Distributing Applications

This guide explains how to distribute a registered TV application.

Distributing Applications to TV App Store

When all the application information required for launching the service is registered, the application becomes available for distribution on the TV App Store. After the application is released, you may continue to release upgraded versions with added features or fixed defects.

When a release request is made, a Smart TV model group is selected to service and run the application, and pre-tests matching the entered application information and the selected model group are run. If there is a problem that prevents the application from being submitted, you will be notified.

The application that has been requested to be released is reviewed by Samsung and tested for verification, and it may be rejected during the process. If a defect is found in the application during the verification process, it may not be released.
These issues are reported through the "Applications > Defect Resolve" menu, and you, the seller, must resolve the issues and resubmit the application.

If the application passes Samsung's verification test, the application service will start in the specified Smart TV model group and service country.

Requesting New Release

To release the application to the TV App Store, click the "Request New Release" button on the "Applications > Distribute" page.

When the launch request page is provided, first select the application version you want to launch.
If the version you want to release is not listed, click the "Upload App" button to upload the application package file first.

Select a Smart TV model group to release the selected application version.
For a Tizen .NET application, the service can be released for TV model groups for 2018 and later.

You should know the follwoing points when selecting model groups.

• Model groups that are still undergoing certification and verification processes for a previously submitted application version cannot be selected. To do so, you must first cancel the ongoing verification and certification processes. For more information, refer to the Verification Drop section of the Changing Application Status guide.
  
  

• Model groups with defects cannot be selected until all the defects have been addressed. For more information, refer to the Resolving Defects guide.
  
  

• Model groups that have a previously submitted version with a number higher than the version you intend to release cannot be selected.
  
  

• You cannot select a model group for which the version you want to release has already been released.
  
  

• You cannot submit to a model group lower than the API version of the application package.
  
  

• If the application has the Samsung Checkout payment function applied, it cannot be submitted to a model group that does not support Samsung Checkout.
  
  

• When a new application version is released for a model group that is undergoing compatibility testing with new Smart TV devices, the compatibility test conducted by Samsung is stopped and you have to meet the new specifications yourself. If you would like to submit a version with a resolving compatibility issue, you can submit it through the Compatibility menu after receiving a report of the compatibility defect from Samsung. For more information, refer to the Submitting Compatibility Version section.

Finally, explain what Samsung's testers need to know about the release version, and choose whether to agree to launch the application with minor flaws.
If you agree to this, even if a defect is found in the application during the certification/verification processes, Samsung may release it without confirmation from the seller if it is a minor defect. Samsung does not release applications with serious flaws.

If you enter all the information and click the "Next" button, a pre-test for the application information and the selected model group will be executed, and if there is a problem that prevents the application from being submitted, you will be notified.

• The application title written in the default language and the application title specified in the configuration file of the application package must be identical. For more information, see the Entering Application Title and Description section of the Entering Application Information guide.
  
  

• If the Samsung Checkout payment function is applied to the application, the related privilege API must be defined in the application package configuration file, and account information must be registered in the DPI system along with a record of testing in-app purchases at least once in a DPI sandbox environment. For more information, see the Entering Billing Information section of the Entering Application Information guide.
  
  

• If the in-app AD feature is applied to the application, the related privilege API must be defined in the application package configuration file. For more information, refer to the In-app AD Information section of the Entering Application Information guide.

If the pre-test fails, the application cannot be submitted. In such cases, review and fix the issues found before proceeding with the launch request again.
After the pre-test is passed, click the "Done" button to complete the release request, which changes the status of the version and model group to 'Submitted'.

In the "Applications > Distribute > App Service" list, you can check the submitted application version and certification/verification statuses.

Distributing for Alpha Test

Alpha tests can be conducted by distributing the application to specific TVs before being released to the TV App Store, and the tested version can then be distributed to the TV App Store.

The alpha test is intended to discover problems before deploying the application to the public, by distributing it to a specific TV held by the developer and downloading/installing in the same environment as actual end users, and then testing whether it is working as intended. This differs from a beta test, which is distributed to the actual users.

This feature is available to Partner Sellers and allows you to test on 50 TVs for up to 30 days at a time.

By simply setting the application version and test information to be distributed, you can proceed with the alpha test immediately without a separate approval process.

Creating Alpha Test

To start a new alpha test, click the "Create Alpha Test" button on the "Applications > Distribute" page.

