Lumo needs a public TestFlight beta — and here's why it makes total sense
(These ideas are my own. I used AI to help structure and write this post.)
Hey everyone,
I've been using Lumo since the early days, and I genuinely love what Proton is building here. But there's one thing that's been bothering me more and more: Lumo is the only major Proton app without a public TestFlight beta on iOS. Let me explain why I think that's a missed opportunity — for users and for the team.
📱 The current situation
Right now, the Lumo iOS app is built around a WKWebView wrapper — essentially a native shell that loads the web interface. Proton themselves confirmed this on GitHub (https://github.com/ProtonLumo/ios-lumo), where the open-source iOS repo is described as a "SwiftUI-based iOS application that provides a web-based interface for Lumo services." The most recent update did introduce a native composer UI, which is great progress — but there's still a long way to go before Lumo feels like a truly native app on par with Proton Mail or Proton VPN.
Meanwhile, nearly every other Proton app already has a TestFlight beta:
- ✅ Proton Mail — public TestFlight beta (https://proton.me/support/ios-mobile-beta)
- ✅ Proton VPN — open to all users via TestFlight
- ✅ Proton Pass — TestFlight beta available
- ✅ Proton Calendar — TestFlight beta available
- ✅ Proton Meet — TestFlight beta available
- ❌ Lumo — nothing
That gap is noticeable.
🛠️ Why a TestFlight beta would benefit Proton directly
This isn't just about giving users cool stuff early. There are concrete, practical benefits for the development team:
1. Automatic crash logs and diagnostics — without users having to do anything. TestFlight automatically sends detailed crash reports, stack traces, and performance metrics directly to Proton's dev team. Right now, if Lumo crashes or lags, users have to either contact support, post on Reddit, or just quietly give up. With TestFlight, that data flows to the team automatically and immediately — no middlemen, no lost reports.
2. Direct in-app feedback. TestFlight has a built-in "Send Beta Feedback" feature. Users can report issues directly from the app with a screenshot attached. No more tagging Proton on Reddit, no more hoping a support ticket reaches the right person.
3. Faster iteration cycles. Proton already uses this model successfully with their other apps. Bugs in Proton Mail's iOS beta get caught and fixed before they hit the main release. Lumo deserves the same pipeline.
4. Better data for a native app transition. If Proton is serious about moving Lumo toward a fully native iOS experience (and the new native composer suggests they are), a TestFlight beta gives them a controlled environment to roll out native components gradually, gather real-world performance data, and catch regressions early.
🚀 How it could be structured
I'd suggest something similar to how Proton Mail's beta works:
- Public beta with limited slots — open to everyone, first-come first-served. Once slots are full, the public link simply stops accepting new testers.
- Visionary & Lifetime users get guaranteed priority access — more on this below.
- Optional participation — users who just want the stable app keep using it as normal. The beta is purely opt-in for those who want to actively help Proton improve Lumo.
👑 The Visionary promise — and how a beta fits in
This one is important to me personally. Proton's own plan page explicitly promises that Visionary subscribers receive:
"early access to all future features and products" (https://proton.me/support/proton-plans)
To be clear: I'm not suggesting Visionary users should only get early access features if they join the beta. That early access should happen regardless — through things like opt-in experimental feature toggles in settings, or features rolling out to Visionary accounts before the general public. That's what the plan promises, and Lumo should deliver on it the same way other Proton products do. The Proton Mail desktop app, for example, launched as a Visionary-only beta in December 2023, months before going public.
The TestFlight beta would be a separate, additional layer on top of that — a way for Visionary users (and anyone else who wants to) to actively contribute to Lumo's development by opting into a build that sends automatic crash reports and diagnostics to the team.
On the topic of beta slots: in my experience as a Visionary user, when the Proton Mail TestFlight beta was full, I contacted support and they added me manually — specifically because early access is a core part of the Visionary plan. That kind of support-based override makes sense for Visionary and Lifetime users, given what the plan explicitly promises.
🤖 What about Android?
I'll be honest — I'm an iPhone user and not deeply familiar with the Android beta ecosystem, so I won't speak too confidently here. But it would make sense to have an equivalent opt-in beta channel on Android as well — ideally one that also sends automatic diagnostics to the team, similar to what TestFlight provides on iOS.
TL;DR
- Lumo is the only major Proton iOS app without a TestFlight beta
- TestFlight would give the team automatic crash logs, performance data, and direct feedback — without users having to do anything extra
- A public beta with limited slots would let the community actively help Proton improve Lumo faster
- Visionary and Lifetime users should get early access to features regardless — the beta is just an additional opt-in way to contribute crash reports and diagnostics on top of that
- As Lumo moves toward a more native iOS experience, a beta channel becomes even more important for safe rollouts
Would love to hear what others think. Would you join a Lumo TestFlight beta if it existed? 👇