Google Play Store Internal Testing Link Not Working

Question

This is my first upload to the Google Play Store and I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or reading this incorrectly but I uploaded my APK and invited my test users and everything seems to be giving me the green light (see below picture) but when I copy the URL and send it to my test users, it just loads and loads.

I then tried to create a closed test and it is in review and now the link is saying "we are sorry the requested URL is not found on this server".

As you can see it has been just about 48 hours since my submission for internal testers. Is the closed test causing issues with the internal test URL? Why would the internal test just continue to load? Should my test users get an email with the appropriate URL?

Unscrew

Jan 19 2021 and the issue remains. I suggest sending APK files directly to users since the internal testing lag seems ridiculous. – Miry

Make sure testers are using the same email id you have added in your testers list and testers need to accept the invitation from the test link to test the app. – Taxation

Answer 1

Okay after three days, the app is now available in the internal test. It seems that it can take more than two days. So be patient.

Melanoid

it took me about 4 days as well. Thank you! – Unscrew

4 days for internal testing, holy shirtballs. That is insane. – Rojas

7 business days and still waiting – Licko

Answer 2

The playstore console takes about a day to review your code and catch any serious errors like incorrect importations to your classes. During that time, clicking on the internal testing section will lead to such a scene with a clock symbol:

After review, the app is made available to testers and is marked with a green tick like this:

So now that the console has reviewed your code, all that is left is finding the right link to distribute to your testers. The easy to find link most of the time doesn't work. It is readily available on the dashboard (view on Google play):

But this is not the link. The real links are found when you click on internal testing under the Testing panel on the left side of the screen. On the new screen, click on Testers to the left of Releases then scroll down to the real links that work:

Copy them and share to your email list.

Dolmen

It's those "real" links from that exact spot that seem to generate the errors observed by the OP -- at least they did for me a few minuttes ago. – Valenciavalenciennes

it's ridicolous in the first place that there are links with misleading information. Why does google even put it there: to mess with us? – Lonnalonnard

Answer 3

We're in 2022 and still, we cannot use Google Internal test workflow. It gives the old app's URl as a testing URL. You can see this logged issue here.

Please put your feedback also under that issue. We must need a proper solution from Google here. I'm really disappointed about this workflow right now.

Issue since 2021

https://support.google.com/googleplay/thread/135984006/play-store-internal-test-link-is-not-working-correctly?hl=en

Haycock

Issue is no longer accesibile. Nor the problem fixed, that's how I get here. – Compensation

Answer 4

Same issue I was facing. and here is how I fix it. go to Testing -> Internal testing -> Manage release -> App Bundle (click on -> button) -> downloads -> Manage access -> check your tester group -> Save changes

Bernina