Locally demo a react-native app built with Expo

Question

I recently build a React Native application using the Expo client.

I would like to be able to demo the application on my iOS device without carrying my laptop around in order to run the expo server. Ideally, I would like to be able to install on one other persons iOS device without uploading it to the app store (I made an app for someone's birthday as a gift).

I do not have a paid Apple developer account either. I thought this would be simpler as I used to develop native Android apps and it was extremely easy to do this, but I can't find a realiable or straightforward method to do this on iOS with React Native/Expo

Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Apple is very curious about apps that is been installed on ios device, it does't allow user to just install any app from building machine like android does.

But you can try with other options:

1. build app using ios command (expo build:ios) and select bundle for simulator. This build you can able to install in simulator in ios devices provided by apple.
2. genarate and link certificate and make development build and install by dwiwi. In this you don't have to put it into testflight/app store.

Follow this: https://docs.expo.io/distribution/building-standalone-apps/