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Walkthrough: publishing an app and picking visibility.

Publishing makes an app available beyond the people you have shared it with directly. You publish from the app builder or from any app’s Share modal, set the visibility level, and optionally share with specific people, groups, or organizations in the same flow.
An app must be published before viewers can use it. People you have added as viewers see a “not yet published” message until you publish.

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How to publish

1

Review your app

Make sure the prompt, references, and starter inputs are ready. Test the app from the builder before publishing.
2

Open Publish from the app builder or Share modal

Both paths land in the same place. The app builder has a Publish button at the top. Any app’s Share modal has a Publish toggle alongside the recipient picker.
3

Pick a visibility level

Visibility controls who can see the app once published. Levels are described below.
4

Optional: share with specific people

From the Share modal, add individuals, groups, or organizations as viewers. They see the app once it is published.
5

Click Publish

The app goes live with the visibility you selected. People you shared with see it on their next visit.

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Visibility levels

Visibility tells Playlab who can find and use your app once it is published. Private Only you, the people you have shared with directly, and your org’s admins can see the app. This is the most restrictive level and is appropriate for class-specific apps you do not want spreading. Organization Members of your organization can see the app. They do not need to be in your workspace. Useful when you want everyone in the org to be able to find and use the app. Public Anyone with a Playlab account can find and use the app. Public apps appear in the Playlab community gallery. Choose this when you want to share the app with the broader community. If you want a more granular target than these levels, use the Share modal to add specific people, groups, or organizations. They see the app even when the broader visibility is Private.

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Sharing directly with people, groups, or orgs

Direct sharing works alongside visibility. From the Share modal, type the recipient and pick a permission level. For the deeper guides, see Sharing with individuals and Sharing with groups and orgs.

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Best practices

A few things that have worked for builders shipping apps: Set visibility to Private and share with specific recipients during pilot. You stay in control of who tests the app and you avoid distributing an app that is not ready. Publish a first version quickly and iterate. The Editor model and direct sharing make iteration cheaper. Updates flow to everyone with access on the next load, so you can ship small improvements often. Write a short description before publishing. The description shows up in search and on the app card. A clear one-line summary makes the app findable.

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Key points

  • Publish from the app builder or from any Share modal
  • Visibility levels: Private, Organization, or Public
  • Direct sharing works alongside any visibility level

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FAQ

Yes. From the app builder or Share modal, toggle Publish off. The app stops being visible to viewers and disappears from search. Sharing with specific people stays in place but those people see the unpublished state.
The new version replaces the old one for everyone with access. Conversations users had with prior versions are preserved. New conversations use the latest published version.
Playlab does not currently support paid apps. The platform is free for educators and learners. Partnership and licensing arrangements work through your Learning Partner.
Add a peer as Editor or Viewer through the Share modal. Editors see the draft and can edit. Viewers see it once published. To preview a draft with a Viewer, the simplest path is to publish to Private, share with them, and unpublish later.
The workspace level is now replaced by direct sharing with workspace members or by setting the visibility to Organization. The change keeps the same control without overloading the workspace concept.
Not in this release. Publish happens immediately. If you need a coordinated launch, share the app as Viewer with your team and publish on the day.
Public apps are indexed and may show up in search engines. Private apps are not. Org-level apps are not indexed externally.
Edit the app, click Publish again. The new version replaces the previous one. Conversations from the previous version are preserved.
Last updated: 06-01-2026 Contact us at [email protected]