Ad hoc distribution
Deliver a reviewed-by-you build to a fixed list of registered test devices without TestFlight.
Ad hoc distribution signs an app for a selected list of devices registered to an Apple Developer Program team. It does not require App Review and it is not public distribution.
What the profile contains
An ad hoc profile connects:
- one App ID matching the app;
- one distribution certificate;
- selected registered device UDIDs;
- authorised entitlements;
- a validity period.
Apple's creation flow requires all three prerequisites and asks the developer to select the devices included in the profile (Apple Developer).
Device limits
Paid Developer and Enterprise memberships can register up to 100 devices per product family per membership year. Disabling a device during the year does not restore the slot. The list can be reviewed at membership renewal (Apple Developer).
That makes UDID intake an inventory decision. Validate device type, preserve an audit trail, and do not promise that a mistaken registration can simply be swapped out.
Installation
Export the app for registered-device distribution, then install through Xcode, Apple Configurator, MDM, or a correctly configured HTTPS manifest workflow. The target device must appear in the embedded profile.
Appropriate uses
- demonstrations and field testing;
- small beta groups where TestFlight is unsuitable;
- hardware-bound tests;
- controlled internal evaluation.
It is not designed as an open consumer app store. Selling access to device slots creates account, policy, privacy, continuity, and revocation risks that do not disappear because the install succeeds.