Apple developer guide

This page describes all the steps you need to take in order to provide the necessary files and information to SpotMe in case:

1) Your app will be distributed under your own developer account (New app submission).

2) Your app was transferred to your developer account (Post-app transfer).

In any of these cases, you will need to create:

• An app ID.
• A distribution certificate.
• A push notification certificate.
• A provisioning profile.

Please follow the steps below to create each of the above.

Creating an app ID

To create an app ID:

1. Login to your developer account.

2. Go to "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles".

3. Under the "Identifiers" section in the left side menu, click on the + sign:

4. On the next page, choose "App ID" and click on Continue.

5. Enter the name of your app in the Description section:

6. Define your app ID (bundle ID).

The bundle ID should be defined in the following format: com.companydomain.appname

7. Under the "Capabilities" section, enable Push Notifications and click on "Continue":

8. You will be taken to an overview page. Check that the information you entered is correct, and click on "Register".

Creating a distribution certificate

To create a distribution certificate for the purpose of signing the app, please follow the steps below:

1. Log-in to your developer account.

2. Go to "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles".

3. Under the "Certificates" section in the left side menu, click on the + sign:

 

4. You will be prompted to choose the type of certificate you will be creating. Select "iOS Distribution (App Store and Ad Hoc)".

Note that if you are using an Enterprise account, you will need to choose "In-House and Ad Hoc".

5. Once you click on "Continue", you will need to generate and upload a CSR file.

• To generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request), please follow the instructions here.

6. Once your certificate is ready for download, click on "Download".

7. Click on the downloaded file called “ios_distribution.cer” on your MAC. This will trigger a Keychain Access to open it. Click on "Add" in the dialog box:

8. In order to locate the right certificate, type the Team/Developer name in the Search field.

9. Expand the certificate so that the private key displays. Select both - the certificate and the private key.

10. Right-click while the two files are selected and in the menu that appears select Export: "iPhone Distribution...”

11. In the dialog box that opens, define a recognizable name for the certificate, choose where to save it, and select "Personal Information Exchange (.p12)" as the extension of the file:

12. A second dialog box will appear asking you to protect the file with a password. Type and verify your password, and then click OK.

Creating a push notification certificate

To create a push notification certificate for your app:

1. Log-in to your developer account.

2. Go to "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles".

3. Under the "Certificates" section in the left side menu, click on the + sign.

4. Under the "Services" section, select the following type of certificate "Apple Push Notification service SSL (Sandbox & Production)".

5. In the "App ID" dropdown menu, select the app which you are creating the certificate for.

6. Upload a Certificate Signing Request. Follow the instructions on the page to create a CSR file. Click on "Continue". You can also learn how to create a CSR file here.

7. Click on "Choose File" to upload the generated CSR file, and then click on "Continue".

8. Once your certificate is ready for download, click on "Download".

9. Click on the downloaded file called “aps.cer” on your MAC. This will trigger a Keychain Access in order to open it. Click on "Add" on the dialog box:

10. In order to locate the right certificate, type the Bundle ID of the app in the Search field.

11. Expand the certificate so that the private key displays. Select both - the certificate and the private key.

12. Right-click while the two files are selected, and in the menu that appears select Export: "Apple Push Services...”

13. In the dialog box that opens, define a recognizable name for the certificate, choose where to save it and select "Personal Information Exchange (.p12)" as an extension of the file.

14. A second dialog box will appear asking you to protect the file with a password. Type and verify your password, and then click OK.

Creating a provisioning profile

In order to be able to distribute your app on the App Store, you need to generate a provisioning profile for the app that is linked to the distribution certificate generated in the previous section.

To create a provisioning profile:

1. Under the "Profiles" section on the left menu, click on the + sign to add a new provisioning profile:

2. As a next step, you need to choose what type of provisioning profile you will be creating. Select "App Store" under Distribution and click on "Continue".

Note that if you are using an Enterprise account, you will need to select "In-House".

3. From the dropdown menu, select the app ID for which you are creating the provisioning profile, and click on "Continue".

4. Next, you will be asked to select the distribution certificate that the provisioning profile will be linked to. Choose the distribution certificate you created in steps 1-13 in the previous section.

5. Define a name for your provisioning profile. A best practice is to name it after your app. Once done, click on "Continue".

6. Once your provisioning profile is ready, click on "Download". The file will be saved with the "mobileprovision" extension.

Signing Files

In order to be able to code-sign and distribute iOS applications, as well as ensure the app's notification capabilities are active, the following generated files are needed:

• iOS Distribution / In-house certificate (.p12 file)
• Push notification certificate (.p12 file)
• Provisioning profile (.mobileprovision file)