TestFlight is Apple's way to get a beta version of your app onto testers' iPhones and iPads. It has two kinds of testers, internal and external, and for a real beta test you'll want external ones. Here is how it works, based on Apple's TestFlight page and App Store Connect Help.
Internal vs external testers
- Internal testers: up to 100 members of your team with an App Store Connect role. New builds can reach them automatically, without review.
- External testers: up to 10,000 people per app who aren't App Store Connect users: your users, fans, or testers from a testing platform.
Beta App Review
Builds for external testers go through Apple's Beta App Review. The first build of each version needs a full review; later builds of the same version might not. You can have one build of a version in review at a time, and submit up to six builds for TestFlight review in 24 hours. Before you submit, fill in the test information: what to test, a feedback email and contact details.
Inviting external testers
Create an external group in App Store Connect (TestFlight tab, then the + next to External Testing), add a build, and invite testers in one of two ways:
- By email: you add their addresses (or import a CSV). You see each tester's name, email, installs, sessions and crashes.
- With a public link: anyone with the link can join, up to an optional limit between 1 and 10,000. You can filter by device and OS version. Testers who join by link are anonymous: you see installs, sessions and crashes, but not who they are.
Public links are what tester platforms use: you share the link with the testers you've chosen, and they install the build in the TestFlight app.
Things that trip people up
- The link stops working when the group is full or the link is disabled. Check the tester limit before a big test.
- Builds expire. A TestFlight build can be tested for 90 days; upload a new one to keep testing.
- "TestFlight Internal Only" builds can't be added to external groups.
- Anonymous testers can't be contacted through TestFlight. If you need written feedback from them, ask for it through a form or a platform that collects reports.
Getting feedback, not just installs
TestFlight lets testers send screenshots with notes and crash reports, which is great for bugs. It doesn't tell you whether people understood the app, which flows confused them, or what they'd change. For that you need tasks and questions, which is what a beta test on a platform adds. Here is where to find the testers.
Need testers? On Beta Family you add your TestFlight public link, choose your testers, and get written reports with an AI summary. See how beta testing on Beta Family works.
More guides to beta testing
- Why Google Play asks for more testing, and how to avoid itGoogle Play can ask for more testing when testers weren't engaged enough or fewer than 12 stayed opted in. How to keep your testers active for all 14 days.
- Paying for Google Play testers: what to check firstThinking of paying for 12 Google Play testers? What to check before you buy: real people, staying 14 days, replacements, feedback, privacy and refunds.
- How to answer Google Play's production access questionsAfter 14 days of closed testing, Google Play asks three sets of questions before production access. What it asks, and how to answer each part well.
- Closed testing vs internal testing on Google PlayInternal, closed or open testing on Google Play? How the three test tracks differ, and why only a closed test unlocks production for new accounts.
- How to find beta testers for your appWhere to find beta testers for an iOS or Android app, how many you need, and how to keep them testing: your own users, communities, and tester platforms.
- Google Play's 12 testers for 14 days rule, explainedNew Google Play developer accounts need 12 testers in a closed test for 14 days before they can publish. What counts, and how to get through it fast.