Join the closed beta

1. What is a beta?

A beta is an early version of the app, before it appears in the regular App Store or Play Store. Apple and Google each have their own system for this: on iPhone it's called TestFlight, on Android a closed test. Either way you install the app through a separate link instead of the store itself — that's normal, not a mistake or a workaround.

2. iPhone: joining through TestFlight

TestFlight is Apple's own way of testing beta apps. It's made by Apple and free to install from the App Store.

First install TestFlight from the App Store. Then, on your iPhone, open the invitation link: testflight.apple.com/join/nFCuVFmy.

In TestFlight, tap “Accept” and then “Install” to install Fellow Finder.

3. Android: What you need

An Android phone, and the Google account you use to sign in to the Play Store on that phone. Google ties the test to that account: if your address isn't in the tester group, the app doesn't exist for you in the Play Store.

4. Android: How to join

Join the tester group: groups.google.com/g/fellow-finder. Use the same Google account as on your phone.

Then open the test link on your phone: play.google.com/apps/testing/com.fellowfinder.app.

Tap “Become a tester” and follow the link to Google Play.

Install Fellow Finder. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour before the app becomes visible to your account; if it doesn't work right away, try again later the same day.

5. Android: Please stay opted in for the fourteen days

The count isn't how many people ever joined, but how many are opted in right now. If it drops below twelve, the fourteen-day period starts over — even if you only uninstalled the app for a bit. Uninstalling is fine; staying a tester is what matters. If you want to stop for good, let us know at [email protected] so someone else can take your place.

6. Android: What happens to your email address

To test, your Google address has to sit in the tester group. That's not a Fellow Finder choice — it's how closed testing works on Google Play.

Your address is visible to the group owner, not to other testers.

It isn't used for anything else: no newsletter, no account, no link to anything you enter in the app. Fellow Finder has no server and never sends your data anywhere. The group is deleted once the test ends.

Fellow Finder is a recovery aid, so testing it says something about you. You don't need to use your everyday address: a new Google account with a neutral name works just as well. Add it as a second account on your phone and switch the Play Store to it before opening the test link.