Flutter Lesson 78 of 83 5 min read

Build and Release a Flutter App for iOS

Publish a Flutter app on the App Store: Apple developer account, bundle id, signing in Xcode, flutter build ipa, TestFlight and review.

On this page

Releasing for iPhone and iPad follows the same shape as Android, with Apple’s tools. Apple’s requirements change often, so follow App Store Connect’s own guidance alongside this outline.

What you need #

A Mac with a current version of Xcode. iOS apps cannot be built on Windows or Linux. Without a Mac, a cloud build service such as Codemagic can build for you.
An Apple Developer Program membership, which has an annual fee.
A real iPhone for testing is strongly recommended.

Before you build #

App icon (no transparency), display name and bundle id are set. See icon, splash and name.
Every permission the app uses has a usage description in Info.plist. A missing one crashes the app, and a vague one causes rejection.
version in pubspec.yaml is correct.
The app has been tested with flutter run --release on a real device.

1. Register the app #

In the Apple Developer website, under Identifiers, register an App ID with your bundle identifier, such as com.yourcompany.myshop. Enable any capabilities the app needs, such as push notifications or Sign in with Apple.

Then in App Store Connect, create a new app and select that bundle id. Choose the name carefully: it must be unique on the App Store.

2. Configure signing in Xcode #

Open the iOS project. Always open the workspace, not the project file:

open ios/Runner.xcworkspace

Select Runner in the left panel, then the Runner target, and check:

General tab

Setting	Value
Display Name	The name under the icon
Bundle Identifier	The id you registered
Minimum Deployments	The lowest iOS version you support

Signing & Capabilities tab

Tick Automatically manage signing.
Choose your Team.

Xcode then creates the certificates and provisioning profiles for you. Manual signing is rarely needed outside a CI system.

Version and build number come from pubspec.yaml, so leave those fields alone in Xcode.

3. Build the archive #

flutter build ipa

This produces:

An Xcode archive in build/ios/archive/.
An .ipa file in build/ios/ipa/.

Options that mirror Android’s:

flutter build ipa --build-name=1.2.0 --build-number=7
flutter build ipa --obfuscate --split-debug-info=build/symbols

If the build fails on CocoaPods, this usually clears it:

cd ios
pod install --repo-update
cd ..
flutter clean
flutter pub get

4. Upload #

Any of these works:

Transporter, a free Mac app from Apple. Drag the .ipa in and press Deliver. The simplest route.
Xcode: open the archive from Window, Organizer, then Distribute App.
Command line: xcrun altool or the App Store Connect API, used in CI.

After the upload, Apple processes the build for some minutes before it appears in App Store Connect.

5. Test with TestFlight #

TestFlight is Apple’s testing service, and it is part of App Store Connect.

Group	Who	Review needed
Internal testers	Members of your team	No. Available as soon as processing finishes
External testers	Anyone you invite by email or public link	A short beta review, the first time

Testers install the TestFlight app and get your build through it. Always test the uploaded build this way before submitting. It is the exact binary that reviewers and users will get.

6. Prepare the listing #

In App Store Connect, fill in:

Screenshots for the required iPhone sizes, and iPad if you support it.
Description, keywords, support URL and marketing URL.
Privacy policy URL.
App Privacy: a questionnaire about what data is collected, including by third-party packages.
Age rating questionnaire.
Pricing and availability.
Review information: contact details, and a demo account if the app needs a login. Reviewers cannot test what they cannot get into.

7. Submit for review #

Select the build, answer the export compliance question (about encryption), and submit. Review usually takes one to a few days.

Why apps are rejected #

Apple’s review is stricter than Google’s. The frequent causes:

Reason	How to avoid it
Crashes or obvious bugs	Test the TestFlight build on a real device
No way for the reviewer to log in	Provide a working demo account
Vague permission descriptions	Say exactly what the data is used for
Sign-in with Google or Facebook, without Sign in with Apple	Offer Sign in with Apple as well, where the guidelines require it
Account creation without account deletion	Let users delete their account from inside the app
Selling digital goods without in-app purchase	Use Apple’s in-app purchase for digital content
Too little functionality	The app must do more than wrap a website
Placeholder content	Remove “lorem ipsum” and test data

A rejection includes the reason. Fix it, reply in the Resolution Center, and resubmit. It is a normal part of the process.

Updates #

Raise the version and build number in pubspec.yaml.
flutter build ipa, and upload.
In App Store Connect, create a new version, select the build, write “What’s New”, and submit.

You can release automatically after approval, on a date, or manually, and you can phase the release over seven days.

iPad and other details #

An app that runs on iPad must work in both orientations and in split view, unless you opt out in the project settings. See responsive layouts.
The share sheet and popovers need an anchor position on iPad.
Push notifications, Sign in with Apple and in-app purchase each need extra setup in the developer portal and Xcode.

Try it yourself #

If you have a Mac and a developer account: register a bundle id, configure signing, build an .ipa and install it on your own phone through TestFlight as an internal tester. If you do not, write the usage descriptions your app would need in Info.plist, and a checklist of what you would give a reviewer.