Q: How much will O2 Litmus cost me?

Membership of O2 Litmus is free of charge. Getting involved in the testing of new apps is also free of charge. In fact if any of the apps you test then go on to be sold in the app store you get them for free as a thank you for your time and effort.

Many of the finished apps available in the app store are also free of charge, and some are chargeable. It's entirely down to you to decide if you want to purchase any of the apps on sale there. Any purchases will simply be billed direct to your O2 mobile phone account.

Please note apps may use mobile internet services. Always read the instructions and terms and conditions provided with the app.

We strongly recommend you sign up for an unlimited Web Bolt On so you can relax and really get stuck in. You can find more information on our unlimited Web Bolt Ons here:

Pay As You Go Customers:

http://www.o2.co.uk/mobilestariffs/tariffs/paygo/o2webbolton

Pay Monthly Customers:

http://www.o2.co.uk/mobilestariffs/tariffs/paymonthly/boltons

Q: What can I do in O2 Litmus?

A: By being an active member of O2 Litmus, you can help to shape the future of the mobile industry. You have the opportunity to get involved right at the beginning of the creation process by testing out the latest mobile apps before they appear anywhere else.

Your opinion counts – you work directly with the developer of that app to feedback your thoughts and experiences.

O2 Litmus is not just about testing, there are also many finished apps for sale, so if your want to load up your phone with cool stuff you can do that as well.

Q: I've heard I can get paid to test apps in O2 Litmus, is that true?

A: Yes. Any app that is listed in "Premium Testing" offers you the opportunity to get paid for your time and effort testing that app out. You need to opt into Premium Testing to take part. You can do this at initial registration or later by visiting your account manager.

Q: How does Premium Testing work?

A:

1. The App developer has to decide to list their app for Premium Testing.

2. The recruitment of testers for the Premium Tester can be a mix of proactive or reactive.

Developers have a tool that allows them to search O2 Litmus to find members with the right kind of handset or interests that match their app. This helps connect you to the stuff that will be of most interest within O2 Litmus.

Alternatively, if you spot an app listed in Premium Testing that you like the look of, you can simply click the button to get involved.

3. Documentation (a test case) outlining the tasks the developer wants you to complete will be available from the app's page. You should consider how much of your time you think will be required to completed those tasks, and consider your knowledge and skill level.

4. You then submit a bid to the developer that you feel reflects a fair price for your time and knowledge to the app developer. The app developer will see a number of incoming bids and can accept or decline each bid as they see fit.

As you will be in competition with other O2 Litmus members for the money available, you should experiment with your bids to ensure you win as many as possible. The beauty of the system is that once you start successfully completing Premium Tests, your rating will increase demonstrating your skill level and reliability to developers, which can help you justify increasing your bid values over time.

You will be notified via your O2 Litmus message inbox if you have been successful or unsuccessful with your bids.

5. Once accepted you have the time period stated by the developer to complete the tasks. Five days after the successful completion of those tasks you will be paid the value of your bid into the PayPal account you supplied.

Q: How much experience do I need to be a Premium Tester?

A: None. Anybody who is reasonably savvy using their own handset can be a Premium Tester. There may be some tests which require a more sophisticated user, but many tests require only that you have the proper handset, and the ability to follow instructions.

Q: How do I become a Premium Tester?

A: Simply opt in at registration for O2 Litmus, or sign up later by visiting your account manager.

Q: How much can I expect to make testing mobile applications?

A: That depends on how many projects you take on, and the complexity of those projects. A very simple test may bring in less than £20 while larger tests involving more time can be worth far more. This is a brand new concept and O2 Litmus members are invited to grow along with us and bid on an increasing number of available projects.

Q: Why is there a bidding system?

A: A bidding system enables the market to set the price and allows for a range of factors, such as labour rates and download fees. Our focus is putting developers in touch with members to help get applications to market faster. Lower bids may win some projects, but members who do good work and receive high ratings are able to set higher rates.

Q: How do you handle payment?

