Introduction
Apple’s personal certificate is a crucial tool for iOS app developers who want to distribute their apps outside of the App Store. With this certificate, you can sign your apps and distribute them privately to your testers and clients. In this tutorial, we will show you how to use Apple’s personal certificate to sign your iOS apps.
Prerequisites
Before we start, there are a few things you’ll need:
An Apple developer account
Xcode installed on your Mac
An iOS device connected to your Mac
Your app’s code
Step 1: Creating a certificate signing request
The first step in using Apple’s personal certificate is to create a certificate signing request (CSR). This request contains your developer information and is used to generate your personal certificate. Here are the steps to creating a CSR:
Open the Keychain Access app on your Mac.
Select the “Certificate Assistant” in the “Keychain Access” menu, and then choose “Request a Certificate From a Certificate Authority”.
Enter your information, including your name and email address.
Leave the “CA Email Address” field blank.
Select “Save to disk” and save the file somewhere on your Mac.
Step 2: Creating a personal certificate
Now that you have a CSR, you can use it to generate your personal certificate. Follow these steps:
Log in to your Apple developer account.
Select “Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles”.
Select “All” and then choose “Certificates”.
Click the “+” button to add a new certificate.
Select “iOS App Development” and click “Continue”.
Upload the CSR file you created in Step 1 and click “Continue”.
Download the resulting certificate and double-click on it to install it in your Keychain.
Step 3: Signing your app
Now that you have your personal certificate, you can use it to sign your app. Here’s how:
Open your app project in Xcode.
Select “Build Settings” and then scroll down to “Code Signing”.
Select your personal certificate from the “Code Signing Identity” dropdown menu.
Build your app.
Connect your iOS device to your Mac and select it in Xcode.
Choose “Product” and then “Archive”.
Select “Distribute App”.
Choose “Ad Hoc” and click “Next”.
Select your personal certificate from the “Signing Certificate” dropdown and click “Export”.
Select a location to save your signed app.
Conclusion
Using Apple’s personal certificate is a critical step in distributing your iOS app outside of the App Store. By following these simple steps, you can sign your app and distribute it privately to your testers and clients. Good luck!
