Review your OTT apps

Our Branded Apps team is hard at work building your customized apps. Once they're generated, you will have a chance to review and provide feedback prior to submission to the app stores.

How do I approve the design?

After you submit branded graphics to us, we will provide a design mock up packet for you to review. This will show your branding within our app's UI. You can provide any revisions to your Technical Program Manager. If there's feedback, we'll give you a revised mock up. If the design work is approved, we'll move your apps into our build queue. Exciting stuff!

Can I install the apps to try them before they're released?

Yes, but it's not required. You can choose to give us approval to release the apps as soon as they're ready based on the design mock ups. We usually see this shorten the onboarding timeline by ~1-2 weeks.

There are a few ways you and your team would be able to review the apps pre-release. Please coordinate which option you'd like to follow with your Technical Program Manager: 

  1. Full App Platform Review: All applications on all platforms would be reviewed by your team.
  2. Limited App Review: Some application platforms share the same UI/UX, so you would not need to review across all platforms. This includes the iOS / Android build and the Android TV / Amazon Fire TV build. In this way, you would only need to review a few platforms and have approval apply to multiple platforms. This does save time - as our team will only provide the builds you need to give approval.
  3. Submission without Review: For the sake of time and having these applications be available as soon as possible, you could provide approval for our team to submit the applications for app store review and release them upon being approved for sale. You would only review the design mock ups in this scenario. 

What do I review? 

Our Branded Apps team performs a full technical QA, so you do not need to worry about the heavy-lifting. Upon review of your branded applications, you should be reviewing the following:

  • Ensure that your branding + information included on our assets submission form are consistent within the builds. 
  • Ensure that the content mimics the same style showcased on your OTT website. 
  • Ensure you can log-in to the application utilizing the free-access customer training accounts our team created for you.

To be authorized application testers, we'll require users and their credentials (primarily emails) associated with each platform. 

Here's how to start setting up tester access on each of our platforms: 

Apple (iOS/tvOS)

What we need from you:
  • A list of valid Apple ID email addresses associated with each device that will be used to test (Forget your Apple ID?)

Once you've gathered those ID's send the list to your Vimeo OTT contact, and proceed with the steps below: 

  1. Install TestFlight on each iOS/tvOS device that you plan to testing with. TestFlight is an Apple application that allows access to private versions of apps. More information can be found here on Apple's website.
  2. If a tester individual is not already included on your Users list on App Store Connect, they will be invited to the App Store Connect team by the Vimeo team. The invite will come via Apple in an email with the subject line "You've been invited to App Store Connect". Please have each tester accept that invite.
    1. When the App Store Connect invite has been accepted, it is important that you email notify your Technical Program Manager. This invitation must be accepted before we can complete the last and final step!  
  3. Once the user is on the App Store Connect team, we will add them to the tester list for your application. Each tester will receive a final email invite from Apple with a link to begin testing the app through TestFlight. 

Google (Android/Android TV)

What we need from you:
  • A list of Gmail addresses associated with Google Play accounts that will be used to test

Uncertain of which email account to use? Check what accounts are signed into the Android / Android TV devices that you plan on testing your app with. 

Once you've gathered those emails from your team, follow the below steps: 

  1. Send your Vimeo OTT team the Google Account email address(es) that you want to have testing access.
  2. We will send you back an Opt In link to join the Google Play Testing Program once we have setup your account(s) and when the app is ready to test.

Roku

A separate testing URL will be provided for your Roku application by the Vimeo OTT team. The link will download the application to the linked device within your developer account. Before this is feasible, there will be a few verification emails that you will need to accept which will authorize your developer account to allow for the application to be uploaded. I will be following up separately once these emails have been sent.

Amazon Fire TV

⚠️WARNING: Testing on Fire TV can be technically challenging. We suggest you review the TV app on either Android TV or Roku as these apps are very similar and much easier to test pre-release. 

Please follow the steps on this reference guide: Vimeo OTT - Amazon Testing Setup Guide

NOTE: It is important to enable email communications from the Amazon App Store. The testing invitation will be sent via email that will lead you to be able to download the application to your Fire TV once available.