What Happens To The Users Of My App If I Close An Open Beta Program On The Play Store Because I Want To Move To Production?

this has been asked before, but no answers were provided nor links to documentation stating what happens to the users of an app if the developer had an open beta program and decide

Solution 1:

Your users can continue to use the app, unless you have done something to prevent it. They will get the new version when they update the app.

If they have selected manual app updates in their preferences, they could run the beta version for as long as they like.

Solution 2:

It all comes down to understanding version codes. Android and Play never downgrade people from a higher version code to a lower version code.

Suppose the APK version code in Beta was 100, and the APK in Production was 10. Then when the beta track was closed, the users would be "production" users (the Beta track is closed after all) but they would continue on APK version 100, because Android can't move them to 10, as 10 < 100. Because the users would be production users, they could write public reviews, etc.

If you then released an APK with version code (eg 50) in Production, the users would stay on (beta) APK version 100, because 100 > 50.

If you then released an APK with a higher version code (eg 101) in Production, the users would be upgraded to that APK, because 101 > 100, and they would be on the same version as all your other production users.