Join the Perch test

Perch is an open-source Android client for a Hermes Agent you run yourself. It is in closed testing on Google Play, and anyone can join.

Two steps, about a minute

Google needs both. The first admits you; the second actually starts your test. Doing only the first looks like it worked and does not count.

Join the testers group and press Join group. This is what lets Google Play admit you. Use the same Google account you use on your phone.
Open the Play opt-in page and press Become a tester, then install Perch from Play as normal.

If step 2 says you are not a tester, give step 1 a minute to propagate and reload.

What being a tester involves

Stay opted in for at least 14 days. That is what Google counts, and it has to be continuous — opting out and back in restarts it.
Actually open it a few times. Google checks engagement, not just installs: a tester who never opens the app does not help. Look around, try a couple of screens. Five minutes across the fortnight is plenty.
Tell me anything you noticed. One line is enough. Google asks what changed because of the test, and "nothing" is a poor answer to give them.
It is free, has no ads and no accounts, and leaving is one tap in Play.
Nothing is collected from you for opting in. Perch runs no servers — see the privacy policy.

You do not need a server to try it

Perch talks to an AI agent you host yourself, but you do not need one to look around. Tap “Look around without a gateway →” on the first screen and every screen works from sample data — the conversation list, a transcript with tool calls, an approval card you can answer.

If you do run Hermes Agent, the setup scripts and instructions are on the support page.

Questions people ask

Why do you need testers? Google requires 12 testers opted in for 14 days before an app from an individual developer can go public. It is a Play rule, not a data-collection exercise.

Will you see my messages? No. Perch has no servers. What you type goes to the agent you run, at an address you supply, and nowhere else.

What does it send? An update check on launch, carrying a random install id. Crash reports only if you switch them on. Both are described in the privacy policy, and you can delete your data at any time.

Something is broken. Email sunim.54@gmail.com. Finding that is the reason the test exists.