Ad hoc distribution of my iPad app - iphone

I have created an iPad app which I want to send to another branch of my company. I have .app file which I want to send to him.
Does this colleague have to do anything special other than drop this file into iTunes and install on the device?
Does he need to have a Mac with Xcode any everything or how do I got about this? I won't have physical address to his device.
EDIT: This is just a once off thing. I only want to demo something to him.

This article looks really good as far as basic setup goes - http://www.iphonedevsdk.com/forum/iphone-sdk-development/35818-unofficial-ad-hoc-distribution-guide.html
After that, you just need to send out the .app and the .mobileprovision. Both the files need to be dragged into iTunes. Check if Sync apps is enabled and that your app is selected. Hit sync and it should work.

You don't need Xcode or a Mac to install an ad-hoc-provisioned app. All your users need is iTunes.
You need to have your users send you their UUIDs, which you then need to register in Apple's provisioning portal. Download the updated profile and be sure to link to it when building your app for distribution.
I have heard of people having trouble installing .app files. The safest option is to chose "build and archive" from the build menu. This will create an ipa file that can be installed through iTunes. If you open the Xcode organizer after building and archiving, you can select your new ipa and save it to file, or send it by e-mail straight from Xcode.

You will need to belong to iOS Developer Enterprise Program.

Related

Ad Hoc should be for development iOS devices?

Just I want to send the ipa file to my customer in order to test it, I have searched about my question, but unfortunately I did not find the answers.
When the customer want to install the ipa file through iTunes, should his iOS device be registered as a development device in developer.apple.com or no ?
Note: I have installed the ipa to my device successfully, but I don't know if it is completed because my iPhone is already registered .
Thanks.
I would give TestFlight a try. Very Easy to handle...
https://testflightapp.com
Yes, on the provisioning Portal under Device you first need to insert the UDID of the (new) device.
Then, below, in the Provisioning menu go to the Distribution tab.
There, either create a new profile or edit an existing profile. Ensure the device is part of the profile.
After submission of the new/modified profile wait a while. Within a few minutes the download button appears (you will need to refresh the tab).
Download the certificate from Safari and drag&drop it into the Xcode organizer or download it from within Xcode.
Exit Xcode and reopen (helps avoiding strange certificate problems), then Build&Archive

Testing the ipa file on iPad

I have a .ipa file which i want to test in iPad before submitting to iTunes. i can't synchronize it with Xcode because we did not develop the code..we just have a iPad and .ipa file was sent to us in email, but even i cannot download it through safari shows an error. Is there any possible way to test it.
Any suggestion will be appreciated.
If you don't have a source code it is possible to resign the app using another profile which includes your iPad and even publish to AppStore. You will need Apple Developers account for that.
You can try www.aironapp.com. You need to configure Apple Developers account there and then it could resign the IPA for you and provide OTA download.
This is impossible to do with an application compiled for distribution. If it would be possible it would mean you could get the ipa's from any device and just run them via iTunes.
You can however ask the developer to send you an ipa compiled for debugging.
Here are the steps to installing your App on your iPhone or iPad using .ipa files.
We will send you one or two files. One will be a .ipa file and the other will be a .mobileprovision file. Save them in a convenient location
Open iTunes. Then drag the downloaded .mobileprovision (if provided) & the .ipa files and drop it into iTunes Library.
In iTunes select your iPhone (or iPad) under devices.
Go to the Apps tab and make sure the checkbox for the new App is checked. If not, check it yourself.
Press Sync. After it is synced, you should be able to unplug you iPhone and play with the App.
The app probably needs to be signed with a different provisioning profile that includes your iPad.

How to circulate your iOS app for testing without using XCode?

I have an initial build of my app which I want to circulate for testing to few others who do not have XCode with them. All I want to do is pass them the binary which they will install to their devices using iTunes. I have created my developer certificate, created an app id and added the device udids in my provisioning portal.
So now can I directly email them the binary and ask them to drag and drop into itunes and then on the device ?
Thanks!
I tested it myself and it's amazing: You should try Testflight.
It's a simple to use service (free) that allows you to distribute your adHoc builds easy and fast (might sound like advertising but it's really one of the best tools I came across).
Build archive and it will appear in organizer. There is big Share button that allows you to save ipa file which you pass on to testers.

how to deploy custom iphone apps to devices from a pc

I made an app with xcode, and now I want to share it with a few others. The problem is I live in different provinces as them and they do not have a mac. I would rather not go through the app store and I don't mind getting the enterprise developer account if it is necessary. Does anyone know how I can go about doing so?
What you need is Ad Hoc distribution. You could also use a tool as Testflight, and let your other users download your app over the air.
Use testflight or other over the air installation tools. You'll need a valid Ad-Hoc Certificate that includes the devices it's going to be installed on. Check this for more infos on the topic!
Finally, you can just send them an .ipa if you don't have a server (you can get that from XCode) and they can drag it into iTunes to install the application. It will sync the next time they sync their devices to their computer
Just Extract you ipa.
In PC/Windows, Drag ipa to iTunes.
Synchronize iTunes with device.

iOS Question. Can I distribute the Xcode simulator versions of my app?

I would like to send someone the Xcode simulator version - not the device version - of my iPad app. I have located the .app file in the Finder. Do I just zip it up and send it off or is it more complicated than that?
Thanks,
Doug
UPDATE
Chrisbtoo got the answer on this one however he left of some critical bits for those of you trying this at home:
Path to Xcode simulator (the simulator can be run standalone.):
/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneSimulator.platform/Developer/Applications/iPhone Simulator.app
Path to app that appears in the home screen of the simulator:
/Users/turner/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/3.2/Applications/{GUID}
It is instructive to watch what happens in the app simulator directory as you build for simulation, delete apps from the simulator desktop and generally use the simulator as an actual device.
Bottom line: This is a viable approach for sharing apps in a "simulated" ad hoc manner without the mind numbing, soul sucking process of true ad hoc app sharing.
Cheers,
Doug
Assuming the other person already has the simulator installed, you can just zip up the stuff under ~/Library/Application Support/iPhone Simulator/3.2/Applications/{GUID} (includes both the .app and any data directories needed) and send it to them - they'll need to unzip it under that same directory. What I've done in the past was to rename the {GUID} part to a more friendly name - the sim will still pick it up.
If they don't already have the simulator, they will need to sign up for a free iphone dev account and download Xcode, etc.
We just put up a little tool that will help you with this. It manages both what you need on the dev side and also the tester.
Here it is
http://blog.placeit.net/ios-app-packager/
It basically creates a little zip that you can pass to the tester and it'll install the app in the right directory and also open it up for the user with the right device selected.
I would think you want to send the entire project folder to the other person- presumably you are expecting them to open it in their XCode- and presumably they have the sdk for the app.
You have to distribute via AdHoc or App Store for beta testing.
Become a developer and then look into how to do this.
You need to have a provisioning profile, and then select the UDID's for the device you want to beta test to.
Go to the iPhone Provisioning Portal
and here is a document with more detail