A: All payment is managed through PayPal; all Premium Testers must set up a PayPal account and provide our Premium Testing partner, Mob4Hire, with the applicable PayPal email address when they opt into the Premium Testing service. See www.paypal.com for terms and conditions.

Five banking days after you send your completed test results to the developer, your funds are available via PayPal. You must earn $50 in your account before funds are released by Mob4Hire, as handling fees currently make it inefficient to pay out smaller amounts.

The majority of Mob4Hire-brokered test results are accepted without question. On rare occasions where the developer does not feel the work has been performed as outlined, they can contact Mob4Hire within the five day grace period. In those circumstances, Mob4Hire will mediate between you and the developer.

Q: Can I bid more than once on a single project?

A: No. However, if a developer is not satisfied with the bids they receive, they can re-post the project. At that time you would be welcome to submit another bid.

Q: Do I have to bid on a project if I receive an invite from a developer?

A: No. However, testers who bid and conduct tests make money and have the opportunity to increase their ratings; higher-rated testers can raise their bids accordingly.

Q: What should I do if I am having trouble completing my test?

A: Each project has its own forum on the O2 Litmus site where you can communicate with the developer in question. You'll receive the link to the specific forum when you are accepted as the successful bidder.

Q: Will I always get rated on my performance?

A: Yes. Premium Testing requires all app developers to rate the tester on a scale of one to five once the project is completed. You also have the opportunity to rate the developer in terms of the clarity of the test plan and their responsiveness on the project forum.

Q: What if I am unhappy with a review that I received?

A: If you think you've received an unfair review, you can contact our Premium Testing Partner, Mob4Hire. Note however, that ratings are from one to five; the more tests you conduct, the less impact one bad review will make on your overall score.

Q: Who are Mob4Hire?

A: Mob4Hire are an innovative, award winning, crowd sourced testing company that had the brain child for this method of incentivising mobile phone users to help test apps for money. You can check them out here: http://www.mob4hire.com/

Q: How can I trust the apps I use in O2 Litmus?

A: O2 Litmus gives you the opportunity to help shape the future of mobile applications as you work directly with the developer of those applications to feedback what you like and what you don't like. Like anything that is not quite finished, sometimes some of these apps will contain bugs and may not work all the time.

If you participate in O2 Litmus with an open mind and sense of community it will be a richly rewarding experience to see an app grow and improve through this process.

O2 pre checks all the apps uploaded into O2 Litmus for viruses and compliance with our content standards policies. In other words ensuring they don't contain any offensive material, etc. You can check out our content standard policies here:

http://www.o2.com/cr/o2_content_control.asp

Here are a few tips on deciding which app's you should download within O2 Litmus:

• If you are a hard core mobile geek, just roll up your sleeves and get stuck in and you will experience a lot of cool stuff way before your friends.
• If you are a little more cautious check out the app rating and comments on the forum before downloading and installing the app. How have other members found it, did it score well? These resources should provide a pointer to the quality of the app.
• Always read the Developer's terms and conditions before you download any application.
• Of course the ultimate way to have confidence in an app is to look for the O2 Accredited badge on the applications information page. This badge means the app has passed O2's own quality criteria meaning you can have a high degree of confidence in that app.

Q: I have paid for an app and it doesn't work how do I get a refund?

In the first instance you should contact the provider of the app by clicking on their name from the app page. It is the responsibility of the developer to handle specific customer issues and refunds with the software they provide. Before you have read the terms and conditions provided with the app before purchasing.

If in a rare instance where the developer does not satisfactorily resolve your problem, feel free to flag your issue to support@o2litmus.co.uk and we will help mediate.

Q: Who do I contact if I have a problem?

A: Firstly ensure you have checked the O2 Litmus Forums. These are our preferred method of support as they are available 24/7 meaning you may get a faster response than emailing us, and of course by posting in the forum other Community members may be able to help you and all will benefit from the debate and solution to your problem.

To reach us via email click on "Contact Us" which you can find in the bottom right hand corner of every page within O2 Litmus.

Q: What are the working hours of the Support team?

A: Monday – Friday 08:00 – 17:00 GMT