Beta test environment?

[jivestaroso]

I regularly use the Facer beta, but I can’t seem to find any changelogs or release notes for the beta builds.

Right now, the beta version on my device shows as v7.45.0.257_beta, while the production version is v7.45.0.630. I understand these are separate branches and might not have matching version numbers, but I assumed there would be at least a list of changes somewhere so testers know what to focus on.

Did I miss where the beta changelogs are published? Or are they not shared at all? Having even a short list of changes would make it much easier to give meaningful feedback. Saw the Facer posting on font solving problems, but is that in beta or production?! I still have major font alining problems, even with standard fonts.

[tom.vannes]

Have not come across beta release notes.
So I do not go to beta, since I do not know enough to test or be aware of something.

Example:
A while a go the community discovered the UV index tag in beta. I do not recall the tag being announced anywhere, nor in beta, nor when it went live.

Agree, maybe I missed it too, but I could not find any release notes, except:

Facer Wear OS 6 BETA Testing – Overview & Release Notes

We’re thrilled to announce that the Facer app is now available for beta testing on Wear OS 6! This is your chance to experience the latest updates and help shape the future of Facer by providing early feedback. How to Join the Beta Program To join, simply sign up for the Facer Beta Track via Google Play. Learn how to join the Facer Beta Once enrolled, download the latest Facer app from Google Play. You should see that you’re part of the closed or beta track in the Play …

[jivestaroso]

@tom.vannes

Have not come across beta release notes.
So I do not go to beta, since I do not know enough to test or be aware of something.

Good to know I’m not the only one!
Maybe I just overlooked them, but if there really aren’t any beta release notes, it makes testing a bit of a guessing game. And with Google Play requiring even basic functionality checks after a major update, this approach feels a bit unclear to me.

[jason.clarke.uk]

The annoucements section in community provides placeholders for New releases and Beta releases. But it does require someone to keep it up to date! i.e. @Facer_Official

Announcements

[Linlay]

@jivestaroso

t if there really aren’t any beta release notes, it makes testing a bit of a guessing game. And with Google Play requiring even basic functionality checks after a major update, this approach feels a bit unclear to me.

It might be a good idea to send a support ticket regarding that. Priority depends on how many people have the same issue.

[jivestaroso]

I get your point, but it still feels a bit backwards.
We’re testing for free, yet there aren’t even basic release notes to guide us and now we’d have to submit tickets and hope enough people report the same issue before it gets attention?

This is about the test environment itself not working properly. If that only gets fixed once “enough” users complain, that really feels like the world upside down.

Why not make the problems visible to all testers and actively involve us in solving them? It sometimes feels like we’re the only ones testing issues like this should have been spotted long ago if there was a serious group of testers or internal QA process behind the beta.