A crucial part of making apps involves the beta testing process, and Apple has released a new tool to help streamline the process for everyone.
After initially previewing TestFlight for third-party developers alongside iOS 8 at WWDC in June, Apple made it available for use today. Developers can now invite up to 1,000 beta testers, including non-developers, to try early builds of their apps before they hit the App Store.
Once a registered developer invites someone to beta test an app through iTunes Connect, the user can quickly install the app, get new builds via push notifications, and provide feedback in the TestFlight app. Apple previously restricted developers to only 100 beta testers per build.
While other beta testing services like Hockey provide more features and multiple platforms, Apple’s goal with TestFlight is to take the friction out of the beta process for developers and testers. The need to manually approve individual UDIDs and make testers approve special provisioning profiles is gone, which should make it easier for less savvy users to run beta apps.
TestFlight was an independent beta distribution tool before Apple bought it earlier this year. The new and simplified TestFlight app is a free download in the App Store and required for managing a device’s installed betas and providing feedback.
Source: Apple
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
