One of my iOS app is in "Pending Developer Release" state in App Store Connect. Its been a long time (around 3 months) it got approved. Now this ipa file is removed from testFlight. can anyone let me know please the way to get access of this ipa file in App Store Connect? I need to check something in app before "Release this version".
Thanks in advance!
that is currently not supported. You could only submit a new build, which would be available in TestFLight for the next 90 days.
It was never possible to download the IPA file you uploaded to App Store Connect from Apple. Make sure to store your source code and possibly IPA files in source control (e.g. GitHub, Bitbucket or similar).
As already stated TestFlight builds are available for testing for a 90 days period, but this has nothing to do with how long Apple "stores" the build. In fact you can select any uploaded build for a version and submit it for review. The TestFlight time limit is just for security purpose, so that there is no alternative way to distribute apps.
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I'm an iOS developer working for a company and in the next days we'll be publishing our customer .ipa compilation onto the app store.
The thing is we're perfectly aware of the 1st of April restrictions about "how to publish new apps", that is, we already know we need to use XCode 9 to add proper iPhone X screen layout support.
Anyway, our intention is releasing our app AS OF TODAY (20-Mar-2018), before the 1st of April deadline, with not perfect iPhoneX support yet. In fact, the .ipa file has been already uploaded weeks ago, and considered ready to be published by Apple. So far so good.
Now here comes our doubt: What would it happen if we keep the "approved status and ready to be published" of the .ipa file we sent some days ago, and perform the actual publish action under iTunes connect after the 1st of April? Would Apple refuse our (otherwise) already accepted .ipa file, which is now "in the oven" ready to be published?
After reading the new conditions about uploading .ipa files after 1st of April (with Xcode 9), we have no idea if the already uploaded .ipa file would make its way to the app store, or would be banned.
We sent our query to Apple.
Apple told us this: once the app reaches the "the only thing needed to publish your app is just pressing the 'publish' button inside your itunes connect", the app will get published, no matter what.
In case legal/technical conditions are known to change, if they apply after the app has been approved by Apple review team (as it will happen on 1st April 2018), the "invalid app" publishing action will be valid anyway.
In case other developing teams have this doubt, here you have Apple's answer to our query.
On iTunes Connect website, under build, I have no plus sign. My builds are not appearing.
Version number in the general tab (for the heck of it, build number too) are the same as in my iTunes Connect profile.
I archived an ipa in xcode 7.2 and uploaded to appstore successfully. However it does not appear in the app profile I created under build.
I also used the independent iTunes Connect app which also uploaded the ipa successfully, but it also does not appear in build section on website.
Any ideas what could be causing this issue?
iTunesConnect could be slow and buggy at times.
I encountered the same issue. Couldn't see it for 30+ minutes. Turned off my laptop, went to bed and the next morning it was there.
There will be having some issues with your uploaded build so you can just make appeal to App store technical team with your app id.
They will provide you guide and reason for not showing your build into itunesconnect.
Thanks for the advice. I never contacted Apple, but after 48 hours Apple finally contacted me via email saying that there are swift files that are not supported.
Wonderful. Thanks apple. Personal opinion: should have stayed with Objective-C. But I guess that solves the issue why it was not displaying under the build section on iTunes Connect.
I have not renewed my developer account since I am just developing an app for a school project. I want to distribute my app to a few folks to get some test-feedback (I think there will be lots of bugs, crashes and other issues detected even if 5-10 friends/family use it and provide feedback).
Since I don't plan to publish this on the app store but use it just to improve my app development skills, I want to distribute the app using appaloosa instead of paying the $99 developer account fee to use TestFlight.
This requires uploading an ipa file. I tried following steps in other posts but I am stuck at the step where they ask to "select the archived app and hit 'Share'". I don see any Share button when I select the archived app.
Is it possible to create the ipa file without a developer account? if yes, how is this done? Also, after creating the ipa file and uploading it to appaloosa, will things just work or are there any other gotchas?
Can someone share a screenshot of how creating the .ipa from the archived file would look like? Maybe I'm overlooking the share button?
No, you can only test on your own device for free. Any other distribution requires a Developer Account.
It is indeed possible. You can create the .ipa by using the method shown in How to create ipa in xcode 6 without Apple Developer account?. The second method (of creating empty Payload folder") is what worked for me. I then renamed the compressed file to .ipa instead of Payload.zip and uploaded to appaloosa. I just successfully installed it on multiple devices and they work! Now I'm ready to get some real user feedback. How awesome is that!
My iOS app is currently "Pending Developer Release". I did this to get promo codes. With promo codes, I got some awesome feedback from users. I want to implement those changes and add it to app. So how do I remove my app from "pending developer release" since anyways it's not in app store now. Also, if next week I add the changes and upload this new app build, would App store have a problem with it and think it's a duplicate so they wouldn't allow it to be uploaded to App store?
Also, if next week I add the changes and upload this new app build, would App store have a problem with it and think it's a duplicate so they wouldn't allow it to be uploaded to App store?
There are two build numbers:
Increase the second build number but leave the first build number the same. That way, the App Store knows that this is an update to the same build. And when it has processed, you can then release the later build.
I had read once that if in iTunes Connect you marked a binary as "hold for developer release", there was a way to install that version from the app store instead of the current version in the store - thus allowing for one final check that the binary was good before release, and to ensure which binary was actually submitted.
I was unable to find a way to link to the approved binary though in a recent submission. Does anyone know how you can install an app store binary that has been approved before you release it?
What I do is an archive build (a release build). Then in the Organizer I choose the archive and then distribute it as an ad-hoc build. The resulting ipa file gets installed into iTunes then that version gets synced to an iOS device for testing. If it all looks good I then go back to the Organizer and choose the same archive. This time I choose to do an App Store distribution and submit the app to Apple for review.
The only difference between what you end up testing and what ends up in the App Store is how the app is signed. It's the same binary otherwise.
I think I may have found the answer in the response to this question:
Submitting third version of an iOS app via iTunesConnect before app goes live
Basically the idea is you could set a future release date, and click the release button - the binary would not go out until that date, and theoretically then there would be some way in iTunes Connect to find a link to use to install the approved binary from Apple.
That is all hypothetical, the next time I have an application ready for release I will attempt that and adjust this answer (unless someone else provides a clear answer before me).