I received a message from Apple indicating that External Testers feature is now available in Itunes Connect. I followed the next steps:
Added a new External Tester.
I switched on the Beta Testing option, and sent to Beta App Review.
Filled the form and sent.
When I open the Testflight app there are no builds for testing and the person who I added as External Tester didn't receive any e-mail.
Did I forget any step? Am I doing something wrong?
For the external beta testing, you need to pass the Beta app review. The app will be available to testflight and External testers will get mails only after your app is approved for beta testing.
Apps made available to external testers require a Beta App Review and
must comply with the full App Store Review Guidelines before testing
can begin. A review is required for new versions of your app that
contain significant changes. Up to 10 apps can be tested at a time,
internally or externally.
Reference : Beta testing
Image from iTunes Connect, when you create a beta testing.
Related
We have an alpha (pre-beta) version of an app in development that we would like to distribute to five external testers via TestFlight, so they can give us feedback as we develop.
We uploaded the build and added our external testers. Upon doing so, the TestFlight build was marked Waiting for Review, as explained in this answer.
Then it got rejected. Now, when trying to Submit again, it's asking for everything needed to submit to the App Store (screenshots, etc).
This is a beta - not ready for the App Store.
How do I resubmit for a TestFlight beta review?
You have to compile another build with different number and upload it again.
But before doing that i have to tell you: an external testing with TestFlight requires a mostly complete app.
Apple TestFlight documents for external testing:
When you add the first build of your app to a group, the build gets sent to beta app review to make sure it follows the App Store Review Guidelines.
This means you have to pass App Store Review Guidelines which is basically means your app should be good enough to release in the AppStore.
I'm quite new to iOS distribution so I'm here to ask for the right direction, in particular because my objective is not a common publication.
I'd like to distribute to a few hundreds of selected users for at least half year. What provisioning profile do I need to use, developer or enterprise? What about the provisioning's expiry date? There are differences between them, aren't they?
What distribution platform do we use for this purpose? Is TesFlight a suitable choice?
Enterprise distribution could work for you, but it is officially allowed only to be used in-house, e.g. on devices that are owned by the same company that joined the enterprise developer program.
You could also use the B2B program (available through the normal developer program)
Note: Type of certificate(provisioning profile) depends upon distribution of your app. If you don't want to release app outside your organization, then use
Enterprise provisioning else, use Production/Distribution provisioning (Standard Development),
so that your app can be made available for public use (outside your
organization)
Follow these steps to distribute your app through TestFlight
Step 1: Enter your test information
Enter test information about your app, such as a description and feedback email. You will need this if you plan to distribute your build to external testers (persons outside your organization).
Step 2: Upload your build
Upload your build using either Xcode or Application Loader. Read Cryptography and U.S. Export Compliance to determine if you need to provide export compliance documentation for your app. After builds are uploaded, they are available for testing for 90 days.
Step 3: Invite internal and external testers
Add internal testers (up to 25 iTunes Connect users in your organization) so they have access to the builds you distribute. Then invite external testers (up to 2000 persons outside your organization) who you want to test your app. You can create groups of testers and assign specific builds to groups. If you invite external testers, the build needs to be approved by Beta App Review before testing can begin.
Tip: To test the variants that the App Store builds before you release your app, invite internal testers only and download the variants using TestFlight.
Step 4: Testers download TestFlight and accept your invitations
Testers install the free TestFlight app on their devices. Then testers use TestFlight to redeem invitations, install your app, send feedback, and get updates. Testers download and install thinned variants of your app.
Step 5: View tester and build information
Track your tester engagement and your app’s performance by viewing build status and metrics in iTunes Connect—such as numbers of sessions and crashes. You can also resend invitations to testers who have not yet accepted their invitation.
Tip: You can also view crash reports directly in Xcode for apps distributed using TestFlight.
Step 6: Collect feedback from testers
Read the feedback from testers, that is sent to the email address you specified in Step 1, continually during the testing period. Also, make improvements to your app and continue distributing builds until all issues are resolved before you submit your app to the App Store.
Step 7: Stop testing
When you are done testing, you can optionally expire a build to stop testing it, and then go to Overview of publishing an app for the process of submitting your app to the App Store. If you don’t expire your build and submit it to the App Store, testers that have received an invite to test will still be able to test your build even after it goes live on the App Store. Your build will become unavailable in TestFlight after 90 days.
