Deploying iPhone and iPad apps on Apple silicon Macs from TestFlight

Question

With the advent of iPhone and iPad apps on Apple silicon Macs , I am wondering how I can distribute beta builds of our app to test on the new hardware without making it accessible to the public.

We have disabled public downloads of our app since we are not sure if they will run up to our standards.

iOS Apps on Mac Availability All of your compatible iOS apps will automatically be made available on the Mac, or you can select individual apps below. If you click "Don't Make Available," none of your existing apps will be made available on Mac.

Is there a way to enable this feature on TestFlight or maybe through a third party service such as AppCenter ?

Thanks any helps would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

There's an option to enable Test iPhone and iPad Apps on Apple Silicon Macs in TestFlight, you can find this option within testing groups.

Answer 2

You can directly test it on a Silicon-based mac machine with the latest Xcode. You need to choose Mac(Designed for iPad) option there.

After proper testing, you also need to verify your application for MAC OS, otherwise "Not Verified for MAC OS" text will be visible under the application name.

In the above image, you can compare the difference. If you want to verify your application for macOS.

1-Choose your application on https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/ .

2-Choose "Pricing and Availability" under the "General" tab.

3-Click "Verify Compatibility" under "iPhone and iPad Apps on Apple Silicon Macs".

4-Press Verify Button.

Your application will be verified and "Not Verified for MAC OS" text will be removed.

If you require additional information, please, let me know.

Thanks

Answer 3

Theoretical Answer

Since I am unable to test on actual hardware for now, I have an idea that maybe someone on here can test. Considering that Silicon based computers should be able to run any iPhone or iPad application, the could someone confirm if this works:

1. Download TestFlight on Silicon based Mac
2. Install development application on Silicon based Mac

This is just a theory and I will remove / edit this post when I or someone else finds the correct approach. If you are lucky enough to have a Silicon based Mac and a developer account it would be greatly appreciated if you could test this out, many thanks!