Distributing Tauri Apps for iOS

This skill covers the complete process of distributing Tauri v2 applications to Apple's iOS App Store.

Prerequisites

Before distributing a Tauri iOS app, ensure:

macOS development machine (required for iOS builds)
Xcode installed with iOS SDK
Apple Developer Program enrollment ($99/year)
Tauri project initialized for iOS (tauri ios init )

Apple Developer Program Enrollment

Enroll at developer.apple.com/programs:

Sign in with Apple ID
Accept the Apple Developer Agreement
Complete enrollment (individual or organization)
Wait for approval (typically 24-48 hours)

Bundle Identifier Configuration

The bundle identifier must be unique and match across all configurations.

tauri.conf.json

{ "identifier": "com.yourcompany.yourapp", "version": "1.0.0", "bundle": { "iOS": { "bundleVersion": "1" } } }

Configuration notes:

identifier : Reverse-domain format, must match App Store Connect
version : Becomes CFBundleShortVersionString (user-visible version)
bundleVersion : Becomes CFBundleVersion (build number, must increment for each upload)

Go to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
Click "+" to register a new identifier
Select "App IDs" then "App"
Enter description and explicit Bundle ID matching tauri.conf.json
Select required capabilities
Click "Register"

Code Signing Setup

Create Certificates

Distribution Certificate (required for App Store):

Open Keychain Access on macOS
Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Request a Certificate from a Certificate Authority
Enter email, select "Saved to disk"
Go to Certificates
Click "+" and select "Apple Distribution"
Upload the certificate signing request
Download and double-click to install

Create Provisioning Profile

App Store Distribution Profile:

Go to Profiles
Click "+" to create new profile
Select "App Store Connect" under Distribution
Select your App ID
Select your distribution certificate
Name and generate the profile
Download the .mobileprovision file

Install Provisioning Profile

Copy to Xcode provisioning profiles directory

cp ~/Downloads/YourApp_AppStore.mobileprovision
~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\ Profiles/

Or double-click the file to install automatically.

Xcode Project Configuration

Open the Tauri iOS project in Xcode:

tauri ios build --open

Configure Signing in Xcode

Select the project in the navigator
Select your app target
Go to "Signing & Capabilities" tab
Uncheck "Automatically manage signing" for manual control
Select your Team
Select the App Store provisioning profile

Required Capabilities

Add capabilities based on app requirements:

Capability When Required

Push Notifications If using APNs

Background Modes For background tasks

App Groups For sharing data between extensions

Associated Domains For universal links

Info.plist Configuration

Located at src-tauri/gen/apple/[AppName]_iOS/Info.plist :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>CFBundleDisplayName</key> <string>Your App Name</string> <key>CFBundleName</key> <string>YourApp</string> <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key> <string>$(PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER)</string> <key>CFBundleVersion</key> <string>$(CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION)</string> <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key> <string>$(MARKETING_VERSION)</string> <key>UILaunchStoryboardName</key> <string>LaunchScreen</string> <key>UISupportedInterfaceOrientations</key> <array> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait</string> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft</string> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight</string> </array> <key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key> <string>This app requires camera access for...</string> <key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key> <string>This app requires photo library access for...</string> </dict> </plist>

Required usage descriptions (add only if your app uses these features):

NSCameraUsageDescription : Camera access
NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription : Photo library
NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription : Location services
NSMicrophoneUsageDescription : Microphone access

App Icons

Generate iOS app icons from a source image (1024x1024 recommended):

tauri icon /path/to/app-icon.png --ios-color '#ffffff'

This generates all required icon sizes in src-tauri/gen/apple/Assets.xcassets/AppIcon.appiconset/ .

Building for App Store

Command Line Build

Build IPA for App Store Connect

tauri ios build --export-method app-store-connect

The IPA is generated at:

src-tauri/gen/apple/build/arm64/[AppName].ipa

Build Options

Build with specific target

tauri ios build --target aarch64-apple-ios --export-method app-store-connect

Build in release mode (default for export-method)

tauri ios build --release --export-method app-store-connect

Build and open in Xcode for manual archive

tauri ios build --open

Archive via Xcode (Alternative)

Open project: tauri ios build --open
Select "Any iOS Device" as destination
Product > Archive
Window > Organizer to view archives
Click "Distribute App"
Select "App Store Connect"
Follow the wizard

App Store Connect API Key Setup

Create an API key for automated uploads:

Go to App Store Connect > Users and Access
Select "Integrations" tab
Click "App Store Connect API" then "+"
Name the key and select "Admin" or "Developer" role
Click "Generate"
Download the .p8 file (only available once)
Note the Key ID and Issuer ID

