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Build an iOS app

iOS builds run on BuildStack's Mac agents, so you don't need a Mac of your own to produce a signed IPA. (iOS builds require a plan that includes them; see plans.)

Before your first iOS build

  1. Add your Apple signing credentials; see Apple credentials.
  2. Make sure the project's bundle identifier matches your Apple app record.

Start a build

Open a project → New build → iOS, pick the variant, and start. BuildStack resolves the build on a Mac agent and signs the IPA with your credentials.

Expo / React Native

As with Android, Expo projects are prebuilt automatically before the native iOS build.

Install on a device or share with testers

Download the signed IPA from the build's page, or hand it to testers over the air: click Distribute, send it to a channel, and BuildStack gives you a scan-to-install QR and install link. On iOS the app installs directly from that page — the tester's device just has to be registered in your Apple account (a development / ad-hoc build). See Distribute to testers.

Send to TestFlight or the App Store

BuildStack can deliver the signed build straight to Apple — no Transporter or Xcode upload step. On a build (or an automation) pick a delivery target:

TestFlight train for testers.

can also submit it for review for you, or leave it so you finish the listing and submit in App Store Connect yourself.

Delivery uses the App Store Connect API key (.p8) from Apple credentials. The project's bundle identifier must match an existing app record, and the marketing version must have an open TestFlight train — a released or approved version is closed to new builds, so bump the version first.

Prefer to upload by hand? You can still download the IPA and use Transporter or Xcode instead.

If a build fails

Open the build's logs. iOS failures are most often signing-related (wrong certificate/profile or a bundle-id mismatch); recheck Apple credentials.