testing - Testflight SDK and iOS Simulator - how to use?

Question

I'm a bit puzzled how I'm supposed to use Testflight's SDK jn combination with the iOS Simulator.

Let's say I'm starting to integrate Testflight into my project and want to test it on the Simulator. Obviously I will not get any remote logs or checkpoint information because my project hasn't been uploaded (although I'm using the correct team token).

But if I upload the project first, it says that it isn't using Testflight SDK - which is of course correct, so I won't get anything either.

So I'm facing a chicken-egg problem here or do I misunderstand something?

Is Testflight working at all with Simulator?

Answer 1

The TestFlight SDK app is designed to run on Arm Architecture on device. The simulator is not considered a valid device so it will not work for testing apps made available on Test Flight. You also won't be able to install the Test Flight profiles on the emulator (the accounts with permission to use the app on Test Flight).

A workaround is to run the code locally in Xcode (assuming you have the code) and then compile the app and build for the iOS simulator.

In summary TestFlight is designed to work with real devices.

Other workarounds;

• Fully publish the app with a login requirement on the landing page, get it approved to the store and run it on any device including the emulator.
• Get beta testers online to tryout the app for you from sites like: https://betafamily.com/ or Upwork, Fiverr etc.
• Or just buy a bunch of cheap old iPhones to use for testing. (Always better to test on old devices for backward compatibility :))