When the alpha test creation page is provided, first select the alpha version you want to distribute for testing. Only versions in the 'Ready to Submit' status that have not been released is available for alpha testing.
If the version you want to distribute is not in the list, click the "Upload App" button to upload the application package file first.

Set the duration of the alpha test. The duration can be set up to 30 days from the beginning date.

Click the "Add DUID" button to register the TV's DUID information for alpha test. Up to 50 TVs can be registered, and alpha test is available starting from Smart TVs released in 2020, except for Chinese TVs.

If there is TV information registered in the "Membership > Device List" menu, you can select it immediately and add it to the DUID list for the alpha test.

After entering all of the information and clicking the "Done" button, you are ready to start the alpha test, and the status of the version is changed to 'Alpha Testing'.

In the "Applications > Distribute > Alpha Test" list, you can check the submitted application version and alpha test progress.

It may take a few minutes for the alpha version to be distributed, and you can only access it on the TVs whose DUID you have registered.

Editing Existing Alpha Test

During the alpha test, you can adjust the test period or add/delete test TV DUIDs.
You can also start a new test with a version of the application that has already been alpha tested.

If you click the "Edit" button on the "Applications > Distribute > Alpha Test" page, a page is opened where you can modify the alpha test settings.

You can advance the end date of an ongoing alpha test or extend it by up to 30 days. An alpha test that has ended can be restarted by setting up a new test duration of up to 30 days from the present moment.

You can remove a test TV by clicking the "Delete" button in the DUID list for the alpha test, and you can add a TV by clicking the "Add DUID" button. You can register up to 50 test TVs per alpha test.

Edit the alpha test information and click the "Done" button to apply it immediately.

Stopping Alpha Test

You can immediately end an alpha test in progress.
If you click the "Close Alpha Test" button on the "Applications > Distribute > Alpha Test" page, the test is terminated immediately and the status of the version being tested is changed to 'Alpha Test Closed'.

You can also end the alpha test prematurely using the "Edit" button to change the test end date.

Submitting Compatibility Version

Whenever a new Smart TV model is released, Samsung conducts its own compatibility test so that applications that are supported by the existing model can be supported by the new one as well.

This process takes place before the new model group is released to the TV Seller Office, and compatibility issues that need to be fixed before launching the application on the new model are reported to the seller.
These issues can be viewed in the "Applications > Compatibility Defect" menu, and in order for the application to be eligible to be released on the new model, the seller must submit a version that fixes them.

Samsung goes through this process and releases only applications that contain no serious flaws on the new model.

To submit an application version that resolves a compatibility issue, click the "Submit Compatibility Version" button on the "Applications > Distribute" page.

When the page for submitting a compatibility version is provided, first select the version of the application to submit.
If the version you want to submit is not listed, click the "Upload App" button to upload the application package file first.

Select a new Smart TV model group to release the selected application version.

• Model groups with defects cannot be selected before all compatibility flaws have been fixed. For more information, refer to the Resolving Compatibility Defect section of the Resolving Defects guide.
  
  

• Model groups that have a previously submitted version with a number higher than the version you intend to release cannot be selected.
  
  

• You cannot select a model group for which the version you want to release has already been released.
  
  

• You cannot submit to a model group lower than the API version of the application package.
  
  

• If the application has the Samsung Checkout payment function applied, it cannot be submitted to a model group that does not support Samsung Checkout.
  
  

If you click the "Next" button after selecting the version and model group, the application information and pre-test for the selected model group will be executed, and if there is a problem that prevents the application from being submitted, you will be notified.

• The application title written in the default language and the application title specified in the configuration file of the application package must be identical. For more information, see the Entering Application Title and Description section of the Entering Application Information guide.
  
  

• If the Samsung Checkout payment function is applied to the application, the related privilege API must be defined in the application package configuration file, and account information must be registered in the DPI system along with a record of testing in-app purchases at least once in a DPI sandbox environment. For more information, see the Entering Billing Information section of the Entering Application Information guide.
  
  

• If the in-app AD feature is applied to the application, the related privilege API must be defined in the application package configuration file. For more information, refer to the In-app AD Information section of the Entering Application Information guide.

If the pre-test fails, the application cannot be submitted. In such cases, review and fix the issues found before proceeding with the launch request again.
After the pre-test is passed, click the "Done" button to complete the submission.

In the "Applications > Distribute > Compatibility" list, you can check the submitted version of your application.