How to Manage Cross-Platform Beta Releases Efficiently

With frameworks like Flutter, React Native, and MAUI, building cross-platform apps is easier than ever. But distributing them for beta testing? That can still be a mess of disparate portals, inconsistent versions, and confused testers.

This guide outlines how to streamline your release workflow to deliver iOS and Android betas in perfect sync in 2026.

The Goal: "One Click" Deployment

Your objective is simple: When you merge a PR to your main branch, both an iOS and an Android build should be generated and distributed automatically.

1. Unified Version Management

Stop manually editing build.gradle and project settings. Create a single file (e.g., version.json) in your project root:

{
  "version": "1.2.0",
  "build": 45
}

Use a script (or Fastlane plugin) to read this file and apply it to both native projects during build time. This ensures iOS build 45 always corresponds to Android build 45.

2. Choosing the Right Distribution Platform

Option A: The Native Routes (TestFlight + Play Console)

Pros: Greatest fidelity to production; pre-testing store review processes.
Cons: Disconnected experiences. Testers need two invites. iOS reviews slow down the sync.

Option B: Firebase App Distribution

Pros: Supports both platforms. Good CLI tools.
Cons: iOS setup is still complex (requires Ad Hoc/Enterprise profile management).

Option C: BetaDrop (Unified Link)

Pros: Upload both an IPA and APK. BetaDrop gives you a single "magic link" that detects the user's OS and serves the correct file.
Cons: iOS requires Ad Hoc/Enterprise signing.

3. Automating with Fastlane

Fastlane is the glue that holds cross-platform releases together. You can define a lane that builds both variants:

lane :beta_all do
  # 1. Update version from config
  update_versions

  # 2. Build Android
  gradle(task: "assembleRelease")
  supply(track: "internal") # or upload to other platform

  # 3. Build iOS
  gym(scheme: "MyApp")
  pilot # or upload to other platform
  
  # 4. Notify Team
  slack(message: "Cross-platform beta 1.2.0 (45) is live!")
end

Summary

Treat your cross-platform app as a single product, not two separate projects. By unifying your versioning and CI/CD pipeline, you reduce errors and ensure your testers are always comparing apples to apples (or rather, Pixels to iPhones).