Development Builds

Development distribution puts a debug-friendly build of your app onto your own devices — without a Mac, without App Store Connect, and without waiting for TestFlight processing. It's the fastest way to get a NativePHP app onto a real iPhone when you develop on Windows or Linux.

When to use Development vs TestFlight

For most testing, TestFlight is the right tool. Development builds win when:

• You haven't set up App Store Connect yet. Development builds need no app record, no bundle ID registration in ASC, and no upload — just a certificate, a profile, and a registered device.
• You're iterating quickly on device-only features. No upload and no processing wait: the build installs the moment it finishes.
• You're testing push notifications against a development environment. Development builds use Apple's sandbox push (APNs) environment; TestFlight builds use production.

Set up a Development credential

In your app's Credentials screen, click + Add Bundle Identifier under the iOS section and choose Development as the distribution type. Two differences from the App Store setup:

• Use an Apple Development certificate rather than Apple Distribution (choose Apple Development when creating the certificate in your Apple Developer account).
• Use a Development provisioning profile (choose iOS App Development when creating the profile), or upload any valid profile and let Bifrost regenerate it once your devices are registered.

Devices work exactly as described in the Ad-hoc guide — register your devices in the Test Devices section, regenerate the profile, then build. The same 100-devices-per-type Apple limit applies.

Install and trust

When a development build completes, choose Install on Device for a QR code and install link. The first time you open the app, iOS may show an "Untrusted Developer" message — go to Settings → General → VPN & Device Management and trust your developer certificate. This is a one-time step per device and per developer account.

Good to know

• Development builds expire with their provisioning profile, and only run on devices included in the profile.
• Push notifications hit the APNs sandbox environment — point them at your development push configuration.
• If you need to share builds with clients or a wider test group, use Ad-hoc or TestFlight instead.