title: Deploy app through Google Play Store in a private channel without Google Apps?
body: <p>I'm building an Android app which for various reasons <strong>cannot be listed publicly</strong> on the Google Play store.</p>
  
  <p>I have found information about the <a href="https://support.google.com/a/answer/2494992?hl=en">Google Play Private Channel</a> but if I understand it correctly, this can only be used when all your users are within a Google Apps domain (which mine are not).</p>
  
  <p><strong>Are there any similar methods that I could use to deploy my app (and get the benefit of easy installation for users, an updating mechanism etc.), or is my only option to publish an APK file manually?</strong></p>
  
  <p>From what I can tell, manually publishing APK files is the only choice, but this seems strange to me since my situation must be common for "private" business applications.</p>
  
  <p>In particular, I am concerned that it would look unprofessional to have to guide users through the process of turning on the "Allow installation of apps from unknown sources" setting.</p>
  
  <p>Any advice welcome, thanks!</p>