In order to ensure that manufacturers can release software for testing purposes before subjecting their products with digital elements to conformity assessment, Member States should not prevent the making available of unfinished software, such as alpha versions, beta versions or release candidates, provided that the unfinished software is made available only for the time necessary to test it and gather feedback. Manufacturers should ensure that software made available under those conditions is released only following a risk assessment and that it complies to the extent possible with the security requirements relating to the properties of products with digital elements laid down in this Regulation. Manufacturers should also implement the vulnerability handling requirements to the extent possible. Manufacturers should not force users to upgrade to versions only released for testing purposes.