How to beta test a WP7 app?

Is it possible to开发者_JS百科 build an Ad Hoc build of our app and send it to our beta testers? Is this even possible?

Microsoft have just announced the beta test feature that @MattLacey had spoken off. Some of the benefits include

• Submitting your application for beta distribution is free.
• Submitting your application for beta distribution does not count against your submission credits.
• You put your application into the hands of testers prior to releasing the application to the general public.
• You have complete control over who can participate in the beta testing of your application.
• Users download and install your application using the standard Windows Phone Marketplace procedures.
• Your application can be tested on retail devices.
• Your users do not have to be registered developers.

Hopefully this process is as pains free and developer friendly as possible.

You can build the XAP for your application and distribute it to your beta testers, but they will require a developer unlocked phone to be able to deploy the application to their phone. There is no mechanism within the Marketplace to distribute an application as a beta to a wider audience. There are plenty of people out there with developer unlocked phones, so if you're looking for beta testers, you could always post a message on Twitter using the #wp7dev hashtag.

Microsoft have repeatedly said that this functionality will be coming (it was promised before launch) but a formal method for doing this is not presently available and there is no official time scale for it.

If you're not able/willling to share your XAP file then some people have suggested just releasing it to the marketplace in it's beta form and making it clear that it is still a beta. e.g. call it MyAppBeta; be explicit about the beta status in the marketplace description and in the app.

Once testing is over you can remove the beta app and add the real version.