diff --git a/.github/workflows/spotube-release-binary.yml b/.github/workflows/spotube-release-binary.yml
index c3ddf0f8..e612fa07 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spotube-release-binary.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spotube-release-binary.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ on:
         default: 'stable'
         options:
           - stable
+          - beta
           - nightly
       dry_run:
         description: 'Dry run (build & upload artifacts only, skip creating release)'
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ on:
 permissions:
   contents: read
 
-# Never cancel a running release when another is dispatched, and let stable and nightly run side by side
+# Never cancel a running release when another is dispatched, and let stable, beta and nightly run side by side
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}-${{ inputs.release_type }}
   cancel-in-progress: false
@@ -215,7 +216,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
           # Desktop entry + metainfo, with the release history from git-cliff
           ./gradlew :composeApp:renderPackagingLinux -Pnightly=${{ inputs.release_type == 'nightly' }} -PbuildNumber=${{ github.run_number }}
-          packaging/package-linux-tarball.sh "$VERSION" "${{ inputs.release_type }}" .
+          packaging/package-linux-tarball.sh "$VERSION" "${{ inputs.release_type == 'nightly' && 'nightly' || 'stable' }}" .
 
       - name: Upload tarball
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
@@ -335,7 +336,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
           # Desktop entry + metainfo, with the release history from git-cliff
           ./gradlew :composeApp:renderPackagingLinux -Pnightly=${{ inputs.release_type == 'nightly' }} -PbuildNumber=${{ github.run_number }}
-          packaging/package-linux-tarball.sh "$VERSION" "${{ inputs.release_type }}" .
+          packaging/package-linux-tarball.sh "$VERSION" "${{ inputs.release_type == 'nightly' && 'nightly' || 'stable' }}" .
 
       - name: Upload tarball
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
@@ -538,8 +539,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set release variables
         id: vars
         run: |
-          if [ "${{ inputs.release_type }}" = "stable" ]; then
+          if [ "${{ inputs.release_type }}" != "nightly" ]; then
             chmod +x gradlew
+            # printVersion includes the -beta.N suffix when betaNumber is set in build.gradle.kts
             VERSION=$(./gradlew -q :composeApp:printVersion)
             TAG="v${VERSION}"
             echo "is_prerelease=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 833b6e2c..2cc7453b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ Android picks the Rust profile from its build type (`debug` or `release`) on its
 
 ### Releases
 
-Releases are built by [`spotube-release-binary.yml`](.github/workflows/spotube-release-binary.yml), run manually (`workflow_dispatch`) as `stable` or `nightly`. Each desktop platform (Linux x86_64 and aarch64, Windows, macOS) builds its native installers on its own runner. Android builds a signed APK.
+Releases are built by [`spotube-release-binary.yml`](.github/workflows/spotube-release-binary.yml), run manually (`workflow_dispatch`) as `stable`, `beta` or `nightly`. A beta is the stable build released like a stable release (draft, not a pre-release), tagged `v<version>-beta.N` (set `betaNumber` in `composeApp/build.gradle.kts` to N, and back to `null` for stable). Each desktop platform (Linux x86_64 and aarch64, Windows, macOS) builds its native installers on its own runner. Android builds a signed APK.
 
 ## 👥 The Spotube team
 
diff --git a/composeApp/build.gradle.kts b/composeApp/build.gradle.kts
index 571aa28d..a72f675f 100644
--- a/composeApp/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/composeApp/build.gradle.kts
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ plugins {
 
 val bundleId = "org.spotube.spotube"
 val version = "6.0.0"
+// Set to N to release <version>-beta.N (same app id, icons and name as stable); null for a plain stable release.
+// Installer metadata (packageVersion) must stay numeric, so it keeps using plain `version`.
+val betaNumber: Int? = 0
+// Betas share the stable app id, so bump this for every beta: Android only updates to a higher versionCode.
 val buildNumber = 46
 // Desktop icon channel; Android picks its icons via the stable/nightly product flavor. Use -Pnightly=true.
 val isNightly = providers.gradleProperty("nightly").map { it.toBoolean() }.getOrElse(false)
@@ -70,7 +74,7 @@ val isProductionBuild = providers.gradleProperty("production").map { it.toBoolea
 val targetName = "Spotube"
 val homePageUrl = "https://spotube.cc"
 val repositoryUrl = "https://github.com/team-spotube/spotube"
-val appVersionName = version
+val appVersionName = if (betaNumber != null) "$version-beta.$betaNumber" else version
 val appBuildNumber = if (isNightly) nightlyBuildNumber else buildNumber
 val appRepositoryUrl = repositoryUrl
 // CI reads the release version from here instead of scraping this file.
@@ -375,8 +379,8 @@ android {
         applicationId = bundleId
         minSdk = libs.versions.android.minSdk.get().toInt()
         targetSdk = libs.versions.android.targetSdk.get().toInt()
-        versionCode = buildNumber
-        versionName = version
+        versionCode = appBuildNumber
+        versionName = appVersionName
     }
     // stable = production channel, nightly = beta channel (own icon, name and installable side by side)
     flavorDimensions += "channel"