FirePhone-D-Right-App-GridAndroid app developers who want to beta test their apps have a new service to call upon, thanks to Amazon. The company launched “Live App Testing” tools that will allow app makers to enroll interested users into a beta, to get broader feedback about how an app performs in the wild before going live on Amazon’s Appstore.

It’s an attempt to compete directly with Google’s beta testing services for Android, and bring Amazon up to par with Apple’s beta testing capabilities for iOS through TestFlight, a company Apple acquired earlier this year. It could prove to be a better value for Android developers looking to target both Amazon’s hardware as well as stock Android with their apps, since Live App Testing can reach across both device classes.

Developers can use the service by going into the Amazon Developer Portal and setting up a new test. After that, they can add testers by including their email addresses. Those testers will then be sent an email with instructions about how to download and install the app for testing. The beta apps will have the same access to Appstore features as a production app, which means that users will be able to access services and make in-app purchases.

The system allows developers to reach testers using stock Android devices, as well as Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets, Fire phone and Fire TV set-top box. That’s a key point in its favor, especially as Amazon tries to get more developers to create apps for its newly-released smartphone.

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