[ios] Add a new App to the TestFlight to test experimental features #9892

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opened 2024-12-18 12:18:30 +00:00 by kirylkaveryn · 0 comments

kirylkaveryn commented

2024-12-18 12:18:30 +00:00

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Problem

Currently, we have only the app build from the master branch available in TestFlight for external testers. If we want to test experimental features on devices without merging them into master, we face the following challenges:

Manually build the app from Xcode using a feature branch:
- Not feasible for all developers
- Time-consuming
Distribute a test build from the feature branch to TestFlight:
- This overwrites the production app version
- Requires rolling back to master afterward

Proposal

Create an additional app specifically for A/B testing that will be distributed through TestFlight.

This approach will:

Allow manual testing of experimental features without relying solely on screenshots
Preserve the production-ready version in TestFlight, containing only accepted/merged features

When we initiate A/B tests, users will receive a TestFlight notification with the "What to Test" message, helping us gather valuable feedback.

Solution

There are several ways to achieve this in iOS, but the general approaches include:

Creating an additional app target
Using an alternative configuration file

In both cases, As I understand, (I’m not highly proficient with app distribution and CI/CD processes) we need to create a new app with a unique bundle identifier and app logo.

With this setup, we can manually trigger a GitHub workflow for a specific branch, ensuring the test builds do not overwrite the main app currently undergoing production testing.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions, feedback, or assistance!

### Problem Currently, we have only the app build from the `master` branch available in TestFlight for external testers. If we want to test experimental features on devices without merging them into `master`, we face the following challenges: 1. **Manually build the app from Xcode using a feature branch**: - Not feasible for all developers - Time-consuming 2. **Distribute a test build from the feature branch to TestFlight**: - This overwrites the production app version - Requires rolling back to `master` afterward --- ### Proposal Create an **additional app** specifically for A/B testing that will be distributed through TestFlight. This approach will: - Allow manual testing of experimental features without relying solely on screenshots - Preserve the production-ready version in TestFlight, containing only accepted/merged features When we initiate A/B tests, users will receive a TestFlight notification with the *"What to Test"* message, helping us gather valuable feedback. --- ### Solution There are several ways to achieve this in iOS, but the general approaches include: - Creating an **additional app target** - Using an **alternative configuration file** In both cases, As I understand, (I’m not highly proficient with app distribution and CI/CD processes) we need to create a **new app** with a unique bundle identifier and app logo. With this setup, we can manually trigger a GitHub workflow for a specific branch, ensuring the test builds do not overwrite the main app currently undergoing production testing. --- I would greatly appreciate any suggestions, feedback, or assistance!

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