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How do you beta test an iphone app?
In Android you can export your app and get the .apk file that can be installed on any phone for testing. Is this possible with Xcode and iOS? I mean, I got assigned a job and I want to send my first demo.
My questions are the following:
1) What should I send? is there something similar with .apk file?
2) I know the procedure of publishing an app. If i just want to send it fro testing do I have to create a distribution profile and all that staff? The thing is the final app will not be published from my developer account but from the employee's. Is that a problem?
3) Does the person that I will send my file needs Xcode to run the app or something? I do not want to send him my code before he pays me.
You can send demo files of your apps by building them as "ADHOC" versions, but to do this you'll need the device identifiers (UUID's) of all the devices that you want to run your demo app on (in other words, this is the "distribution profile" you're asking about; you need to create a provisioning profile that gets included in the distributable app package). Here's some instructions that can help you get started.
The person can install your ADHOC app either through iTunes (syncing) or directly downloading & installing the ".ipa" file via their device's Safari browser. They don't need to use Xcode.
If your client has an iPhone, then use TestFlight - it makes the whole process of building for ad-hoc distribution much easier and a lot more efficient if you plan on sending multiple builds during development.
You can check them out on http://www.testflightapp.com - They have great getting-started docs and it only takes a few minutes to start the whole process - also, you don't need to install their SDK if you're just sending a pre-release build to somone.
To answer your questions more specifically:
The file that gets exported for iOS development is an .ipa
The .ipa must indeed be signed by an ad-hoc distribution certificate
If you use TestFlight, your client will be able to install your app
from an email - super simple!
Oh, and did I mention that it's completely free? :)
EDIT:
As mmc pointed out, you should check out the basics of Ad-Hoc distribution before using TestFlight, just for your own peace of mind. mmc recommended looking at How do you beta test an iphone app?, and an intro to TestFlight can be found in their tutorial base, here.
Related
I've seen a number of similar questions asked, but I'm still not sure they answer my own question. I also read this.
My specific requirements (or lack thereof) are:
I don't want my app to appear on the app store
I just want to install it manually on a number of iOS devices.
I don't mind using the terminal or a third party app.
I don't mind if the user has to manually select "trust this developer/app" from within the iOS device before being able to run the app.
I'm a little confused because what I've read says that I need a developer account, or Enterprise account, to install.
But how is this so? XCode, for example, installs the build perfectly, and I don't have a developer account. Is there not an XCode terminal comman I can execute to simply install the .app file on the device?
Or would this require jail-breaking? If so, how come? XCode does it just fine...
I understand Apple would probably want to restrict this behaviour due to security, but I wanted to ask. Perhaps the only way really is an Apple developer/Enterprise account.
Possible solutions could be:
Fruitstrap => "Install and debug iPhone apps without using Xcode. Designed to work on unjailbroken devices."
Sideloading => But I think this requires revealing your code.
EDIT: for the purpose of building the app on the device as a debug build straight from XCode, you don't need a payed Developer account, you just need to register as a Apple Developer & login to XCode with that account and you should be to build debug builds on your device.
You have a few alternatives here:
1/ export the .ipa file after you build a release version of your app in XCode and distribute it to the devices, you want to install it on. You will however need to sign your app with your certificate of iOS developer. More about it here:
https://wiki.genexus.com/commwiki/servlet/wiki?34616,HowTo%3A+Create+an+.ipa+file+from+XCode
2/ Basically the same thing as above, but you can use some 3rd party service for build distribution (which is easier than distributing .ipa files around. Something like Crashlytics Beta or something. Even TestFlight would work, tho I am not sure if app in store is not required.
Either way, you will have to deal with code signing and need to have a Apple Developer account, unless you distribute it via building it straight to the phone as a debug build.
A friend commissioned an app to be developed some years ago but the developers went out of business. It was removed from the AppStore in 2015 but she still has it running on 4 devices (she's a university professor and uses it for her research). She now wants to put the app onto other devices and as an app developer myself I'm trying to help.
Is this possible? If so, how?
We've tried to contact the original developers but they are unable to find the source code. Rewriting is out of the question as she can't get funding for this until she can prove her results - for which she needs the app on more devices.
We have managed to get the original .ipa file off one of the existing devices. When I try to put it onto my iPhone using XCode Devices it does it, but when I try to run it it pops up asking for an appstore user name & password and won't go any further, even if I enter my own valid id. Perhaps it's contacting the appstore, finding that the app isn't on there any more and bombing out?
I've tried resigning the .app with an ad-hoc development one using my own developer id but when I try to install that on my iphone it starts doing it then says "The application could not be verified". I've also tried creating a dummy app with the same name and version number and following these instructions Resign IPA from development to enterprise but that doesn't work either. I've researched the error message to no avail. I am deleting the previous app each time I try to put a new one on.
Is there anything else I can try?
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!
