the Play Console. Fix all the issues shown in the report and upload a new release( keep total no of issues less than 10).

It is very important because the only reason this new requirement is introduced is to ensure that only high quality will be published on the play store

3) Fill the Production Access form with Good answers

This is also one the main reasons for production access getting rejected. You need to answer 10 questions about your app and testing. Ensure that you fill at least 250–300 words for each question. I wrote the answers to those questions for a Chess app, but the answers will apply to every app with some small changes.

1) How did you recruit users for your closed test? For example, did you ask friends and family, or use a paid testing provider?

I partnered with a professional, paid testing company, which allowed me to connect with experienced testers who were able to give detailed and targeted feedback. In addition to this, I reached out through online communities, specifically those that aligned with my target audience, to include testers who would reflect real-world users of the app.

2) How easy was it to recruit testers for your app?

Neither difficult nor easy

3) Describe the engagement you received from testers during your closed test

Testers provided a detailed feedback on the app, identifying bugs and suggesting improvements. Thanks to their feedback, targeted updates have been made, resulting in a more intuitive interface, new gameplay features, and an optimised user experience.

4) Provide a summary of the feedback that you received from testers. Include how you collected the feedback.

We gathered feedback by talking to testers and through Play Store feedback section. The feedback was positive: they reported minor bugs and suggested features such as new levels, a splash screen and a user menu, thus helping to improve the overall app experience.

5) What changes did you make to your app based on what you learned during your closed test?

Based on testers feedback, we optimised the interface to be more intuitive, added a splash screen, and enhanced navigation by refining menu labels. Additionally, requested features were added and minor bugs were fixed to ensure smoother functionality.

6) How did you decide that your app is ready for production?

We determined the app is production-ready due to its refined interface, seamless navigation, and high engagement features. We also addressed every significant tester feedback point, enhanced functionality, and polished the design to meet usability standards. The app’s stability, appeal, and bug-free experience make it ready for public launch.

7) What did you do differently this time?

This time, we actively incorporated testers feedback directly into development cycle with refining the interface, improving accessibility, adding new features and making it bug free. Our focus on usability and intuitive design, guided by real-user input, has resulted in a polished, responsive app that meets user needs and is production-ready.

Remaining questions are user specific, so answer them based on your application. Just ensure that each answer is at least 250–300 words long.

Conclusion:

We all hate Google’s 20 testers policy and prayed that google will take it back but after this new changes it seems that the policy is there to stay. But anyways we indie developers are here to stay too. I will update you with more information and solutions in future, so hit that follow button.

For any doubts you contact me at testerscommunity7@gmail.com

To get 20 testers for 14 days for your app, you can download our app Testers Community. Its completely free app and you can get 20 testers within 48 hours.