“Item not found” for several testers: the group isn't on the track
Several testers get “Item not found” from the start because the testers' group isn't on the closed testing track, or was entered as an email list. Add it under “Google Groups” in the track's Testers tab.
What you see
From the start, several testers get “Item not found” or can't become testers, and no one, or almost no one, has installed the app.
Why
Peerbeta's testers reach your app through our Google group. If the group isn't on the closed testing track, Google Play doesn't let them in. The same happens when the address went in as an email list: a track uses either email lists or Google groups, never both.
What to do
- In the Play Console, go to “Test and release › Testing › Closed testing” and open the track that holds your release.
- Open the “Testers” tab and choose “Google Groups”, not “Email lists”.
- Paste the address or addresses shown in the “Add the testers' group” step of your Peerbeta test, then save.
- If managed publishing is on, your change waits until you publish it from “Publishing overview”.
If friends and family were in an email list, the track loses them when you switch: put them in a Google group of your own and add it next to ours.
What Peerbeta does
When at least two testers can't find the app from the start, the diagnosis sends you an alert. If two of the first three testers report the link as broken, Peerbeta pauses the test and the link shows “Not found by testers”.
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“Join the testers' group first”: the group step was skipped
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