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The new TestFlight integration is great but it is generating a bit of confusion, and now that my app has been in 'Waiting for Review' status for over 10 days, i'm worried i don't fully understand it.

I have an app Ver 1.1 Build 567 now selected for 'Final Review for the App Store'. It is currently in the 'Waiting for Review' status. Some time later, i toggled the TestFlight Beta Testing switch for that version and invited a few Internal testers. I have to questions that should seem obvious from reading the documentation but have eluded me so far.

  1. will toggling the 'TestFlight Beta Testing' switch immediately pause the current build that was already 'Waiting for Review for Sale'?

  2. if that's not the case, and i don't have to worry about that, the follow-up relates to external testing. will clicking 'Submit for Beta App Review' pause the current build that was already 'Waiting for Review for Sale'? in other words, can you have the same build in review for both the app store and beta testing at the same time?

If the answer is yes to both questions, then i'll have to upload a new Pre-Release version (1.2), and select that version for Beta Testing, which of course would force me to turn Beta Testing off for version 1.1. This should definitely allow me to have two different builds, across two different versions in parallel review states - one for the store, and one for the beta testing.

Confirmation of this behaviour would be greatly appreciated.

Nuno

nuno
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  • Did you find an answer to this question Nuno? Worth sharing your experience with others by answering your own question! – Seoras Feb 09 '15 at 03:28

1 Answers1

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I can now answer this as Apple has just review and passed my App.

After my last release it was brought to my attention that some users were getting locked out of the App. I fixed the issue and submitted to Apple for review.

While awaiting review I switched on TestFlight and invited locked out users who had emailed me.

After 9 days I started wondering if having a running TestFlight would put on hold Apple reviewing that release.

That's how I found this, unanswered, question. So for anyone else who finds themselves here asking the same thing, don't worry, Apple will review as normal even with an active TestFlight and external testers using it.

Seoras
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  • I have an issue now, where I have a build in 'Waiting for review' in the App Store, and I cannot send the same build to external beta testing because the button (in TestFlight) for 'submit for review' is missing, it just says 'inactive' under 'External' testers. – bauerMusic Mar 06 '15 at 07:14
  • I think you need to add internal testers first before you are allowed to invite external testers. Just add yourself as an internal tester and then try. – Seoras Mar 07 '15 at 08:29
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    We have many internal testes. We've been using TestFlight from its beginning. This is something new. – bauerMusic Mar 08 '15 at 07:43
  • Could be an iTunesConnect bug. I had one that prevented me from editing in-app purchases in one of my Apps. Raise a case and have them look at it for you. – Seoras Mar 09 '15 at 02:47
  • I have. It's been a week long. The last email from them was a rep telling me she is taking over this issue. That was a week ago. We tried to upload a new build and then a new version altogether. Still, our external testing remains inactive. We had to contact all our external testers and explain that we have an open issue with Apple. It sure feels like they're taking their time there. – bauerMusic Mar 09 '15 at 07:33
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    It took weeks for them to resolve my issue. No comfort but you aren't unique, if things break it's a slow process to get back to normality. – Seoras Mar 09 '15 at 07:46
  • _"It took weeks for them to resolve my issue"_ Thank you, that's helpful. At least we won't be holding our breath over this. – bauerMusic Mar 09 '15 at 09:26
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    Could someone please tell me if there is any way to prevent Apple from reviewing my app? It's still in beta and I just want to be able to invite testers, I feel like Apple is wasting their time reviewing my beta apps. – Matthys Du Toit Jan 28 '16 at 13:50
  • Matthys, once you have submitted a version of your app to TestFlight Beta Review once and been approved, if you upload new builds that keep the version number the same, and only increment the build number, you can distribute these updated builds to beta testers without it going through re-review. You have to click a button that says "submit for review" in the TestFlight section of iTunesConnect, but it is approved immediately and you can then add to groups of additional testers as well. – Duncan Babbage Sep 06 '17 at 20:52