# What I Send (and Never Send) Before an $8 Google Play Closed Test Starts The first time I paid for closed testers, I spent longer worrying about the handover than about the money. What do they need from me? Will they want my Play Console login? What if I send the wrong link and lose two days? It turns out the handover is small. For a 12testers.pro run it is one of two things, and the rest is checking your own setup so the testers can actually get in. Here's the list I now go through every time, in order. **Short version:** you add one Google Group email to your closed track or share your official opt-in link, and that's it. Nothing else leaves your hands. If that's all you needed to know, [get 12 testers for $8](https://12testers.pro/pricing?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=what-to-send-before-8-closed-test&utm_content=cta-top) and come back to the checks below before you pay. ![Checklist of the closed test handover: add the Google Group or share the opt-in link; never send passwords, API keys, keystores or app files](https://cdn.hashnode.com/uploads/covers/6ad5f6413bb1d9e95df60d40/e4dbcf86-f4fe-4763-b275-60508e7fcf4d.png) ## The two things you can send **Option 1: add the Google Group.** In Play Console, go to **Test and release > Testing > Closed testing**, open your track, then the **Testers** tab. Add `testers@12testers.pro` as a Google Group, save, and you're done on the access side. I prefer this one because there's nothing to copy wrong. **Option 2: share the opt-in link.** On the same Testers tab, under **How testers join your test**, there's the web opt-in link. Copy it exactly. That link is the only thing the testers need if you'd rather not add a group. Either route works. What you never need to send is anything that logs into your account. ## What I never send The FAQ on 12testers.pro is blunt about this and I agree with it: no Google password, no Play Console password, no API key, no private credentials. I'd add a few things developers sometimes paste without thinking: - A Play Console invite with admin permissions. Testers are not users of your developer account. - A service account JSON file. That's for upload tooling, not testing. - Your upload keystore or its passwords. - A direct APK or AAB file. Closed testers install from Google Play, which is the whole point of the test. If anyone selling testers asks for one of those, stop there. ## The checks I run before paying Paying is the easy part. These five checks are what decide whether the testers can join on day one or whether I lose a day going back and forth. **1. There's a release on the closed track.** Open the track and look at the **Releases** tab. An empty track with a tester list has nothing to install. Upload a build, roll it out to the track, and wait for it to pass review. **2. The changes were actually sent.** Go to **Publishing overview**. If it lists changes that haven't been sent for review, testers will see nothing. Send them, and if managed publishing is on, remember you have to publish them yourself after approval. **3. Countries are set.** The closed track has its own **Countries / regions** tab. If it's empty or narrow, some testers can open the link and still not get the app. I add every country I'm willing to ship to. **4. The link opens for someone who isn't me.** I open the opt-in link in a private browser window signed into a spare Google account. If I see the page to become a tester, the route is open. If I see an error or "not available", I fix that before handing anything over. **5. Nothing on the app content side is red.** Open **Policy and programs > App content** and clear anything that says action needed. Not all of it blocks a closed test, but it's cheaper to fix now than during the 14 days. ![Four Play Console checks before paying for testers: release on the closed track, changes sent, countries set, opt-in link opens](https://cdn.hashnode.com/uploads/covers/6ad5f6413bb1d9e95df60d40/86555d53-d328-432c-aefe-467eb3a2ea6d.png) ## What happens after the handover This part is short because it's not my job anymore. Per the [how it works page](https://12testers.pro/how-it-works?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=what-to-send-before-8-closed-test&utm_content=inline), once the release and opt-in route are verified, the device pool joins the closed track. The FAQ says the devices usually join within 12 to 24 hours of adding the group or sharing an accessible link, and the testing window starts once the release and access route are verified. The run is 14 physical Android devices for 16 continuous days. That's two more devices and two more days than Google's minimum of 12 testers opted in for 14 days, which is the buffer I care about. I still check the opted-in count myself on the Testers tab every few days. Your own Play Console is the source of truth, not anyone's dashboard. ## Keep these three things I save these on day one, before I forget where they are: - The order reference from checkout. - The app's package name. - A screenshot of the Testers tab showing the opted-in count. Those are the same three things the refund policy asks for if something goes wrong on the service side. The policy says that if fewer than 12 of their testers stay opted in for the 14 days, they re-run the test free or refund the $8. It also says plainly that Google's production-access decision is outside their control, and no tester service can change that. ![12testers.pro pricing page showing the $8 per app managed closed test with 14 physical devices for 16 days](https://cdn.hashnode.com/uploads/covers/6ad5f6413bb1d9e95df60d40/1fc940fd-4bae-4cce-9072-8c71de6fe5b7.png) ## The whole handover, on one line One Google Group email or one opt-in link, after five checks on your own track. No passwords, no files, no admin invites. If your track passes the checks and you just need the testers, [get 12 testers for $8 on 12testers.pro](https://12testers.pro/pricing?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=what-to-send-before-8-closed-test&utm_content=cta-bottom). It's a one-time payment through Dodo Payments checkout, with no subscription.