17. Deployment

Deployment

Apple Developer Program

To distribute apps on the App Store, you need an Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year for individuals, $299/year for organizations). Benefits include:

• App Store distribution
• TestFlight beta testing
• Code signing certificates and provisioning profiles
• Push notifications and cloud services
• App Analytics and Sales Reports

Code Signing

All iOS apps must be signed with a valid certificate:

// Xcode manages this automatically with "Automatically manage signing"
// Manual steps (if needed):
// 1. Create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) via Keychain Access
// 2. Generate certificate in Apple Developer portal
// 3. Download and install certificate
// 4. Create App ID
// 5. Generate provisioning profile
// 6. Select profile in Xcode Build Settings

App Store Connect

The portal for managing your apps on the App Store. Key sections:

• My Apps — Add and manage app versions
• App Information — Name, bundle ID, SKU, category
• Pricing — Set price, availability, subscriptions
• App Review — Submit for review, manage metadata
• TestFlight — Distribute beta builds to testers
• App Analytics — Track impressions, downloads, crashes

TestFlight

Beta testing before public release:

// 1. Archive your app (Product → Archive)
// 2. Distribute via TestFlight (in Organizer)
// 3. Add testers in App Store Connect (up to 10,000 external testers)
// 4. External builds require Beta App Review
// 5. Testers receive email invitation

App Store Submission Checklist

• App icon (all required sizes)
• Screenshots for all required device sizes (6.7", 6.5", 5.5")
• App description, keywords, and support URL
• Privacy policy URL
• Valid code signing and provisioning profile
• No placeholder content or debug code
• Full functionality without demo accounts (unless specified)
• Compliance with App Store Review Guidelines