See: TestFlight beta testing overview
TestFlight beta testing lets you distribute beta builds of your app to testers and collect feedback. TestFlight beta testing is optional; you can submit your app for review without using it. However, it’s easy to do, free, and a valuable way to improve your app before releasing it on the App Store. You can enable TestFlight beta testing for up to 100 apps at one time in your iTunes Connect account.
Here are some guidelines & tutorial that helps your better:
TestFlight Tutorial: iOS Beta Testing
TestFlight - Apple Developer Forums
Is it possible to submit a prototype app to the app store while still developing the finished product?
According to the App Store Review Guidelines: no.
2.2 Beta Testing
Demos, betas, and trial versions of your app don’t belong on the App Store – use TestFlight instead. Any app submitted for beta distribution via TestFlight should be intended for public distribution and should comply with the App Review Guidelines. Note, however, that apps using TestFlight cannot be distributed to testers in exchange for compensation of any kind, including as a reward for crowd-sourced funding. Significant updates to your beta build should be submitted to TestFlight App Review before being distributed to your testers. To learn more, visit the TestFlight Beta Testing.
But if you call it a finished product and if it's as good as a finished product then yes. If you're marketing as a prototype, then refer to Apple's message above.
Yes.You can submit your app to app store. But, you want to make sure that you want to publish your App to Normal user or Not. IF you want to distribute for External tester then no need to send application for Approval. You can upload .ipa file and distribute to External Testers.
Say for example internal and external testers under TestFlight are testing the application. Then a live Appstore release that was uploaded previously gets approved. Will the current testers get the new app update which will override the current test build?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Testing
Once you accept your invitation, you’ll be able to download a beta version of the app you’ve been invited to test. If you already have the live app installed on your device, the beta version of the app will replace the live version. When you’ve downloaded the beta app, you’ll see an orange dot next to its name that identifies it as a beta. TestFlight will notify you each time a new build is available and provide instructions on where to focus. You can easily offer feedback by tapping the Provide Feedback button in the App Details view in TestFlight. An email automatically opens with pertinent app and device details, and you can add additional details and screenshots.
The beta period lasts for 60 days, starting on the day it is released
to testers. In TestFlight, the number of days remaining appears below
the Open button for each app.
If a beta app has In-App Purchases, you do not have to purchase them,
as In-App Purchases made with beta builds are free within the context
of the beta version.
Quote from this link
Tester won't get notified whether the original app is approved by Apple or not. If the app is approved, then user have to download app via App Store. But if tester downloads app from App Store, then it's gonna override the test version.
Apple developer site says
When the app becomes Ready for Sale in the App Store, testing automatically stops on earlier builds, and you will be unable to view or test them.
Refer this link
I think the tester will get an email saying the app has been updated and approved. Since the normal upload will be notified by an email, but haven't tried it ,
TestFlight testers will get notification by email and after app live beta version of app will be unavailable and when they update their app they get live update app.
Having submitted a beta version of my IOS App trough Itunes Connect and Testflight to INTERNAL users, and selected it for testing to EXTERNAL users, it displays "waiting beta app verification" (from Internal users) and I don't know how to release the app for EXTERNAL User. (see pict enclosed).
It did worked on past version but I don't know how ... times, upload from Internal users, approval from them (but don't know how).
Need to re-test then submit my app quickly, any help welcome !
NOTE : Apple displays help on old itune connect versions, and don't see where this can be done. See here
Apple says:
Upload a build for the app. See Uploading a Build for an App.
Add App Description and What to Test to the build. This step is optional for releasing your builds to internal testers, but required
when submitting your app to Beta App Review for external testing. See
Add Metadata for your Prerelease App.
Distribute the app to internal testers.
Submit the app for Beta App Review, and distribute it to External users.
You need to have every build reviewed from apple for distribution to external testers.
I'm not sure how it worked earlier, but for now
All builds distributed to external testers must pass through an Apple review. While these reviews do not fall into the same queue as those submitted for App Store release, they can take time.
In other words, you have to use button "submit for beta app review" ;)
You can find guides here: Ray Wenderlich or kyleclegg.com