I need 12 people with Android phones to test Reader’s Record for two weeks.
I just spent a couple of days getting my iOS app ready for Android phones, and I don’t personally know anyone who uses an Android phone.
The app is called Reader’s Record. I built it for April but then decided to launch it for Android and iPhone user for free.
Reader’s Record is for people who love books and like keeping track of them. You can explore curated lists (award winners, series, a weekly “New or Notable” pick) that April and I work on and post every Sunday morning. You can also mark what you’ve finished, and keep your own notes, dates and library. You can add your own books too. The apps are free, and there are no ads, and you don’t need an account. Guest mode works fine.
The iPhone and iPad version is finished and those have been submitted to the App Store. It’s been in review since Sunday, and it will go live whenever Apple gets around to it. Android is a different story, and that’s where I need you.
Why 12 people and 14 days?
Google has a rule for new developer accounts like mine. Before an app can go into the Play Store for everyone, at least 12 testers have to opt in and stay opted in for at least 14 days. When I launched the test, the counter said 0 of 12. I can’t skip it.
So I’m asking you. If you have an Android phone, you can be one of the 12, actually 10, because I have two Android phones I’ve been using for testing.
What it takes
You don’t have to test anything on a schedule. Install the app, poke around, and keep it installed. Just stay opted in for the two weeks. That’s the part that counts.
How to join (two steps)
Join the testers group: https://groups.google.com/g/readers-record
Then open the test link and tap “Become a tester”: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/app.hikertrash.readersrecord
Use the Google account you use in the Play Store on your Android phone. After step 2, Google will show you a link to install the app.
This is called a “closed test.” The app is not in the Play Store for the public yet, and these links are the only way to get it right now.
What I’d love to hear
Honestly, anything. I built this so April could make lists of the Pulitzer-winning books she is reading. She is trying to read all of the fiction winners. If you’re a reader and think of something that would be useful to add, let me know in the comments and I may be able to work it into a future build.
A quick note on the vibe coding experience
I used Claude Code, running in the macOS Terminal, to build this. It was a hugely better experience than when I built the Hiker Trash App eight months ago, before starting the PCT. If you’re curious about how vibe coding works, and my takeaways on do’s and don’ts, let me know and I’ll write about it.
If you have an Android phone, or a friend or family member who does, please join, and ask them to join too. And if you read this and think, “I know someone who’d love this,” send it along. Twelve people for two weeks gets me to the point where I can apply to put it in the public Google Play Store.
Thank you!
Bill