Update channels: Stable, Beta, Test and Dev

Stable and Beta are the two public channels; Test and Dev are reserved for people Perpetual Technologies picks, and a Test or Dev build locks unless the signed-in account has been granted it.

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Steps

  1. Know which you are on. Stable is the released build for businesses and everyday use. Beta is public early access to upcoming features, and it is the same app as Stable, so a Beta build installs over a Stable one.
  2. Test and Dev are separately named apps that install beside the public one. They are handed out directly and are reserved for invited testers and developers.
  3. A Test or Dev build shows a "TEST BUILD" or "DEV BUILD" banner, with its build code and version.
  4. On a Test or Dev build, the account you sign in with decides whether it runs. Without access it shows a locked screen with the sign-in form, a "Check again" button and a "Report a bug" button.
  5. If access was only just granted, sign out and back in, or press "Check again" after a minute.

How to tell it worked

The app runs, and About shows the version and build code for the channel you expect.

If it does not work

A locked build says "Still no access."
If it was only just granted, sign out and back in, or check again in a minute. Access is checked when the plan renews, so a change can take a little while to show.
A Beta build does not offer updates.
A Beta build has no update feed of its own yet, according to the release notes. It is installed by hand.
You are on Test or Dev and updates are refused.
Those builds never check the public feed. That is how they avoid switching onto it by accident.
You want to run a build as a different edition.
Only an admin account on a Dev build can choose the edition. On Stable, Beta and Test builds the edition is always what the account holds.