Is it ok to distribute a beta app as .apk to friends and family for testing and getting feedback?

Question

I know this is not exactly a programming question but I'm nearly done with my first android app . I don't want to put a half-baked product on playstore so I want to see how the app does in real-world . I`m worried though about things like people snooping around the apk file and discovering addresses to my web service ,api- keys and so on . What do I do about it ? Please guide me .Thank you for help

Answer 1

Publishing on the Google Play store will definitely reach the largest audience. Just make it very clear in your app description that your app is currently in a testing phase and you'd really appreciate any and all feedback as you continue to update and improve it.

If you're wanting to get feedback from family/friends then emailing your .apk is fine, let them know you don't want them forwarding it randomly to others.

Also, be sure to check out the android development site, it has a lot of information on this topic - Here