Introduction
Flutter is an open-source set of tooling that allows us to create applications that can run on iOS, Android, the Web, and desktop. It was launched by Google on 4th December 2018 to solve the dilemma of needing separate development teams for iOS and Android for developing the same software. Since its introduction, flutter has been widely successful in attracting thousands of developers in organizations worldwide for production apps.
In the following article, we will go through the various steps involved in flutter deployment on both iOS and Android platforms.
Build and release an iOS app
Let us learn how to build and release an iOS app.
Pre-requisites
The pre-requisites are as follows:-
- macOS must be used for this releasing the iOS app on the AppStore.
- Make sure that all the guidelines provided by Apple for an application are met by the app you wish to release. You can visit App Review Guidelines for further information.
- You must be enrolled in the Apple Developer Program for releasing any app on the AppStore.
Procedure
The procedure is as follows:-
Register your app on App Store Connect
Registering an app in iOS follows two steps:
- The creation and registering of a unique Bundle ID.
- Creating an application record on App Store Connect.
Register a Bundle ID
A Bundle ID is a unique identifier that is registered with Apple. Every app has a unique Bundle ID.
The following steps tell you how to register a Bundle ID for your app.
- In your developer account, go to the App IDs page.
- Click + to create a new Bundle ID.
- Enter the required details that are required.
- Click Continue after all the details have been filled.
- Click on register after confirming all the details.
Create an application record on App Store Connect
The following steps show how you can register your app on App Store Connect.
- In your browser, open up the App Store Connect.
- Click on My Apps.
- On the top-left corner of the page click on the + icon, then select New App.
- In the form that appears, fill all the details regarding your app. Check the iOS in the Platform section and click on Create.
- From the sidebar, select App Information.
- Select the Bundle ID you registered in the previous step in the General Information section.
Review Xcode project settings
Navigate to your target’s settings in Xcode:
- Open Runner .xcworkspace in Xcode in the app’s ios folder.
- For viewing your app’s settings, Click on the Runner project followed by the Runner target in the main view sidebar.
- Select the General tab.
Check and confirm all the important settings.
Add an app icon
When a new Flutter app is created, a placeholder icon set is created. The following steps cover the replacing of the placeholder icons with your desired app icon.
- In the Xcode project navigator, select Assets .xcassets in the Runner folder. Update the placeholder icons with your own app icons.
- Use flutter run to check whether the icon has been replaced.
Create an app bundle
Run the command flutter build ipa. This creates an App store app bundle (.ipa file) in build/ios/ipa.
Release your app on TestFlight
TestFlight helps the developers to test their app by distributing it to their friends and to the people they want.
The following steps inform you on how to release your build on TestFlight.
- On the App Store Connect, go to the TestFlight tab.
- Select Internal Testing present in the sidebar.
- Select the build and click on Save.
- Add the desired email addresses of the internal testers.
Release your app to the App Store
These are the steps for submitting your app for review and then releasing it to the App Store.
- From the sidebar of the app’s application details page, select the Pricing and Availability and complete the required information.
- Click on the status present in the sidebar and complete all the required fields.
- Click Submit for Review.
Apple will notify you when your app has been reviewed, and your app will get released.
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