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> in TestFlight it shall remain forever: a cozy, eternal beta. When I read this I thought -- oh man, I hope Apple doesn't decide to somehow limit this feature

> in TestFlight it shall remain forever: a cozy, eternal beta. When I read this I thought -- oh man, I hope Apple doesn't decide to somehow limit this feature in the future. I wouldn't be surprised if it's already against the terms of service somehow to deploy a 'beta' app and then just keep using it forever. (Besides, don't you have to pay to be in the developer program? That may be somewhat acceptable for some adults, but kids whose parents would prefer that their kids "study" instead of "wasting time playing computer games"?) Anyway, this is one of the reasons I use Android. While becoming root isn't realistic on many devices, I think it allows you to do enough for kids to find their way into programming. Maybe the challenge of getting a root shell/flashing your own OS is enticing to some too. And maybe the tech used to protect devices from their users is interesting to some people too -- and since OEMs need to know how all this stuff works, it also happens to be documented pretty well. (I think this tech is still in its infancy unfortunately.)

jrochkind1 7y ago
What is the equivalent/alternative to "TestFlight as eternal beta" in Android, how do you (or "people") get self-developed "bespoke" "home-cooked meal" software onto their Androids? It's easier than iOS? I am not familiar, I'm a web developer not a device developer.
- detaro 7y ago
  If you're not really worried about automatic updates, just e-mail them the app package, they can enable side-loading and install it. It has a similar "beta" mechanism to TestFlight in the Play Store. Alternatively, you can setup a private F-Droid repo and use the alternative F-Droid app "store" to distribute apps.
- jdormit 7y ago
  On Android, you can just download an .apk and install it (you need to change the "Allow insecure apps" setting). No code signing, app store, or corporate approval necessary. This is the #1 reason I will never be getting an iPhone (which is a shame, since iPhones are beautiful devices in almost every other way).
  - designcode 7y ago
    TestFlight is actually a simpler and better solution than having to deal with getting users to allow insecure apps
peterbrown 7y ago
I gad the experience you describe with root with jailbreaking iphones when I was younger

jrochkind1 7y ago

What is the equivalent/alternative to "TestFlight as eternal beta" in Android, how do you (or "people") get self-developed "bespoke" "home-cooked meal" software onto their Androids? It's easier than iOS? I am not familiar, I'm a web developer not a device developer.

detaro 7y ago
If you're not really worried about automatic updates, just e-mail them the app package, they can enable side-loading and install it. It has a similar "beta" mechanism to TestFlight in the Play Store. Alternatively, you can setup a private F-Droid repo and use the alternative F-Droid app "store" to distribute apps.
jdormit 7y ago
On Android, you can just download an .apk and install it (you need to change the "Allow insecure apps" setting). No code signing, app store, or corporate approval necessary. This is the #1 reason I will never be getting an iPhone (which is a shame, since iPhones are beautiful devices in almost every other way).
- designcode 7y ago
  TestFlight is actually a simpler and better solution than having to deal with getting users to allow insecure apps

peterbrown 7y ago

I gad the experience you describe with root with jailbreaking iphones when I was younger