Is it possible to distribute an unfinished iOS app for closed-beta tests using Apple Store?

ios app-store beta
Michał Fronczyk picture Michał Fronczyk · Aug 22, 2012 · Viewed 11k times · Source

We'd like to do some closed-beta tests of our app using App Store.

We know about the ad-hoc way, but it needs testers' UDIDs to be gathered upfront and embedded in the provisioning profile, which isn't ideal, because we'd like to avoid asking 100 testers for their UDIDs.

Another way is to use the Enterprise Distribution which doesn't need gathering and storing UDIDs, but let's talk about another possibility...

The user needs to login when the app starts. User accounts can't be created from the app, so we're thinking about creating some beta-tester accounts on the server, submitting the beta-version of the app to Apple Store and sending the credentials to the beta-testers via email.

The only question is whether it's a recommended practice to submit an unfinished app to Apple Store. After submission all iOS users will be able to download the app, but only the beta-testers will be able to login. It has also an additional advantage, which is knowing Apple's feedback earlier, so any issues can be addressed earlier too. Do you think Apple will approve an unfinished app?

Also, is it possible to disable application reviews for an application submitted to Apple Store? We don't want to get bad reviews from users during beta-tests...

Thanks, Michal

Answer

Eduardo picture Eduardo · Apr 8, 2015

It is possible now to use TestFlight Beta Testing, with a current limit of 1,000 invites and without the need of asking and registering UDIDs.

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