TestFlight beta testing guide (2026)

How TestFlight works

TestFlight sits between building an app and submitting it for sale. The flow is consistent:

1. Upload a build to App Store Connect. The build has to be code signed for distribution, the same as a build headed for review.
2. Wait for processing. App Store Connect processes the build, which can take a few minutes, before it becomes available to testers.
3. Add test information. Provide contact details, and for external testing a short description of what to test and any sign-in credentials a reviewer needs.
4. Invite testers. Add them to a group, and they install the build through the TestFlight app on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

Testers can send feedback and screenshots from inside TestFlight, and you see crash reports and session data in App Store Connect.

Internal versus external testers

TestFlight has two tiers of testers, and the difference matters for how fast you can distribute.

• Internal testers are members of your App Store Connect team with the right role, up to 100 people. They can install a new build as soon as it finishes processing, with no beta review. This is the fastest path for your own devices and close collaborators.
• External testers can number up to 10,000, organized into groups, and you invite them by email or with a public link. An external build has to pass a beta review before they can install it. Beta review is lighter than full App Review but still checks the build against the guidelines.

A common pattern is to test internally first to catch obvious problems, then open an external group once the build is stable.

Beta review and build expiration

Two rules trip people up. The first is beta review: the first external build, and any build with significant changes, goes through a review before external testers can install it. Internal builds skip this. The second is expiration: a TestFlight build is available for up to 90 days from upload, then it expires and testers need a newer one. Plan to upload fresh builds during a long beta so testers are never left without a working version. Builds you intend to keep testing also need a non-expired distribution certificate.

How AppFlight uses TestFlight for you

AppFlight is a macOS app that turns a plain-English prompt into a native iOS app in Swift and SwiftUI and runs the journey to the App Store. As part of that journey it signs the build and uploads it to TestFlight, so you can install your own app on a real device and try it before you submit for full review. The same build that goes to TestFlight is the one you can then submit to the App Store from inside AppFlight. You still manage your tester groups and any external beta review in App Store Connect, and Apple still reviews the app before it goes live.