TestFlight public link: set it up, limit it, and fix it when it does not work

External testing needs an internal group first, so create one if you have not. Then, in App Store Connect, open the app’s TestFlight tab, click + next to External Testing to create a group, and add a build to it with a short “What to Test” note. Submit that build for TestFlight App Review: the first build of a version gets a full review, later builds of the same version might not, only one build per version can be in review at a time, and you can submit up to six builds in 24 hours. With a build in the group, open the group’s Testers tab and click Create Public Link. Builds uploaded as TestFlight Internal Only can only go to internal groups, so they cannot be shared this way.

When you create the link you choose Open to Anyone or Filter by Criteria. Criteria let only people with the right device and OS join: pick a device, then an OS range, a minimum version, a maximum version, or all supported versions for that platform, and add as many criteria as you need. Under Tester Limit you can cap how many people can join through the link, with any number from 1 to 10,000. All of this can be changed later under Manage next to Public Link, where you can also switch the link to open for everyone or disable it. Keep in mind that anyone can forward the link, so people you never contacted may join.

Testers install the TestFlight app and open your link to accept. People who join through a public link appear in App Store Connect as anonymous: you do not see their name or email, but you do see their installation date, sessions and crashes, and you can view public link metrics and the feedback they send. With TestFlight 2.3 or later on iOS, macOS and visionOS, testers can send feedback through the TestFlight app or by taking a screenshot in your beta. If you need to know who each tester is, for example to follow up personally, invite them by email instead or as well; email testers show their name, email address, installation date, sessions and crashes.

App Store Connect shows insight cards at the top of the group’s details page for three of these problems, so check there first. No compatible build: the builds in the group do not match the device and OS criteria you set. The link is full: the tester limit you set has been reached, so raise it under Manage. The build is expiring or expired: a build can be tested for up to 90 days, so add a newer one. Beyond the cards: the build may still be waiting for TestFlight App Review or have been rejected, which you can see under App Review in the sidebar; if you left “Automatically notify testers” off, you must distribute an approved build manually; and the link may have been disabled. Managed Apple Accounts in reserved domains cannot test builds at all.

A public link is only as good as the places you post it. Our guide to finding beta testers covers where to share it and Google Play’s testing tracks, and how to get first users covers what comes after the beta. Once the app is live, adding it to Censuus is free on the submit page, where apps are ranked by the real visit traffic they draw; sponsorship raises placement and adds a followed link to your website, see the sponsor page. We do not promise testers, downloads or rankings.