I have an unreleased Android app that I am trying to test using Firebase App Distribution. The app is built using Fastlane.
I set up a test group with one account, me@example.com, and I am logged into the Google account me@example.com on my Android device (a pretty old Galaxy).
I have installed the App Tester app and I can see 21 different builds of my app.
However, whenever I click the Download link, I am redirected to the Play Store, where it says "Item not found" and there is a Try again button (if I press this, I get "Item not found" again).
I also tried clicking the email from Firebase with the link to download the app, but that opens up App Tester, and again the Download button redirects me to the Play Store, which says "Item not found."
I then made sure the Firebase app to be tested was not installed on the device, and I uninstalled and reinstalled App Tester, and then logged in again. Same problem.
The same release built for iOS with Fastlane works with the same account on an iPhone (using TestFlight).
I had previously used this Android device to install test versions of the app last year successfully, so I'm trying to figure out what has changed in the last few months to break this.
How can I solve this "Item not found" error? App Tester displays the builds for download, but for some reason they can't be found in the Play Store.
You'll also see this behavior if you have a Firebase app that can run in a browser and as an Android or iOS native app (like Ionic or React Native). If your device has the native app installed but you access the website in your device's browser and try to Sign in with Email from the browser version, your native app will pick up the attempt because it thinks the dynamic link is intended for the native app. Since the request didn't come from the native app (but rather from the browser), you'll get the "Item Not Found" page in the Play store.