How to generate a custom IOS package

What you need to know before starting​

Before you begin, check the following:

• You have an Apple Developer Program account (or an Apple Developer Enterprise Program account for In House distribution), with the Account Holder or Admin role.
• You have a Mac with Keychain Access, to generate the certificate signing request and export the .p12 file.
• You know how to create App IDs, certificates, provisioning profiles and push notification keys in Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles.
• For Ad Hoc distribution only: the target devices are registered in your Apple Developer account. You are limited to 100 devices per device type per membership year.

You will produce the following files, to upload in Powell Manager at the end:

Step 1: App group

Go to https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/identifiers/list  

• Click + to create an identifier, select App Groups, then click Continue.

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• Enter a description (e.g. "Your App Name Group") and an identifier (e.g. group.com.yourcompany.yourappname). Special characters are not allowed in the description.

• Click Continue, then Register.

Step 2: iOS App ID

• Click + to create a new identifier, select App IDs, then click Continue.

• Select App, then click Continue.

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• Enter a description (e.g. "Your App Name") and an explicit Bundle ID (e.g. com.yourcompany.yourappname). Wildcard Bundle IDs are not supported.

• Enable the following capabilities:
  • “App groups”

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• “Fonts”

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• “Push Notifications”

• Click Continue, then Register.

• Reopen the App ID you just created. Next to App Groups, click Configure. Select the group created in Step 1, then click Continue.

• Click Save, then Confirm.

Note: Changing the capabilities of an App ID invalidates the provisioning profiles that use it. If you edit capabilities later, regenerate the profiles (Steps 4 and 6).

Step 3: iOS distribution certificate

Go to https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/certificates/add 

• Select Apple Distribution, then click Continue. The legacy type iOS Distribution (App Store Connect and Ad Hoc) also works if you already use it.

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• On your Mac, generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) with Keychain Access. See Apple's documentation: https://developer.apple.com/help/account/certificates/create-a-certificate-signing-request
• Upload the CSR file, then click Continue.

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• Download the certificate (.cer) and double-click it to install it in Keychain Access.

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• In Keychain Access, find the certificate, expand it to check the private key is attached, then export it as a .p12 file. Set a password and keep it: you will need it in Powell Manager.

Note: Distribution certificates expire after one year. Write down the expiration date so you can renew the certificate and update Powell Manager in time.

​Step 4: iOS provisioning profile

Go to https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/profiles/add

• Under Distribution, select the type that matches your deployment:
  • Ad Hoc: installation on a limited list of registered devices (MDM or side loading).
  • App Store Connect: distribution through the public App Store or TestFlight.
  • In House (Enterprise Program only): internal distribution to your organization, typically through an MDM.
• Click Continue.

• Select the App ID created in Step 2 (com.yourcompany.yourappname), then click Continue.

• Select the certificate created in Step 3, then click Continue.

• (Ad Hoc only) Select the registered devices, then click Continue.

• Enter a profile name without spaces or special characters, then click Generate.

• Download the profile (.mobileprovision file).

Step 5 (optional) : App ID for the notification extension

Follow this step only if you want to use push notifications.

1. As in Step 2, click +, select App IDs, then App.
2. Enter a description (e.g. "Your App Name Notification Service Extension") and an explicit Bundle ID (e.g. com.yourcompany.yourappname.notificationserviceextension). It must start with the Bundle ID from Step 2.
3. Enable the following capabilities:
   • App Groups
   • Push Notifications
4. Click Continue, then Register.
5. Reopen this new App ID. Next to App Groups, click Configure, select the group created in Step 1, then click Continue.
6. Click Save, then Confirm.

Step 6 (optional) : Provisioning profile for the notification extension

Follow the same process as Step 4, with the same distribution type and certificate. When selecting the App ID, choose the notification extension identifier created in Step 5.

At the end, download the profile (.mobileprovision file).

Step 7 (optional) : APNs notification key

Follow this step only if you want to use push notifications.

Go to https://developer.apple.com/account/resources/authkeys/add

1. Enter a key name (e.g. YourAppNamePushNotificationsKey).
2. Enable Apple Push Notifications service (APNs), then click Continue, then Register.
3. Download the key (.p8 file).
4. Note the Key ID (shown on the key page) and your Team ID (shown at the top right of your developer account, and as the App ID prefix).

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Important: Apple lets you download the .p8 file only once. Store it securely. If you lose it, revoke the key and create a new one.

Final step: Enter the information in Powell Manager

Open your application in Powell Manager and go to the iOS Setting tab.

1. Turn on Enable iOS configuration.
2. In the Certificates block:
   • iOS certificate password: the password set when exporting the .p12 in Step 3.
   • Certificate (.p12): the file exported in Step 3.

   • Provisioning profile (.mobileprovision): the profile downloaded in Step 4.

     

3. In the Notifications block (only if you use notifications):

   • Provisioning service extension file (.mobileprovision): the profile downloaded in Step 6.

     

4. Configure the app assets:
   • iOS splash screen color (required).
   • iOS Icons files (required).

5. Save the config.