Twitter Crashlytics is planning to release a beta distribution tool that will offer a better testing method of mobile apps.

Crashlytics was acquired by Twitter in January 2013, and is best known for its Crashlytics utility that can be used for analysis of why mobile apps crash.

The idea behind the new tool, that is currently itself beta, is that you’ll be able to release a new app to a subset of the potential audience before releasing it to the full audience in Google and Apple app stores.

It is all the more interesting in light of Burstly’s decision to end support for Android developers using its TestFlight utility. TestFlight can be used for testing app distribution, but now that Burstly has been acquired by Apple, will be limited to iOS apps, leaving Android developers without an obvious alternative for testing app distribution.

In an announcement about the new tool on the Crashlytics blog, Crashlytics co-founder Wayne Chang said:

“In the 2+ years since we launched Crashlytics to solve mobile crash reporting, we’ve heard you loud and clear about another problem in mobile development: the beta distribution process. Testing new apps with real beta testers can be a cumbersome and unnecessarily complex process.”

He went on to add:

“we’ve been hard at work in our Labs building a beta distribution tool for both iOS and Android. By focusing on multi-platform support, our beta distribution tool streamlines the process and shreds the complexity of managing different toolsets. We’ve been privately testing this tool with some of the best app developers out there. Now, we’re ready to open this up to more of you.”

You can apply here to become a Crashlytics Lab Rat and join in this and future beta programs.