TestFlight is Apple's service for installing test builds of an app before it ships on the App Store. A build stays available for up to 90 days, and you can invite up to 100 internal testers from your team and up to 10,000 external testers per app (Apple's help, checked October 16, 2026).
What TestFlight is and who sees a build
TestFlight has two halves. In App Store Connect you hand out builds and read feedback, and testers install the free TestFlight app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV or Apple Vision Pro to get your build.
Internal testers are members of your App Store Connect team with the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, Developer or Marketing role, and they get a build without Apple's review. External testers are anyone you invite by email or public link, and they get it only after review. A test build never shows up on the App Store.
Where TestFlight lives in App Store Connect
Go to App Store Connect › Apps › your app › TestFlight. The sidebar has Internal Testing, where + creates a group and Invite Testers adds teammates, and External Testing. In an external group, + next to Testers adds people by email or CSV, and Create Public Link makes a public link.
The tester description and Apple's review information go on the same tab, and external testing needs both.
TestFlight limits in 2026
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| Internal testers | up to 100 App Store Connect users |
| External testers | up to 10,000 per app |
| Build lifetime | up to 90 days, then it's unavailable |
| Builds open to testers | up to 100, several at once |
| Devices per tester | up to 30 |
| Builds sent to TestFlight review | up to 6 in 24 hours |
| Public link limit | 1 to 10,000 people, set in Tester Limit |
Per App Store Connect Help and the TestFlight page, checked October 16, 2026.
A hundred internal seats covers a team. Friends and early customers go into external groups, where the ceiling is a hundred times higher.
How to share a build with TestFlight
- Archive the app in Xcode (Product › Archive) and upload it with Distribute App. Every upload needs a new build number.
- Wait for processing. If App Store Connect asks about encryption, answer it, or the build can't go out.
- For your team, create a group under Internal Testing and pick people in Invite Testers. They can install right away.
- For everyone else, create a group under External Testing and add the build. The first build goes to Beta App Review on its own.
- Once it passes, invite people by email or with Create Public Link, which can carry a tester limit and device or OS criteria.
- When testing is over, press Expire Build. Otherwise testers can keep installing it after the version goes live.
Common mistakes
- Expecting external testers within the hour. The first external build is reviewed, and Apple doesn't promise review times. Send it a few days before you need feedback.
- Adding friends as internal testers. There are 100 internal seats, each needing a role on your team. Outside people belong in an external group.
- A public link with no limit. Links get forwarded and seats run out sooner than planned. Set a Tester Limit, and disable the link once you're full.
- Trusting TestFlight renewals. A subscription there renews every day, up to 6 times in a week, whatever its length. That checks the purchase flow, not retention.
TestFlight or the simulator
The Xcode simulator is faster and fine for first checks. The camera, notifications, an old phone and a weak network only show up on a real device, and TestFlight gets one build to people with different iPhones. Their feedback lands in App Store Connect, filterable by platform and OS version.
In Appto the agent writes the app in SwiftUI as a regular Xcode project, walks through every screen on the simulator and fixes what it finds. You can check it on the simulator, your own iPhone or through TestFlight, more on the Appto code page.
Questions
Does TestFlight cost money?
Not for testers, the TestFlight app is free. Sharing builds from App Store Connect needs an Apple Developer account.
How long does a TestFlight build last?
Up to 90 days. After that it stops opening, and you need a new build to keep testing (App Store Connect Help as of October 16, 2026).
How long does review for external testers take?
Apple doesn't promise a time. The first external build is reviewed, later ones may skip a full review. Up to 6 builds can go to TestFlight review in 24 hours.
Why does my TestFlight link say there's no room?
The group hit the limit set for the public link, or the app reached 10,000 external testers. Raise the Tester Limit or remove people who no longer test.
Is there TestFlight for Android?
No. TestFlight only installs builds on Apple devices, and Google Play has its own closed testing.
Build your own app in Appto
Appto checks the niche on fresh App Store data, designs the screens, writes the code, builds the App Store page and submits to Apple from your account or shows you what to press in App Store Connect. Runs on your own Claude Code or Codex.
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