iOS to TestFlight

This guide walks you through building and deploying your iOS app to TestFlight for beta testing.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• macOS with Xcode 14+ installed
• Apple Developer Program membership (Admin or App Manager role)
• Mobile project that builds to iOS (native Swift/Objective-C, React Native, Flutter, Ionic/Capacitor, or Expo)
• MySigner account with App Store Connect credentials configured

Don't have credentials set up? Follow the Getting Started guide first.

Step 1: Verify Your Setup

Run the doctor command to check your configuration:

mysigner doctor

The doctor will verify:

• ✓ CLI authentication
• ✓ App Store Connect credentials
• ✓ Xcode and build tools
• ✓ Project configuration
• ✓ Signing identity and provisioning profiles

If there are issues, the doctor will offer to fix them automatically.

Step 2: Configure TestFlight Beta Groups (Optional)

If you want specific testers to receive builds automatically:

1. Go to the MySigner dashboard
2. Navigate to your iOS app
3. Under TestFlight, configure beta groups
4. Add tester emails or sync from App Store Connect

You can also manage testers directly in App Store Connect after the build is uploaded.

Step 3: Ship to TestFlight

From your project's root directory, run:

mysigner ship testflight

This single command:

1. Detects your project type (Native, React Native, Flutter, etc.)
2. Validates signing configuration
3. Builds the app using xcodebuild
4. Exports an IPA with App Store distribution signing
5. Uploads to App Store Connect (build appears in TestFlight after Apple processes it)

With Options

# Specify a scheme (useful for multi-scheme projects)
mysigner ship testflight --scheme MyApp

# Use a specific build configuration
mysigner ship testflight --configuration Release

# Wait for Apple to finish processing
mysigner ship testflight --wait

Step 4: Monitor Progress

The CLI shows real-time progress:

================================================================================
[1/3] Building Archive
================================================================================

✓ Found: MyApp.xcworkspace (Native iOS)

🎯 Target: MyApp
📦 Bundle ID: com.company.myapp
⏱️  Estimated: 2-5 minutes

🔍 Validating signing setup...
✓ Signing configuration valid

Building archive...

✓ Build complete in 2m 34s

================================================================================
[2/3] Exporting IPA
================================================================================

⏱️  Estimated: 30-90 seconds

✓ Export complete in 45s
📦 IPA: ~/Archives/MyApp.ipa

================================================================================
[3/3] Uploading to TestFlight
================================================================================

Uploading to App Store Connect...
▸ Validating IPA
▸ Uploading... 45.2 MB / 45.2 MB (100%)
▸ Upload complete

================================================================================
🎉 SUCCESS! Your app is on TestFlight!
================================================================================

Step 5: Wait for Processing

After upload, Apple processes your build:

You can add --wait to have the CLI notify you when processing is done:

mysigner ship testflight --wait

⏳ Waiting for App Store Connect to process the build...
This may take 5-15 minutes...

For fully automated processing + submission, use mysigner ship appstore instead — it polls every 3 minutes until the build is processed and then auto-submits for review.

Step 6: Distribute to Testers

Once processing completes:

1. Automatic distribution: If you configured beta groups in MySigner, testers receive notifications immediately

2. Manual distribution:

   • Open App Store Connect
   • Navigate to your app → TestFlight
   • Select the build and add testers/groups

Workflow Diagram

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│   Build     │────▶│   Export    │────▶│   Upload    │
│  Archive    │     │    IPA      │     │  to ASC     │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘
                                               │
                                               ▼
┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│   Testers   │◀────│  TestFlight │◀────│  Processing │
│   Notified  │     │   Ready     │     │   Complete  │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘

Time Estimate

Common Issues

"No signing identity found"

Your Mac doesn't have the distribution certificate.

Fix: bash mysigner doctor

Or manually: 1. Open Xcode → Settings → Accounts 2. Select your team 3. Click "Download Manual Profiles"

"Profile doesn't include signing certificate"

The provisioning profile was created with a different certificate.

Fix: bash mysigner doctor

Doctor can detect the mismatch and auto-create a new profile with your current certificate. Alternatively, refresh your data first and then let doctor fix it:

mysigner sync --force
mysigner doctor

"Bundle ID not registered"

Your app's bundle ID isn't in App Store Connect.

Fix: ```bash

Register the bundle ID

mysigner bundleid register com.company.myapp

Sync to refresh

mysigner sync ```

Build takes too long

For large projects:

1. Use derived data caching in CI/CD
2. Clean only when needed: xcodebuild clean resets all caches
3. Disable bitcode if not required (deprecated in Xcode 14+)

Next Steps

• Submit to App Store - Submit for App Store review
• GitHub Actions CI/CD - Automate TestFlight deployments
• Troubleshooting - More issue solutions

Related Commands

• ship - Full ship command reference
• build - Build without uploading
• doctor - Diagnose issues
• profiles - Manage provisioning profiles

Related Dashboard Pages

• Releases - Manage release notes (with optional review workflow), release checklists, and locale-specific listings
• Screenshot Studio - Generate the screenshots required for TestFlight beta groups
• Reviews & Ratings - Monitor App Store reviews after the build is approved
• Analytics - Track install / retention / stability metrics post-release