iOS code signing requirement
Code signing on iOS is required to distribute applications through the official Apple App Store or alternative EU marketplaces, and to install and execute on end user devices.
building/ios code signing
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iOS code signing prerequisites
Code signing on iOS requires enrolling in the Apple Developer program (costs 99 USD per year as of documentation date), an Apple device to perform the code signing, the bundle identifier registered in App Store Connect, an appropriate iOS code signing certificate, and a mobile provisioning profile that links the certificate and enables iOS capabilities used by the app.
Automatic iOS signing setup in Xcode
Automatic signing is enabled by default in Xcode. To register an Apple account in Xcode, open the Xcode application, go to Xcode > Settings menu, switch to the Accounts tab, and click the + icon to add an account.
Automatic signing in CI/CD: environment variables
To use automatic signing in CI/CD platforms, create an App Store Connect API key and define three environment variables: APPLE_API_ISSUER (the Issuer ID), APPLE_API_KEY (the Key ID from the Integrations table), and APPLE_API_KEY_PATH (path to the private key file). The private key can only be downloaded once and becomes visible only after a page reload.
Manual iOS signing environment variables
To manually sign an iOS app, provide three environment variables: IOS_CERTIFICATE (base64 representation of the certificate exported from Keychain), IOS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD (password of the certificate), and IOS_MOBILE_PROVISION (base64 representation of the provisioning profile).
iOS certificate types by export method
Different certificate types must be used for each export method: for debugging use Apple Development or iOS App Development; for app-store-connect use Apple Distribution or iOS Distribution (App Store Connect and Ad Hoc); for ad-hoc use Apple Distribution or iOS Distribution (App Store Connect and Ad Hoc).
Export iOS signing certificate to base64
To export an iOS signing certificate to base64: open Keychain Access, expand the certificate entry, right-click the key item and select 'Export <key-name>', save the .p12 file and remember its password, then run the command `base64 -i <path-to-certificate.p12> | pbcopy` to convert to base64 and copy to clipboard.
Export iOS provisioning profile to base64
To export an iOS provisioning profile to base64: download the .mobileprovision file, then run the command `base64 -i <path-to-profile.mobileprovision> | pbcopy` to convert to base64 and copy to clipboard.
Create iOS provisioning profile for App Store
For App Store distribution, the provisioning profile must be an 'App Store Connect' type. Create it by selecting the appropriate App ID and linking the previously created signing certificate.
iOS App ID bundle ID must match configuration
When creating an App ID in the Identifiers page, ensure the 'Bundle ID' value matches the identifier set in the Tauri configuration's identifier field.