Test LineBy on Android

Open call — two minutes to join, nothing to fill in

LineBy is finished on Android. What it doesn't have is permission: Google won't let a new solo developer publish to the Play Store until twelve people have run the app in a closed test for fourteen days. We're one person and one game, so we're asking in the open — and if you've got an Android phone, you'd be doing us a real favour.

How to join

Three taps, all on Google's side. Use the Google account that's signed in on your Android phone for every one of them — Play ties test access to that exact account. Nothing here comes to us: no form, no email. Google keeps the count, and we read it in the Play Console.

Same account throughout Become a tester

  1. Join the tester group. Google Play only admits testers through a Google Group, so this is the door. Joining is instant and needs no approval. Join lineby-testers
  2. Opt in on Google Play. Play looks up the group before it lets you in, and a membership that's seconds old can take a few minutes to show. If it says you're not a tester yet, give it a moment and reload. Opt in to the test
  3. Install LineBy and keep it installed for fourteen days. Play as much or as little as you like — there's no quota and no survey. Google counts you from the moment you opt in. Install from Google Play

Questions people actually ask

Why does LineBy need testers at all?

Because Google says so. A personal developer account opened after late 2023 has to run a closed test — at least twelve testers, opted in without a break for fourteen days — before it may publish anything to everyone. It's a rule about the account, not the game: the iOS version has been on the App Store since June. Twelve is a lot of people for a one-person studio, so rather than pretend we have a QA department, we ask.

Which Google account should I use?

The one signed in on your Android phone. Play ties test access to that exact account, so joining the group with another one won't unlock the build. A Workspace address on your own domain is fine — it's still a Google account.

Do you collect my email?

No. There's nothing on this page to fill in. Joining the group and opting in both happen on Google's side, and all we ever see is a tester count in the Play Console. Same as the game itself: no analytics, no tracking, nothing about you.

Can I stop?

Whenever you like. Leave the test from the same Google Play page you opted in on, and uninstall as you would any app. Lasting the fourteen days is what helps us; leaving early isn't held against anyone.

Is the test build the finished game?

Yes. It's the same 315 puzzles as the iOS version, built for Android. The test is a formality Google requires, not a beta in the rough-edges sense — though if you do find a bug, tell us and we'll fix it.

When does it reach the Play Store?

Fourteen days after the twelfth tester opts in, we can apply for production access. Google reviews that in about a week, and then LineBy is on the Play Store for everyone.