The alpha's final stretch: what comes before launch
Pocket Code is wrapping up its alpha. An honest look at what we've validated, what we're polishing now, and how the closed beta will work before we reach Google Play.
We've spent months building Pocket Code head-down and without noise. Today we can finally say something we've been waiting to: the alpha is in its final stretch.
This post is a no-hype look at what this phase meant, what we're polishing right now, and what comes next.
What the alpha was
The alpha wasn't a demo. It was proving, on real devices, that a professional IDE fits entirely on your phone: an LSP editor, a native Linux terminal + SSH, a database manager with embedded PostgreSQL, an API tester, a visual designer, a marketplace, a multi-provider AI assistant, AI Office and workflows.
If you want the detail on each module, it's in the documentation and in our development status post.
Throughout the alpha we chased three things: that it be stable, that it be fast on mid-range hardware, and that it doesn't make you fight the screen to code from your phone.
What we're polishing before the beta
Closing the alpha isn't flipping a switch. Before we open the closed beta we're focused on:
- Performance and cold start on mid-range devices, not just flagships.
- Battery and memory usage in long sessions (the terminal, the LSP and the embedded database are the heaviest).
- Stability of the critical flows: open project, edit, run, commit and deploy.
- Touch-experience polish: gestures, keyboard, panels and offline mode.
We won't ship anything we wouldn't use daily ourselves.
What's next: closed beta → Google Play
The plan is clear and phased:
- Closed beta. A group of professional testers gets the build before anyone else to give us real, demanding feedback.
- Iterating on that feedback. What we learn in the beta drives the final adjustments.
- Stable launch on Google Play. When it's genuinely ready, not before.
We're not giving a date on purpose: we'd rather deliver than promise.
How to be among the first
The closed beta is run by a group of professional testers. If you want to be among the first of the public to try Pocket Code at launch, join the pre-registration: pre-registered users get the launch notice before anyone else.
Want to see where we're headed? Take a look at the roadmap.
Why we tell it this way
Because trust is built on honesty. We won't inflate downloads or invent ratings. When we reach Google Play, the numbers will be real — and this blog will document every step.
The alpha is ending. The best part is about to begin.