Twitter-Owned Crashlytics to Release More App-Testing Tools for Developers

Crashlytics, the Boston-based mobile testing startup, announced on Thursday its plans to release a tool for developers that will let them better test their mobile applications.

The tool, which Crashlytics said would initially be available in beta form only to a limited group of developers, focuses on distribution. That is, it lets app makers seed out their apps to a select audience before releasing them widely to Google’s and Apple’s app stores.

The move is particularly timely given Apple’s recent acquisition of Burstly, a company that owned the popular iOS beta app distribution platform TestFlight. While TestFlight is one of a few choices for app developer testing, the company announced its plans to end support for Android developers using its platform, no doubt as a result of Apple’s acquisition.

Thus, Android app makers are left with few testing choices; HockeyApp is perhaps the other viable, popular option after TestFlight shutters its Android tools.

It also comes at a time when it has become increasingly common for large Internet companies to own some helpful chunk of developer resources. Aside from Apple’s Burstly buy, Facebook acquired the highly respected developer resources startup Parse late in 2013. And Crashlytics itself was acquired by Twitter early last year.

Twitter didn’t announce a timeline for the release of its mobile app testing tools, but encouraged developers to sign up for the beta on the company’s website.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.