Getting started with iOS development: using ad hoc for user testing

Before completing iOS development and preparation for release, we all hope that the app can be tested among friends around us, provide comments, and release the app to the app store after modification. With this in mind, Apple uses ad hoc to implement pre-release user testing. From another perspective, that is, using ad hoc to give unpublished apps to others for free in advance.

The use of ad hoc is actually very simple. I also have a detailed introduction on the official website of Apple developer. The first thing to note is that our app can only share it with the device bound to our account through ad hoc, so it is up to one hundred. Then, let's take a look at the official instructions.

Step 1: Create and download an iOS publishing certificate. This is generally created after the iOS development certificate is created. Step 2: Create and download an ad hoc distribution provisioning profile, which is the configuration file for ad hoc release. Click provisioning on the website and click Create new profile. The information to be filled in is as follows:

Distribution Method	Ad hoc
Profile name	<App_name> User Testing Profile
APP ID	Appropriate app ID for the app being tested
Devices	Tester's device identifier

All of these information must be filled in, that is, the device to be shared is selected on the devices. Download it after creation.
Step 3: Create the app file of our software in xcode. Perform the following three steps:
(1) Open xcode; (2) Click product> archive on the toolbar to package the app; (3) there will be your packaged app in the Archives of organizer, click distribute and select ad hoc, as shown in the following figure. IPA file.
Step 4: Send the IPA file and configuration file to your computer in various ways, open iTunes, and pull the configuration file into iTunes first, then pull the IPA file into the file, and the synchronization will be OK.