Being able to ride with others what has created The Zwift Effect.
Adding more interaction is the next logical step and after trying a handful of rides with people I know I can say that this is becoming essential.
I would recommend simply not calling the phone apps “Betas”. Just call them apps. Give them a version number. I don’t see why it’s rollout has to be limited by some strange policies of Apple. The description can make it clear that these full-fledged “apps” are intended as companions for a separate beta service and that you need an account there to use them.
Apple’s beta testing policy through TestFlight allows up to 1K invites which was critical mass to work out the major issues. The iOS app has been submitted to the Apple Store so now it’s wait, see and hope for approval. Trust us - you’ll know as soon as we do!