deploying-test-build

name	deploying-test-build
description	Deploys iOS/Android test builds using EAS Build with internal distribution. Use when asked to deploy, build, or release a test/development/preview build.

Deploying Test Builds

Build and deploy internal distribution builds for iOS and Android using EAS Build.

Commands

iOS Development Build (with dev client)

eas build --platform ios --profile development

iOS Preview Build (internal distribution, no dev client)

eas build --platform ios --profile preview

Android Development Build

eas build --platform android --profile development

Android Preview Build

eas build --platform android --profile preview

Live Activity Widget Setup (IMPORTANT)

If your app uses @bacons/apple-targets for Live Activity widgets, you MUST manually configure the capability in Apple Developer Console. EAS does NOT auto-sync com.apple.developer.live-activity.

One-Time Setup for Live Activity

Step 1: Ensure targets/widgets/generated.entitlements contains:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>com.apple.developer.live-activity</key>
    <true/>
  </dict>
</plist>

Step 2: Enable Live Activity in Apple Developer Console:

1. Go to https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/identifiers/list
2. Click com.buddybox.app.widget (your widget bundle ID)
3. Scroll down and check "Push Notifications" (required for Live Activity)
4. Save changes

Step 3: Clear the widget's provisioning profile (so EAS regenerates it with the entitlement):

eas credentials --platform ios

Then:

1. Select development profile
2. Choose Build Credentials: Manage everything needed to build your project
3. Choose Provisioning Profile: Delete one from your project
4. Select the widget profile (com.buddybox.app.widget)
5. Confirm deletion

Step 4: Clean prebuild and rebuild:

rm -rf ios && npx expo prebuild --platform ios
eas build --platform ios --profile development

General Troubleshooting

Clear All Credentials

If builds fail due to credential issues:

eas credentials --platform ios

Then navigate to delete Distribution Certificate (this removes all provisioning profiles).

Common Issues

1. Provisioning profile missing entitlement:

   • The capability must be enabled in Apple Developer Console for the bundle ID
   • Delete the provisioning profile via eas credentials
   • Rebuild to regenerate with correct entitlements

2. Device not registered:

   eas device:create
   

   Then clear credentials and rebuild.

3. Expired credentials:

   • Clear credentials and rebuild

4. "Synced capabilities: No updates" for extensions:

   • EAS only syncs capabilities for the main app target
   • Extension capabilities must be enabled manually in Apple Developer Console

Build Profiles

Defined in eas.json:

Profile	Distribution	Dev Client	Use Case
development	internal	yes	Local development with Expo Go replacement
preview	internal	no	Testing production-like builds
production	store	no	App Store / Play Store submission

Unsupported EAS Auto-Sync Capabilities

These must be enabled manually in Apple Developer Console:

• com.apple.developer.live-activity (Live Activity)
• HLS Interstitial Previews
• Any capability not in Expo's supported list