I recently finished an application in Unity for a client who runs a sporting event and wanted the app to let the referees keep a more accurate log of the statistics of each game. When building for android, i get a single file that i can send to my device and install it/run it. The part that i have some questions is re-building that same project for IOS.
I know i MUST have xcode which means i MUST have a mac OS, but here are a few questions that i am unaware of.
1) With the most recent release of xcode, developers dont need the $99 apple developers kit to produce something and test it on their device. From what i learned, is it true that you need to verify each device you send the application to in order to test it?
2) Is there a way to compile the IOS application in a way that i can get a single file, or even a folder, and send it via email to my client, at which point they can download the file to their phone and have the application installed?
3) What is the easiest route i can take in order to get my application into ~30 peoples iphones without individually signing each phone to my application?
Thankyou for your help!
You will have to remove this question as what i understand this is a programming site, Please find the answer for reference below as per your question order.
with xCode 7.0 you can do this, we dont need any licenses and its free for any number of devices to test , refer :- link
Yes you can generate a executable which is termed as iPA , but if you want anyone else to install the iPA, either you will have to generate this using a enterprise profile, or you wil have to add you client device id while generating the profile on apple developer protal :- refer :- link
post which they can install the iPA using itunes
This is not possible as per my knowledge, as Apple has strict poilicies as you cant distribute witout their knowledge. that is the reason of having the apple developer account at first place.
Hope the following helps:
1) For testing on your local device XCode should set up proper provisioning files for the development builds of your app automatically once you purchase a developer license.
2) I build Enterprise Ad Hoc applications for a large publicly traded client and I'm able to send the compiled .IPA file to the client and have him test it by installing it via iTunes after I've signed it with a production certificate through XCode. He tests the app using that method before using a third party vendor to distribute the app on their corporately owned iPhones. The same should work if you sign your application with a production cert, although the aforementioned may be limited to the enterprise account's certificate.
3) If you're trying to remotely install a development version of the app on a test phone you will need to verify the phone via UDID in the Apple Developer center for AdHoc distribution, or use the TestFlight method. You can read more about how to do both of these methods here.
Hope this answer will help you out & good luck!
I think for that what you want you need a Paid Apple Developer because it is not possible (without Jailbreak) to install Apps which are not from the AppStore in iOS. So you have to "test" the App on each iPhone you want the App to run on, or you have to publish it to the AppStore, where you can set, that only specific Apple-IDs may download your app.
Thanks luca4499 and Max. I guess the $99 apple dev kit is the way i'm going to have to go then.
To clarify to other users interested in the same questions.
You can develop for multiple people without using the dev kit as long as your list of people isnt changing often, or you are ok with adding each device separately.
If you want to distribute your application, the easiest way is to get the apple dev kit.
I'm currently developing an iOS app for a company as a consultant and they explicitly asked that the app should not be visible in the public app store but I need to distribute to the employees and contractors.
What are the necessary steps in order to achieve this goal? I've found info on the web about the Apple Enterprise program but the procedure for the distribution is somewhat unclear to me, as the documentation I found is messy.
Could someone please explain what do I need and what are the steps to follow in order to distribute the app in such fashion? I've made clear the steps to get to the .ipa file, I need to put the file on the devices.
Thank you.
You can build your own server and host the application there itself.
You need to uploaded the IPA file on the server and create an HTML page through which it can be installed directly in the device.
This method is called Over The Air distribution. TestFlight uses the same method to do so.
Please refer this link for complete process:
http://aaronparecki.com/articles/2011/01/21/1/how-to-distribute-your-ios-apps-over-the-air
Create a distributed provision file for you app(You need to add the device identifier who want to install the app).
Build you app and distributed with ad hoc
Then the employee can install the app from itunes.
You can also enable the employee to install from safari, please refer here for more detail information.
If you release only a file.ipa to install that you need the jailbreak on the device, that's if is a big company is impossible, but you have a 2 possible ways:
1) huge an slow but is effective, finish you app and pass the project on a laptop, create new buy a new developer program only for this company, setUp the laptop with new certificate and install the app on all company device manually one by one, ins very slow and huge process, but it work, no app on appStore, and no body know that your project exist.
2) publish on app store with AdHoc provisioning profile, have 100 device per App, but you can publish more same app with different name ex: App1, App2 ext.
The app is on appstore, but not visible, only the device with AdHoc Provisioning Profile can install the app.
3) make a jailbreak on a device company heheheh
Hope this help you
Firstly, the app store is the the primary route for App distribution for iOS.
That said, I have done beta app distribution in the past using test flight.
http://testflightapp.com/
This size has usually been small, but you are usually limited by Apple to 100 ad-hoc devices per year. If your install base is going to exceed that, then you may need to look into other methods. Such as enrolling in the Apple's enterprise Program, which depending on the size of the company you're working for, might be a better option.
https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/