• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 27, 2013

Facebook is launching a beta testing program for its Android apps that opens up the process to ordinary users of the dominant mobile platform. The social network will tap into a new Google Play testing service that lets people sign up through Facebook rival Google+ to test apps for bugs and crashes.

After joining the Android Beta Testers Group, participants have to opt in to be a tester and then download the app immediately from Google Play or wait until the app’s next update. Facebook has typically kept the testing of new features in-house, but the step to expand the beta program to the public is aimed at accelerating mobile innovation, according to a CNet report.

Perhaps the company should've taken this approach before launching Facebook Home, its launcher app for Android phones that has proven a flop. According to a study by YouGov released this week, 91% of U.S. smartphone owners aren’t interested in a phone running Facebook Home.