Android – Create Group for Google Play Alpha testers

androidgoogle-groupsgoogle-play

Launching the first test version of my android app, I have followed instructions on creating a google group. Then I return to the Play page where to specify the group. But when I copy and paste my group name and click Add, I get the message of Group not found. Does anyone have some advice/guidance on how to successfully create a group of alpha testers?

Best Answer

I found the fix. Instead of just pasting the group name, you have to type the group's email address completely including the @googlegroups.com part. So if your group's name is myfriends then you must type myfriends@googlegroups.com in the box.

Related Solutions

Java – Can’t start Eclipse – Java was started but returned exit code=13

Your version of Eclipse is 64-bit, based on the paths and filenames. However, the version of Java that it's picking up is 32-bit, as indicated by where it is coming from, on this line:

-vm C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe

Program Files (x86) is the folder where 64-bit Windows places 32-bit programs.

Program Files is the folder where 64-bit Windows places 64-bit programs.

This can happen when a system has more than one JVM installed, as is often the case on Windows 64-bit (for example, the JRE download page uses the bit-ness of the browser to determine what bit-ness download to offer you, and many people use(d) 32-bit browsers even though they run 64-bit Windows).

The best way to fix this, assuming you do in fact have 64-bit JRE or JDK on your system, is to specify in eclipse.ini exactly which JVM you want it to use. The instructions are detailed in the Eclipse wiki page, but basically you have to specify the -vm option in the ini file - make sure to read the wiki page carefully as the format is very specific.

Specifying the JVM path in eclipse.ini is strongly recommended because doing so isolates Eclipse from any potential changes to your system PATH that some program installers might make (I'm talking to you, Oracle!).

Another option would be to download and use 32-bit Eclipse instead of 64-bit, but it's still strongly recommended to specify the path to the JVM in eclipse.ini.

Left for historical reference:

To check your version of Java, run

  java -version

in a console (command prompt). On Windows 7 with 64-bit Java 6 I get:

  java version "1.6.0_27"
  Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_27-b07)
  Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.2-b06, mixed mode)

Note the 3rd line, which shows that this is a 64-bit version.

On a 32-bit version you'll get something like:

  Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 20.1-b02, mixed mode, sharing)

If you are on a 64-bit machine, then you can install the 64-bit JDK and uninstall the 32-bit one. For instance on Windows 10, just go to Settings and under Apps, you will find Java. Click on it and you will find all the different versions. Now you can select which one to uninstall.

Android – How to open the Google Play Store directly from the Android application

You can do this using the market:// prefix.

Java

final String appPackageName = getPackageName(); // getPackageName() from Context or Activity object
try {
    startActivity(new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("market://details?id=" + appPackageName)));
} catch (android.content.ActivityNotFoundException anfe) {
    startActivity(new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=" + appPackageName)));
}

Kotlin

try {
    startActivity(Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("market://details?id=$packageName")))
} catch (e: ActivityNotFoundException) {
    startActivity(Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse("https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=$packageName")))
}

We use a try/catch block here because an Exception will be thrown if the Play Store is not installed on the target device.

NOTE: any app can register as capable of handling the market://details?id=<appId> Uri, if you want to specifically target Google Play check the Berťák answer