Ios – Submit for Review for Testflight (iOS)

app-store-connectiostestflight

I want to send out my App for external Beta Tests so i want to use Apple's new TestFlight System for this.

I managed to invite internal tester yet and they can test the app, so i found out that i have to submit the app for external beta testing.

If i log into iTunes Connect i dont see the option to submit for "TestFlight" i only see the "Submit for Review" button that i can use to submit to the AppStore, or is it the same?

Anyone maybe can explain a bit more about how to use and submit the external Beta Test of TestFlight?

Best Answer

You'll find more info about Beta Testing here: AppStore - TestFlight. As mentioned on this page, the public Beta Testing feature is not yet available:

External Testers (Coming Soon)

Creating ad-hoc distribution profiles

The instructions that Apple provides are here, but here is how I created a general provisioning profile that will work with multiple apps, and added a beta tester.

My setup:

Xcode 3.2.1
iPhone SDK 3.1.3

Before you get started, make sure that..

You can run the app on your own iPhone through Xcode.

Step A: Add devices to the Provisioning Portal

Send an email to each beta tester with the following message:

To get my app on onto your iPhone I need some information about your phone. Guess what, there is an app for that!

Click on the below link and install and then run the app.

http://itunes.apple.com/app/ad-hoc-helper/id285691333?mt=8

This app will create an email. Please send it to me.
Collect all the UDIDs from your testers.
Go to the Provisioning Portal.
Go to the section Devices.
Click on the button Add Devices and add the devices previously collected.

Step B: Create a new provisioning profile

Start the Mac OS utility program Keychain Access.
In its main menu, select Keychain Access / Certificate Assistant / Request a Certificate From a Certificate Authority...
The dialog that pops up should aready have your email and name it it.
Select the radio button Saved to disk and Continue.
Save the file to disk.
Go back to the Provisioning Portal.
Go to the section Certificates.
Go to the tab Distribution.
Click the button Request Certificate.
Upload the file you created with Keychain Access: CertificateSigningRequest.certSigningRequest.
Click the button Aprove.
Refresh your browser until the status reads Issued.
Click the Download button and save the file distribution_identify.cer.
Doubleclick the file to add it to the Keychain.
Backup the certificate by selecting its private key and the File / Export Items....
Go back to the Provisioning Portal again.
Go to the section Provisioning.
Go to the tab Distribution.
Click the button New Profile.
Select the radio button Ad hoc.
Enter a profile name, I named mine Evertsson Common Ad Hoc.
Select the app id. I have a common app id to use for multiple apps: Evertsson Common.
Select the devices, in my case my own and my tester's.
Submit.
Refresh the browser until the status field reads Active.
Click the button Download and save the file to disk.
Doubleclick the file to add it to Xcode.

Step C: Build the app for distribution

Open your project in Xcode.
Open the Project Info pane: In Groups & Files select the topmost item and press Cmd+I.
Go to the tab Configuration.
Select the configuration Release.
Click the button Duplicate and name it Distribution.
Close the Project Info pane.
Open the Target Info pane: In Groups & Files expand Targets, select your target and press Cmd+I.
Go to the tab Build.
Select the Configuration named Distribution.
Find the section Code Signing.
Set the value of Code Signing Identity / Any iPhone OS Device to iPhone Distribution.
Close the Target Info pane.
In the main window select the Active Configuration to Distribution.
Create a new file from the file template Code Signing / Entitlements.
Name it Entitlements.plist.
In this file, uncheck the checkbox get-task-allow.
Bring up the Target Info pane, and find the section Code Signing again.
After Code Signing Entitlements enter the file name Entitlements.plist.
Save, clean, and build the project.
In Groups & Files find the folder MyApp / Products and expand it.
Right click the app and select Reveal in Finder.
Zip the .app file and the .mobileprovision file and send the archive to your tester.
Here is my app. To install it onto your phone:
1. Unzip the archive file.
2. Open iTunes.
3. Drag both files into iTunes and drop them on the Library group.
4. Sync your phone to install the app.

Done! Phew. This worked for me. So far I've only added one tester.

Ios – How to tell at runtime whether an iOS app is running through a TestFlight Beta install

For an application installed through TestFlight Beta the receipt file is named StoreKit\sandboxReceipt vs the usual StoreKit\receipt. Using [NSBundle appStoreReceiptURL] you can look for sandboxReceipt at the end of the URL.

NSURL *receiptURL = [[NSBundle mainBundle] appStoreReceiptURL];
NSString *receiptURLString = [receiptURL path];
BOOL isRunningTestFlightBeta =  ([receiptURLString rangeOfString:@"sandboxReceipt"].location != NSNotFound);

Note that sandboxReceipt is also the name of the receipt file when running builds locally and for builds run in the simulator.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Ios – How to beta test an iphone app

Creating ad-hoc distribution profiles

Step A: Add devices to the Provisioning Portal

Step B: Create a new provisioning profile

Step C: Build the app for distribution

Ios – How to tell at runtime whether an iOS app is running through a TestFlight Beta install

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