Private apps are automatically approved for distribution via all EMM bindings associated with the same Google Workspace or Cloud Identity account when they're published. They can be distributed just like public apps—you can use your Enterprise Mobility Management console to remotely install them on user’s devices or list them in your users' Managed Play store app.
Advanced private app distribution
In the Play Console, you can configure more advanced distribution options.
Distribute private apps to multiple organizations
A private app can be distributed to up to 1000 organizations. For example, if you maintain multiple environments (e.g. testing, staging, production) as separate organizations, you can distribute the same private app to each organization.
Step 1: Get Organization IDs
To make a private app available to additional organizations, you need each organization's ID:
- Open the EMM iframe.
- Click on the
icon.
- Copy your Organization ID string from the Organization details box and send it to your developer.
Step 2. Add Organization IDs to your app's target distribution list
Once your app is restricted to certain organizations, your app will be private and available to those organizations only. If you want your app to be publicly available, you will need to publish a new app with a different package name.
In the Google Play Console:
- Select the private app you want to edit.
- Go to Release > Setup > Advanced settings.
- Select the Managed Google Play tab.
- In Organizations, click Add organization.
- For each organization that you want to publish the app to, enter the Organization ID and a description (or name) and click Add. You can enter up to 1000 organizations per app.
- Click Save changes.
Distribute private apps for closed testing
After you publish a private app, you can create additional closed test tracks to test different versions of the app. For example, you might have different development teams that need to address bugs across different features. If each team creates their own testing track, features can be worked on at the same time.
To learn how to create closed test tracks, see Set up an open, closed, or internal test.