TestFlight Explained: How to Share Your iPhone App with Testers

What is TestFlight and how do I use it?

TestFlight is Apple's free beta testing service. You upload a store build of your app to App Store Connect, add it to a tester group, and invite people by email or public link. They install the TestFlight app and then your app. Builds expire after 90 days. TestFlight is optional before App Review, but it is a useful way to test an installed version before public release.

Internal vs external testers

	Internal testers	External testers
Who	Up to 100 members of your App Store Connect team	Up to 10,000 people with an email or public link
Review	No beta review needed	External builds may require beta review; check their status
Best for	You and close collaborators	Friends, early users, a community

Steps

1. Make a store build signed for App Store distribution. A build made for one registered device cannot go to TestFlight.
2. Upload it to App Store Connect and wait for processing to finish.
3. Create a group (internal or external) and add the build to that group. Uploading alone does not invite anyone.
4. Invite testers by email, or turn on a public link for external groups.
5. Ship updates: when you upload a new build and assign it to the same group, existing testers can update in the TestFlight app without a new invitation.

What to ask testers to do

Give each tester one task, such as "Create an account and save a place", and ask what confused them. Specific tasks produce more useful feedback than "tell me what you think".

Common mistakes

• Uploading a build and waiting for testers who were never invited.
• Forgetting that external testing needs a beta review.
• Treating TestFlight availability as being live on the App Store. They are separate.

Prepare a beta someone else can actually use

The first tester does not have your development session, saved passwords or sample database rows. Install the build yourself from TestFlight and behave like a new user. If the app needs an invitation or organization membership, prepare that before sending the beta invitation.

Complete the beta information and provide review access when required. A short 'what to test' note should name the journey you care about. For a running app, ask testers to record a run, correct its distance and reopen their history. Avoid sending a list of twenty unrelated features at once.

Internal testers are not just people you know

Internal testers are eligible users on your App Store Connect team with appropriate access. A friend does not become an internal tester simply because you know them. External testing is the normal route for people who should try the beta without receiving account-management privileges.

Use groups to keep testing organized. You might have one group for a few collaborators checking each build and another for a wider audience trying a stable beta. Be deliberate about which build each group receives.

Public links make external recruitment easier, but they can spread beyond the original conversation. Set access limits or criteria where appropriate, and do not include private customer information in a broadly shared test app.

When a tester cannot install

Symptom	First thing to check
Invitation opens but no build appears	Build assigned to the intended group and ready for that audience
App requires a newer iOS version	Minimum supported operating system and tester device
Beta has expired	Upload and assign a newer build
Tester sees an old screen	Installed build number and available update
App installs but login fails	Authentication, backend and account access

These problems belong to different stages. Re-sending an invitation cannot fix a build that crashes after launch. Rebuilding the app may not fix a group that has no build assigned.

Ask for observations, not compliments

After the task, ask where the person hesitated and what they expected. 'Was it good?' often produces a polite answer. 'What did you tap when you wanted to change the distance?' gives you something you can investigate.

Capture the device, operating system and build number with the report. If testers send screenshots, ask them to avoid including personal information. Keep a simple feedback list and tell testers which issue a new build addresses.

Moving from beta to public release

TestFlight approval is not App Store approval. When the beta is ready, finish the public listing, privacy information, age rating and review access, then submit the intended version for production review.

Continue to support beta testers while the production version is pending. Warn them if test data will be reset. Do not assume their data survives simply because both builds use the same app name. Check which backend environment each build uses and plan any migration intentionally.

Include one return visit

A tester who finishes the first session may still find a problem tomorrow. Ask them to reopen the beta and find the item they created. This checks persistence, session handling and whether the navigation still makes sense without your instructions. Keep the build number with that observation so you can tell whether a later update improved the same journey.

Questions people also ask

Is TestFlight free?

Yes, with an Apple Developer Program membership.

Can Android users use TestFlight?

No. For Android, use Google Play internal or closed testing, or share an APK directly.

Build it with RNBlocks

Build your app in RNBlocks and ask our publishing agent to help prepare it for iPhone testing. Keep the app journey small, install the intended beta and collect feedback before a public release. TestFlight access and App Store release remain separate goals.