When EasyRoute got into the later stages of development, I knew that as the designer and developer, I was the worst person to test it. I wanted to get other people to look at it.
Being as this was my first iOS app, I was not familiar with provisioning profiles nor the process involved in installing the app on other people’s devices. After doing some reading about it, it didn’t seem very straightforward.
Then, a colleague told me about TestFlight. It’s awesome.
You create an account on TestFlight and it will allow you to upload your app as an .ipa file along with the provisioning profile. At this point, you recruit testers by having TestFlight e-mail invitations to them. Once they accept your invitation, they can install your app over the air after just a few authorization prompts.
As a result, I had a number of people looking at EasyRoute that would not or could not have installed it otherwise.
Also, I installed the TestFlight Desktop App and was able to streamline my release process. Once I archived a new test build, the app would pop open and ask to upload it to the web site. I would put in the release notes, double-check the permissions, the app would be uploaded and my testers would be notified.
There’s even SDK that gives you more information about how your testers are using your app. It sounds nice but I haven’t used it yet.
All this, and it’s free.
