A number of social apps have turned to the Play Store to manage their betas. We've already seen Facebook and Snapchat launch official beta versions to anyone who signs up for the privilege, and now Twitter is doing the same. If you've signed up for either of the other programs, the routine should feel pretty familiar. The experimental build will replace the current Twitter app on your phone, unlike the Chrome beta that can exist side-by-side with the stable release. Those who opt in will be greeted by a notification when the next build is ready. As this is a beta release, some features may never appear in the stable version, and some instability may appear that could eat your cat or infect your bed with bed bugs. Use at your own discretion.

Now that that's out of the way, here's what to do:

1. Join this Google Group.
2. Visit this link and click "Become a Tester" to opt into the program.
3. Click "Download Twitter from the Play Store" to update your app

Sending feedback

To give us your feedback or report bugs tap the Report a Bug feature under the ••• icon to bring up the off-screen menu.

Please make sure you include:

1. Steps to reproduce the issue you’re experiencing and
2. Connection type (Wifi or mobile network)

What should I do once I’ve joined the program?

• Turn on automatic app updates for Twitter for Android by opening Google Play Store app > Settings > Check the box next to Auto-update apps
• Install the new weekly updates that will include new experiments
• Use the experiment app normally as if you are using the production version - if you are experiencing bugs, please report them to us through the Report A Bug button within the settings of the app.
• For the latest updates and release notes, be sure to check the topics posted on this group [open for discussion, should we post a change log?]

Experiencing trouble?

• Using the correct email address - It’s important that you join this Google Group with same the e-mail address associated with your Google Play Store account. To find out which email address you use, open the Play Store app and tap onMenu > Accounts.
• Error 404 - If you see this error message, you either 1) haven’t joined this Google Group or 2) you joined the Google Group with a different email address than what’s currently used in your Google Play account.
• How to uninstall the app - To uninstall the Twitter for Android experiment app, go to your phone’s settings, then Applications > Manage applications > Twitter > Uninstall.
• Trouble downloading the app - If you’ve completed steps 1-3 listed above and you’re still experiencing download issues, learn how to troubleshoot this problem in the Google Play Help Center.

Thanks, Daniel Traynor!