The Google Play developer options are a series of hidden options in the store menu intended for Android developers. They were implemented in April 2019, but so far, the options offered are limited. The only tool available right now is one for sharing apps internally in private groups.

The main idea is to be able to share an unfinished version of an app with other members of the development team without having to send them the APK file after every change they make. To clarify: this would be similar to a shared text document in a Google Drive folder.

To activate them, all you have to do is open the Google Play Store app, display its main menu, and select Settings.

Access Settings from Google Play’s menuAccess Settings from Google Play’s menu

After that, scroll to the end of the screen and tap seven times consecutively on the Play Store version field. Make sure you do it quickly.

Tap the version number seven timesTap the version number seven times

An on-screen message will alert you that you have activated these options.

Developer options enabledDeveloper options enabled

The Internal app sharing option will be available in the settings menu you are in.

New option in the settings menuNew option in the settings menu

In general, what you will be able to do with the Google Play developer options is to install internal tests of applications that are not finished. If you decide to try this tool, be careful with the files you install on your Android device, as we are warned that these unfinished versions of the apps do not pass any control by Google, unlike the applications that are officially available on Play Store.

For a regular user, this feature may not have much use other than snooping around, but advanced users and developers will find it very useful. Also, everything seems to indicate that Google will add other options in the future besides this one.