Any way to make React Native ios app for personal use? - ios

I am making an ios app using React Native for the first time as a self learning exercise. I don't intend to launch it to the Apple App Store but it'd be nice to be able to use the app myself on my phone.
I've successfully deployed my app to my iPhone with "Release Build" settings, but after 3 days the app stops launching (with message "yourApp is no longer available"). I understand this is something to do with the provisioning profile expiring after x amount of days and a reinstall of the app from xcode is needed (from this thread)
Does anyone know any way to get around this? Or must I purchase a developer licence and go through deployment to the app store just to get my app working on my phone permanently? Thanks in advance!

Related

TestFlight build is not working same for every user

I'm new to iOS development.
I have a app built with React Native and already deployed on app store. I'm working on version 2.0 of the app. Previous version was built by some other developer company.
They delivered the source code for the version one, I'm gonna work on top of the codes of version one.
I've pushed a build on TestFlight to check if the existing codes are okay.
Now on TestFlight,
most of the testers are not finding any problems but some users can't login. Whenever they try to login, either there is an infinite loading screen or the app takes back to splash screen. The users then tries again to login but again after entering otp, user is sent back to splash screen.
Now this scenario is happening only with 2, out of our 20+ testers. We don't know where the problem is because we can't recreate the same issue in other devices.
Also, this same app with same code is deployed on google play store and working without any issue.
Has anyone else faced similar issue? Is it a problem with the test flight?
N.B: Everyone using iphone with latest iOS update 16.3
Try to log in with their credentials on your simulator/local device where you have access to logs etc.
Sounds to me like there's an issue with some specific accounts, maybe they have some properties in their accounts that has been altered/removed that's making the login process fail / load the correct content.
Edit: If there's infinite loading, have they checked their internet connectivity as well?

React native private deployment

I've to create a mobile app for my small company (150 users).
They use both Android and IOS device, and the only native feature I need is Notifications Push..
Cause of the notifications, I can't go pwa (ios doesn't support), so I would try react native app.
This app is for private usage, so I can't deploy it via App Store, but I can use the "enterprise program".
The problem is the price.. It Will cost 300$ every year, for only one app ?
I think I can leave the program once upon a time the app is deployed.. But have to subsribe when I'll have to update..
I've see the OTA possibility. Do you think I can deploy and Update via OTA (Codepush)?
Thank you
Have a look at Expo, it might be just you need. Comes with push notifications support out of the box, the pre-release/beta development/distribution experience is just beautiful. One-click update (without any OTA settings, configuration, hassle) of your app's JS bundle, QR code sharing, and lots more.
Also, you can use TestFlight (together with Expo) if you guys don't want to pay for anything, but that app will expire after 90 days (and you'll have to re-submit a build every 90 days).

iOS app stops working, profile is deleted

I'm currently developing an app for iOS using swift and I've noticed recently that after I install the app on my iPhone, it will work for some time but after a bit it just won't launch anymore and the profile under General > Profiles & Device Management > has been deleted and I have to plug my phone to my computer to re-run it.
Is there a particular reason why this would happen or is there a way around this?
Edit: I have not yet bought a developer membership, I simply wanted to know if there is a way without it.
It's because the build that you have on your phone has a limit to the amount of time that the Development profile is available on your device. It's usually up to 5 days or so, (if it's significantly shorter than that, you may have an issue) so that you can take your device home and play with it if need be and return to the office and fix any issues you find.
I'm not actually sure that there is any way to lengthen this development build time but yes that's why it won't reopen and why you'd have to re-install your application to a device to continue to test. I think it has something to do with the Apple Developers Provisioning Profiles.
Could it be because you have not bought a developer program membership? I'm pretty sure that when you install an app to your phone using the free trial membership, you get this time limit on your wildcard profile.
The "way around it" is to attach the phone to the computer and build and run on the device again.

Can I update an iOS Enterprise App in the background like an App Store app can?

I have an iOS enterprise app that we are wirelessly distributing to our devices. Currently the app polls our server once a day to see if there is an app update. If there is, we try to install it by having the app call the following code:
NSURL *installUrl = [NSURL URLWithString:[NSString stringWithFormat:#"itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=%#", plistUrl]];
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:installUrl];
This causes the app to prompt the user with an alert dialog to install the update. If they click install, the app closes and the update is downloaded and installed.
I am wondering if there is anything for enterprise apps for iOS 7 similar to the AppStore's automatic updates? I would like to be able to update our app without the user having to press an update button and be able to update at a time when the user won't have to wait for it to install.
The answers in these questions will give you a correct answer:
Auto-updated iOS application for enterprise distribution
Update In-House Apps -- iOS Enterprise Developer Program
Updating iOS apps automatically with an MDM + Enterprise license
There is a solution for this though by Stephen McMahon, but I did not test it.
http://www.techhui.com/profiles/blogs/auto-updating-enterprise-or-ad-hoc-ios-applications
EDIT: I realise now that I misread the brief, the OP was asking for background automatic updates. Not possible for enterprise apps, but (relatively) easy to do upon first open. I'll leave this here as this was the info I came looking for when I found this question.
Here's what I did for my project. I exported the app in Enterprise mode against our In House Distribution certificate and uploaded the folder to public web space. Have your app check for updates (the method to use is an exercise for the developer) and when one is detected, open a web browser to a URL like the following:
itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=https://www.yourcompany.com/path/to/manifest.plist
You'll see a screen not unlike the one below:
If you use Cordova/PhoneGap to develop your app, be sure to include an allow-navigation rule for these types of apps.
Sorry, but there is no way how to download the updates on the background for enterprise apps.

IPhone App Submission Issues

Ive submitted my first app and it has been approved. But I have a few issues that i'd like to ask what I should do about.
One of my images/icons that I have in my app showed correctly in my distributed binary at my end (running it in debug simulator from xcode) but on the app downloaded from the app store it is not showing at all?
IPads cannot see my app in their search of the app store?
IOS 4 is needed to run my app. How do i change it so that it can be run on IOS 3 aswell? And if i make it IOS 3 compatible does this mean that it cannot be run in the background at all (i.e. when the close out of my app and go back into it will it restart the entire app)
Also does anyone know whether submitting an update is quicker in the review process than submitting a entirely new app?
Thanks in advance for your help
Thats a QA issue. The simulator is just that and if you want to be sure that your App runs as you expect on hardware then you need to check it on hardware. There are instances of images that decode on simulator but not on hardware.
iPad only runs iOS 3.2 at the mo so if your app runs on 4.0 it wont show up for iPad.
See 2 and no you dont have multitasking in 3.2 so you need to make sure your app state persists across atomic launches. You'll need to remove/conditionally compile any 4.0 only API in your App. If thats a problem wait until November-ish.
Maybe, depends, probably no. Lead time on update/new submission is around 8 days +/- YMMV.

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