Deploying an iOS app to Bitrise.io

Last updated at 2020-07-14

Deploy an app to Bitrise to be able to download the .ipa file and install it on devices specified in the app’s Development type provisioning profile. This way, your internal testers can easily test the app.

Before you start ⚓

Make sure that you have:

Generated an .ipa file locally, on your own machine, at least once.
Uploaded all the Developer certificates that are included in the provisioning profile to Bitrise.
Uploaded the app’s Development Provisioning Profile if you want to use manual provisioning on Bitrise.
Registered your testers’ devices on Bitrise if you want to install the app from Bitrise, or from the notification email we’ll send out.

Clear the cache

When trying to install an app from the public install page, you should clear the cache: click the link appearing in the If you synced your settings from your old device, you need to clear the cache and register your new device line. The link redirects to the Account settings page where you can follow the procedure described in our guide.

Developer certificate and Development profile

To deploy an iOS app, you will always need a Developer type certificate and a Development type provisioning profile. Even if you want to deploy to the App Store, these are still required: they are used to create the .xcodearchive file from the provided code in the process of exporting the .ipa file.

Deploying the app ⚓

Installing from the public install page

To install an app from the public install page, you must use a native Safari browser of the iOS device. You cannot click the installation link if you’re browsing from a third-party app.

Make sure the Certificate and profile installer Step or the iOS Auto Provision with App Store Connect API Step is in your Workflow.

Do NOT use both!
Make sure the Xcode Archive & Export for iOS Step is in your Workflow.
Set the Select method for export input of the Step to development.

You can use other export methods, too, but if you only deploy to Bitrise and want to install your app on the specified devices of internal testers, development is sufficient.
Make sure the Deploy to Bitrise.io Step is in your Workflow.

By default, the value of the Enable public page for the App? input is set to true. This way, once the build runs, a public install page will be available with a long and random URL which can be shared with others who are not registered on Bitrise. This URL is sent to the users in an email. The Notify: User Roles and the Notify: Emails inputs determine which users get the email.
Start a build.
When the build is finished, go to the app’s Builds page and click the latest build.
Click the APPS & ARTIFACTS tab to find your .ipa file.

You can also find the public install URL here. Click the eye icon next to the .ipa file to reveal the details and to find the toggle for the public install page. Make sure that’s toggled on so you’re able to send the link to non-Bitrise users.

And that’s it! The file can now be installed on all the devices included in the app’s provisioning profile. Remember: the installation link must be accessed from an iOS device’s Safari browser!

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