Mobile App Release Guide

March 24, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

Prerequisites

  1. Expo Account: Login to EAS

    npx eas login

  2. Apple Developer Account: Ensure you're enrolled in Apple Developer Program

  3. App Store Connect: Create app listing (one-time setup)

One-Time Setup

1. Initialize EAS

cd packages/mobile
npx eas init

This creates a project in your Expo account and updates app.json with your projectId.

2. Update app.json

Set your own values:

{
  "expo": {
    "owner": "your-expo-username",
    "ios": {
      "bundleIdentifier": "com.yourdomain.codecast"
    },
    "extra": {
      "eas": {
        "projectId": "your-project-id-from-eas-init"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Create App Store Connect Listing

  1. Go to App Store Connect
  2. Click "Apps" > "+" > "New App"
  3. Fill in:
    • Platform: iOS
    • Name: Codecast (or your chosen name)
    • Primary Language: English (U.S.)
    • Bundle ID: com.yourdomain.codecast
    • SKU: codecast-ios-001
    • User Access: Full Access
  4. Copy the Apple ID (10-digit number from app page URL)
  5. Set as ASC_APP_ID env var for EAS submit

4. Configure EAS Credentials

cd packages/mobile
npx eas credentials

Choose "iOS" > "production" and follow prompts to generate:

  • Distribution Certificate
  • Provisioning Profile

EAS manages these automatically with your Apple Team ID.

5. Set Environment Variables

For cloud builds, set secrets via EAS:

npx eas secret:create --name EXPO_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL --value "https://convex.yourdomain.com" --scope project
npx eas secret:create --name APPLE_ID --value "you@example.com" --scope project
npx eas secret:create --name ASC_APP_ID --value "1234567890" --scope project
npx eas secret:create --name APPLE_TEAM_ID --value "XXXXXXXXXX" --scope project

Build Commands

cd packages/mobile

# Development build (simulator)
bun run build:dev

# Preview build (internal testing via TestFlight)
bun run build:preview

# Production build
bun run build:prod

# Submit latest build to App Store
bun run submit:ios

# Build + auto-submit in one command
bun run release:ios

Release Process

TestFlight (Internal Testing)

  1. Build preview:

    bun run build:preview

  2. Submit to TestFlight:

    bun run submit:ios

  3. In App Store Connect:

    • Go to TestFlight tab
    • Add internal testers
    • Build will be available after processing (~10-30 min)

App Store Release

  1. Complete App Store listing in App Store Connect:

    • Screenshots (6.7" and 5.5" required)
    • App description, keywords, support URL
    • Privacy policy URL
    • Age rating questionnaire
    • App category

  2. Build and submit:

    bun run release:ios

  3. In App Store Connect:

    • Select the build for release
    • Submit for review

  4. Wait for Apple review (1-3 days typically)

OTA Updates

Push JavaScript updates without a new App Store binary:

bun run update:preview       # TestFlight channel
bun run update:production    # Production channel

Version Management

EAS manages version incrementing automatically via appVersionSource: "remote" in eas.json.

To manually set version, update app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "version": "1.1.0"
  }
}

Build numbers auto-increment per build.

Troubleshooting

Credentials Issues

npx eas credentials --platform ios

Build Failures

Check build logs at your Expo dashboard: https://expo.dev/accounts/<your-username>/projects/codecast/builds

Stuck Submission

npx eas submit --platform ios --id <build-id>