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How To Test Google Play Referrer Api Before Publishing In Google Play Store?

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Google announced their Google Play Referrer API at 20 November 2017 as new way to track app installs. My question is: Is there any way to test the function before my app is release

Solution 1:

You can test it without uploading on Playstore.

I did in following way.

  1. I have created urls like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fullpackagename&referrer=utm_source%3Dmobisoc&utm_content%3Dmobisoc&hl=en
  2. I have fired this url from my mail. It redirects to Playstore
  3. From command Prompt(using adb command) , I have installed desired apk.
  4. On Playstore, "install" button will be replaced with "open" button and I clicked on that. it is working

Solution 2:

Update

Beta test only works for referrer broadcast. I implement both installreferrer API and broadcast at the same time, so the referrer is from broadcast instead of API.

Use Beta test provided by Google Play as following:

  1. Submit beta test APK file
  2. Add your account to the testers
  3. Open the detail page url of your APP with a referrer. The url can be like this according to a similar thread:

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mypackage&referrer=utm_source%3Dmobisoc%26utm_content%3D{transaction_id}%26utm_campaign%3D1

  4. If using Chrome, the url can be redirected to Play APP by clicking "Open in Play Market APP" button on the page.
  5. Download and install your APP in Play APP.

Your app should then receive a referrer after launch, and you can test it by reporting it or printing a log.

Alpha test should also work, but I have not test that.

Solution 3:

None mentioned in the Play Install Referrer API. So sadly, no. Try filing a feature request here.

Solution 4:

According to this documentation

Google Play’s new Install Referrer API replaces the deprecated InstallBroadcast used for Google Play Campaign Attribution.

I did some tests and I figured out that if you have the Firebase configured in you app and "FirebaseApp.initializeApp(this)" in your application class so Firebase collect referrer information and provide a dashboard with this information without any other implementation, only calling "FirebaseApp.initializeApp(this)".

On Firebase Console -> Analytics -> Conversions -> Conversion Events -> first_open then you'll can see somthing like that

enter image description here

If you built a url like the one bellow to your app on Play Store, where you see google-play and (direct) will be added the new item newsletter (It can be not at realtime)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.packace&referrer=utm_source%3Dnewsletter%26utm_medium%3Demail%26anid%3Dadmob

BTW the solution proposed by eager realy works (at least for me) to test if you app is receiving the referrer url

My point here is, if you want to know if a campaign made using referrer url is working, Firebase Console provides this information, but if you want to know for each user what was the referrer url that led then to install the app so you will need to implement your own solution.

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