Manage builds

Upload builds

After you add an app to your account, you can upload a build with Xcode, Swift Playgrounds, or Transporter for macOS. If you use the App Store Connect API you might want to upload your binary using the Transporter command-line tool and JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) authentication. You can use the same JWTs you use for the API to upload your binary. You can upload more builds as your app changes, distribute a build for testing, or submit your app for review.

The first time you upload a build, a beta version of the app is created in your account. However, the build needs to be processed in Apple’s system before it appears in App Store Connect. You’ll receive an email when this process is complete.

Each time you upload a build, the bundle ID and version number (located in the app bundle) are used to associate the build with the app and version record in App Store Connect. The build string is used to uniquely identify the build throughout the system.

You can also create and upload your build with Xcode Cloud, which lets you adopt continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), a standard practice that helps you monitor and improve software quality over time while ensuring that your app or framework is always in a releasable state. For details, view Xcode Cloud documentation.

Upload your app binary files with Xcode

Xcode is Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE). You use Xcode to build apps for Apple products, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Watch. Xcode provides tools to manage your entire development workflow — from creating your app to testing, optimizing, and submitting it for review.

To learn how to upload your app binary using Xcode, visit Upload an app to App Store Connect, or in Xcode, choose Help > Xcode Help and search for “Upload an app.”

Download Xcode on the Mac App Store.

Supported Xcode Versions

App Store Connect supports the following versions of Xcode to upload your app for customer distribution or to testers using TestFlight. You can view delivery progress (including warnings, errors, and delivery logs), as well as a history of past deliveries.

Target type

Built using Xcode

Uploaded using Xcode

iOS app

iOS app extension

Xcode 14.1 or later

Xcode 6 or later

macOS app

Xcode 6 or later

Xcode 6 or later

tvOS app

Xcode 14.1 or later

Xcode 7.1 or later

Upload for all target types is supported for Transporter for macOS and altool.

Upload your app binary files with altool

You can use xcrun (included with Xcode) to invoke altool, a command-line tool that lets you validate and upload your app binary files to App Store Connect. Specify one of the following in Terminal at the command-line:

$ xcrun altool --validate-app -f file -t platform -u username [-p password] [--output-format xml] $ xcrun altool --upload-app -f file -t platform -u username [-p password] [—output-format xml]

Learn more.

Upload your app binary files with the Transporter app

The Transporter app for macOS is a simple and easy way to upload an app to App Store Connect for distribution. You can view delivery progress (including warnings, errors, and delivery logs), as well as a history of past deliveries.

You can download the Transporter app on the Mac App Store.

Visit the Transporter for macOS Help for more information.