Get client approval on app builds with a single link

The build is done. Now comes the slowest part of the project: getting the client to actually look at it. PreviewAPK turns every build into a link your client just opens — the app runs in their browser, they tap through it, and you get feedback on the real build instead of on screenshots of it.

Why client approvals stall

The sideloading wall. Send a non-technical client an APK file and the review often dies in the first five minutes. They have to download the file, find it again, tap it, and then work through Android's "install unknown apps" permission and Play Protect warnings — dialogs that are deliberately worded to sound risky. Some clients stop there and wait for your next call. Others need you to walk them through it live. Either way, your build sits unreviewed.

Screenshots lie by omission. A screenshot shows one screen in one state. It can't show the stutter in a transition, the keyboard covering the submit button, or the empty state nobody designed for. Clients approve screenshots and then reject the app, because they never actually saw the app.

"Which version is this?" Builds travel as email attachments named app-release.apk, app-release-final.apk, and app-release-final-v2.apk. A client reviews last week's build, reports bugs you already fixed, and approves screens that no longer exist. Half the feedback thread is spent establishing which build anyone is even talking about.

How an approval round works with PreviewAPK

1. Upload the build. Pick an Android version (10–15) and a device profile — Pixel 9 Pro or Galaxy S24. A real device boots in the cloud in about a minute, with your app installed and launched.
2. Send the build's link. Every build's run gets its own share link. Drop it in the email or message thread you're already using.
3. The client just opens it. The app is running in their browser. They tap through the real flows — signup, checkout, the new feature — on a real Android device. Nothing is installed on their side, and if you're on a call, one person drives while the other watches the same session live.

Because the link belongs to that build's session, the approval thread never points at the wrong build. Build 15 gets its own link; the build 14 thread keeps referring to build 14 — and when its session ends, the link dies instead of quietly showing something newer.

Ask for feedback that actually gets answered

"Let me know what you think" produces silence. A link plus concrete tasks produces answers. Pair the build link with a short, specific script:

• "Open the link and complete checkout with the test card — tell me the first screen where you hesitate."
• "Tap through the onboarding as if you'd never seen the app — note anything you have to guess at."
• "Open the share flow and send yourself the result — did it land where you expected?"

Feedback gathered this way references behavior, not impressions — and it references a specific build, because the client was looking at that build's link when they wrote it. When build 15 ships, send its link in the same thread and the comparison is unambiguous.

When the client needs it on a real phone

Some sign-offs should happen on the client's own device. Your device's share page can carry a QR code and an APK download for installing on a real phone — it's off by default, and you enable it per device when you want it. The client scans the code and installs the exact same APK you uploaded, so the physical-device pass and the browser review are the same build.

What it costs

PreviewAPK is a flat $19/month per device with unlimited testing — no minute meter running while a client takes three days to get around to your build, and no per-seat math for the people on the client side who need to look. It's in private beta now; the waitlist locks in the launch price.

FAQ

How can my client review a build without installing anything?

Upload the build to PreviewAPK and send your client its link. A real Android device boots in the cloud with your app installed and launched; your client opens the link in any browser and taps through the actual app. Viewers install nothing and need no setup on their side.

How do I stop clients reviewing the wrong version?

Every build's run gets its own link. When you send build 14 for approval, its link shows build 14 while that session runs — and it can never drift to build 15, because build 15 gets a link of its own. Sign-off and feedback always refer to the build you meant.

Can my client install the build on their own phone?

Yes, if you allow it. Your device has an optional QR code and APK download for installing on a real phone. It's off by default — you enable it per device, for example for a final sign-off pass on the client's own device.

How much does PreviewAPK cost for client approvals?

$19 per month per device with unlimited testing — no per-minute metering while your client is reviewing. PreviewAPK is in private beta; join the waitlist to lock in the launch price.

Keep going

• For QA testers — device and version coverage without a device lab.
• For freelance developers — deliver builds clients actually open.
• For agencies — preview links across every client project.