Hockey app is a tool for developers, software producers and testers that makes it easy to distribute beta versions of mobile apps and collect live crash reports. Users can install the app directly on their device from a custom URL and developers are notified when a new version is available. Crash reporting is also simplified through automatic uploading of logs to HockeyApp and server-side symbolication. The platform provides a variety of views and statistics for analyzing crash reports and user feedback.
Distributing mobile apps and collecting user feedback is often difficult for developers. Traditionally, this was done manually and using tools like Apple’s TestFlight and Google Play’s beta distribution features. However, these systems have limitations that make them unsuitable for larger app deployments. HockeyApp was created as a solution to this problem. The service enables developers to build and distribute iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps for testing and gather live user feedback. The platform also supports mobile app analytics and telemetry data collection.
HockeyApp is free to use for developers and has plugins for Xamarin, Unity and Cordova. The service is also integrated with many popular DevOps tools, including Azure DevOps, fastlane, Bitrise and Greenhouse. 59 companies reportedly use the tool in their tech stacks.
The company behind the tool is Microsoft, which acquired it in 2014 and now uses it as a part of Visual Studio Online’s Application Insights service. Despite its funny name, HockeyApp has proven to be a valuable tool for both developers and app users.
Crash Reports
Easily capture and analyze live crash reports for your iOS and Android apps with HockeyApp. The tool collects and sends all the crash reports to your dashboard and displays them in a clear format. Crash reports are grouped by the app and OS and display information such as class names, accurate line numbers, message and minute details of each crash. You can also get detailed analysis of each crash and find the root cause with HockeyApp’s advanced search tools.
User Feedback
Collecting user feedback is an important part of the app development process. HockeyApp allows users to submit feedback by clicking on a FEEDBACK button in your app. This feature is especially useful when you want to know what your users are thinking about a particular aspect of the app. Moreover, you can even customize the feedback form for each app to collect the desired data.
HockeyApp allows you to manage teams with ease and grant access with roles. You can create a recruitment page to invite beta testers and limit their access to certain features. You can also add team members and delete them when necessary. This feature gives you full control over your app development process.