How to Use
TestFlight
TestFlight is Apple's app for testing an iPhone app before the App Store. Upload a build, invite testers and install it. Fastshot does the upload from your browser.
How do you use TestFlight?
Upload a build to App Store Connect, add it to a tester group and invite testers by email or a public link. Testers install the free TestFlight app and accept the invitation. Fastshot (fastshot.ai) builds and uploads the app for you, once you have an Apple Developer Program membership, $99 a year. See how to make an iPhone app for the full path.
Last updated: November 4, 2026
What TestFlight Does
TestFlight lets you share beta builds, manage testers and collect feedback before you submit to App Review. A build can be tested for up to 90 days. After that it expires and testers can no longer open it.
You need the Apple Developer Program to upload. Testers need nothing but the TestFlight app, which is free on the App Store, and an iPhone or iPad on iOS 16 or later. Each tester can install the beta on up to 30 devices.
A build that reaches TestFlight is a real signed app, not a preview. That makes it the best check before you publish to the App Store.
Internal or External Testers: Which Group Do You Need?
TestFlight has two kinds of testers. The difference is who they are and whether Apple reviews the build first.
| Question | Internal testers | External testers |
|---|---|---|
| Who they are | Members of your App Store Connect team | Anyone you invite, with no App Store Connect access |
| How many | Up to 100 | Up to 10,000 per app |
| How you invite them | Choose users from your team in an internal group | Email addresses, or a public link with optional device and OS criteria |
| Apple review | None | Beta App Review. The first build needs a full review and later builds may not |
| Group order | Create this group first | Needs an internal group to exist before an external one |
| In Fastshot | Install with TestFlight sends the invitation to the Apple ID you connected | Ask the agent to add emails or turn on a public join link |
How Do You Put an App on TestFlight with Fastshot?
Join the Apple Developer Program
Enroll at developer.apple.com/programs. Membership costs $99 a year and is paid to Apple. TestFlight is part of it, so there is no separate TestFlight fee.
Open Publish and the iOS tab
Click Publish in the project header. Under App Configuration, enter a Bundle Identifier such as com.yourname.app, check the App Name and keep Distribution Mode on TestFlight. Click Save Config.
Connect your Apple account
Sign in with your Apple ID and the 6-digit code sent to your devices. Or choose API Key and enter the Key ID, Team ID and Issuer ID of an App Store Connect key, plus its .p8 file. Fastshot creates the key for you after an Apple ID login.
Click Set Up Provisioning
Apple wants a bundle ID, a distribution certificate, a provisioning profile and an App Store Connect app before it accepts a build. Fastshot creates all four in your account.
Queue the build
Leave App Store selected and click Queue Build. Fastshot builds on its own Mac build machines and uploads to App Store Connect. Expect about 10 to 15 minutes. The build card then shows a TestFlight button.
Wait for Apple to process it
Apple processes every uploaded build and emails you when it is done. That usually takes 5 to 15 minutes. Open the TestFlight button on the card to see the build in App Store Connect.
Invite testers and install
For your own iPhone, install the TestFlight app, open the email invitation and tap Install. For other people, ask the agent to add their emails or switch on a public join link. Each build is open to them for 90 days.
What Fastshot Handles and What Stays in App Store Connect
Fastshot does the Apple setup and the upload. A few TestFlight settings are still yours, because Apple asks the app owner.
| Task | Who does it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle ID and certificates | Fastshot | Created in your Apple account. Apple allows 3 distribution certificates, and Manage Certificates revokes one you no longer use |
| Provisioning profile and app record | Fastshot | Made when you click Set Up Provisioning |
| Build and upload | Fastshot | Done on Fastshot Mac build machines, no Xcode or Transporter needed |
| Export compliance | You answer, the agent records it | Whether the app uses encryption beyond standard HTTPS. Apple holds an unanswered build back from testers |
| Tester emails and public link | The agent, when you ask | It adds the newest build to external testers |
| Beta App Review details | You | A contact name, phone, email and a note on what to test |
| Tester feedback | You, in App Store Connect | Screenshots, crash reports and comments appear in the TestFlight section |
| Stopping a test | You, in App Store Connect | Expire Build stops internal and external testers installing it |
TestFlight Timeline, Step by Step
Plan around these waits so your testers are not hanging on an invitation.
Build and upload: about 10 to 15 minutes
Fastshot compiles the app and sends it to App Store Connect. You can leave the editor while it runs and come back to the card.
Apple processing: about 5 to 15 minutes
The build is not in TestFlight until Apple finishes processing it. An email tells you when it is ready.
Beta App Review: hours to a couple of days
Only external testers wait for this. The first build needs a full review and later builds may not. You can submit up to six builds for TestFlight App Review in 24 hours, with one build per version in review at a time.
Build lifetime: 90 days
Testers can open a build for 90 days from the day you upload it. Upload a newer build before the old one expires.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get my app on TestFlight?
Upload a build to App Store Connect, then add it to a tester group. With Fastshot you connect your Apple Developer account, click Set Up Provisioning and then Queue Build, and the upload happens automatically. The build card gets a TestFlight button when it finishes.
How can I become a TestFlight beta tester?
Install the free TestFlight app, then accept an email invitation or a public link from a developer. You need an iPhone or iPad on iOS 16 or later. Some developers set a device or OS requirement, which the invitation explains under Learn More.
Do Apple beta testers get paid?
Not through TestFlight. Apple's tester guide covers installing a beta, testing it and sending feedback, and mentions no payment. If a reward exists, it comes from the developer.
Is the TestFlight app legit and safe?
Yes. TestFlight is made by Apple and listed in the App Store as a free app. Every invitation and the TestFlight app have a Report a Problem option for scams or abusive content.
Is Apple TestFlight free?
The TestFlight app is free for testers. Developers need the Apple Developer Program, $99 a year, to upload builds. TestFlight has no separate charge on top of that.
What is the point of TestFlight?
It lets you test a real, signed build with real people before App Review. Testers report crashes and send screenshots with comments, and you see sessions and crashes per tester. You fix problems before the public release.
How long can an app stay on TestFlight?
Each build stays testable for 90 days from its upload date. TestFlight shows testers how many days they have left. Each build has its own 90 days.
How do I upload an app to TestFlight without a Mac?
Apple lists Xcode, Swift Playground, altool and Transporter for uploading, and the first needs a Mac. Fastshot builds on its own Mac build machines and uploads for you, so you can do all of it from a browser on Windows. See Xcode for Windows.
Keep Reading
React Native app builder
Make the iPhone app you are about to test.
How to make an iPhone app
Eight steps from a prompt to a TestFlight build.
Apple Developer account
What the $99 a year membership covers.
IPA generator
Skip TestFlight and sideload an unsigned IPA instead.
Instagram Clone App
Use Cases
Inventory Management App
Use Cases
Investment Tracker App
Use Cases
Put Your App on TestFlight Today
Build the app by chat. Fastshot does the signing and the upload to App Store Connect.