Apple Brings Groups To TestFlight

Apple has introduced groups to TestFlight, the app beta testing tool it acquired with its purchase of Burstly last year. The TestFlight Groups feature allows developers to split their beta testers into easily-managed groups, to which they can send different communications regarding their app and offer separate instructions regarding what to watch out for and report back on. Actions can also be applied to entire groups at once, making it easier to manage large tester groups with increased granularity.
TestFlight Groups replaces legacy distribution lists, which were a part of the pre-acquisition version of TestFlight, and also adds a feature that has been available to Android developers using the built-in Google Play beta testing tools.
Being able to issue separate instructions also means that developers using the platform can use multiple groups of testers to focus on separate new features and provide feedback specific to each, even if the final build will ultimately incorporate both. That can help ease the burden on testers, making it more likely they’ll provide good scrutiny and better feedback.

TestFlight lets developers gather feedback from users on versions of their software before it’s available to the general public, and groups should make that process easier, which will hopefully result in even better apps finding their way to the App Store.