Store the API Key

Create directory

mkdir -p ~/.appstoreconnect/private_keys

Move the key file (rename to include Key ID)

mv ~/Downloads/AuthKey_XXXXXXXXXX.p8 ~/.appstoreconnect/private_keys/

Alternative location

mkdir -p ~/private_keys mv ~/Downloads/AuthKey_XXXXXXXXXX.p8 ~/private_keys/

Environment Variables (Optional)

export APPLE_API_KEY_ID="XXXXXXXXXX" export APPLE_API_ISSUER="xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"

Uploading to App Store Connect

Using altool

xcrun altool --upload-app
--type ios
--file "src-tauri/gen/apple/build/arm64/YourApp.ipa"
--apiKey "$APPLE_API_KEY_ID"
--apiIssuer "$APPLE_API_ISSUER"

Using Transporter App

Download Transporter from Mac App Store
Sign in with Apple ID
Drag and drop the IPA file
Click "Deliver"

Using Xcode Organizer

Window > Organizer
Select your archive
Click "Distribute App"
Select "App Store Connect"
Choose "Upload" or "Export"
Follow prompts

TestFlight Beta Testing

After upload processing (typically 15-30 minutes):

Internal Testing

App Store Connect > Your App > TestFlight
Add internal testers (up to 100, must be App Store Connect users)
Testers receive email invitation

External Testing

Create a test group
Add build to the group
Submit for Beta App Review (required for external testers)
Add external testers (up to 10,000)
Testers install via TestFlight app

App Store Submission

Create App in App Store Connect

Go to App Store Connect
My Apps > "+" > New App
Select iOS platform
Enter app name, primary language, bundle ID, SKU
Click "Create"

Prepare App Store Listing

Required assets:

Asset Specification

Screenshots 6.7" (1290x2796), 6.5" (1284x2778), 5.5" (1242x2208)

App Icon 1024x1024 PNG (no alpha)

Description Up to 4000 characters

Keywords Up to 100 characters

Support URL Required

App Privacy

Complete the App Privacy questionnaire:

App Store Connect > Your App > App Privacy
Answer questions about data collection
Specify data types collected
Indicate data usage purposes

Submit for Review

Select your build in App Store Connect
Complete all required metadata
Answer export compliance questions
Click "Submit for Review"

Review typically takes 24-48 hours.

Common Issues and Solutions

Code Signing Errors

"No signing certificate found"

List available certificates

security find-identity -v -p codesigning

Verify certificate is valid

security find-certificate -c "Apple Distribution" -p

"Provisioning profile doesn't match"

Ensure bundle ID matches exactly in all locations
Regenerate provisioning profile if certificates changed

Build Failures

"Unsupported architecture"

Ensure building for correct target

tauri ios build --target aarch64-apple-ios --export-method app-store-connect

"Missing entitlements"

Check capabilities in Xcode match App ID capabilities
Regenerate provisioning profile after capability changes

Upload Errors

"Invalid binary"

Ensure minimum iOS version is set correctly
Verify all required icons are present
Check Info.plist has required keys

"Missing compliance" Add to Info.plist if not using encryption:

<key>ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption</key> <false/>

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions Example

name: iOS Release

on: push: tags: - 'v*'

jobs: build-ios: runs-on: macos-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4

  - name: Setup Node
    uses: actions/setup-node@v4
    with:
      node-version: '20'

  - name: Install Rust
    uses: dtolnay/rust-action@stable
    with:
      targets: aarch64-apple-ios

  - name: Install dependencies
    run: npm ci

  - name: Install certificate
    env:
      CERTIFICATE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE_BASE64 }}
      CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD }}
    run: |
      CERTIFICATE_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/certificate.p12
      KEYCHAIN_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/app-signing.keychain-db

      echo -n "$CERTIFICATE_BASE64" | base64 --decode > $CERTIFICATE_PATH

      security create-keychain -p "" $KEYCHAIN_PATH
      security set-keychain-settings -lut 21600 $KEYCHAIN_PATH
      security unlock-keychain -p "" $KEYCHAIN_PATH

      security import $CERTIFICATE_PATH -P "$CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD" \
        -A -t cert -f pkcs12 -k $KEYCHAIN_PATH

      security list-keychain -d user -s $KEYCHAIN_PATH

  - name: Install provisioning profile
    env:
      PROVISIONING_PROFILE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.PROVISIONING_PROFILE_BASE64 }}
    run: |
      PP_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/profile.mobileprovision
      echo -n "$PROVISIONING_PROFILE_BASE64" | base64 --decode > $PP_PATH
      mkdir -p ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\ Profiles
      cp $PP_PATH ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\ Profiles/

  - name: Build iOS
    run: npm run tauri ios build -- --export-method app-store-connect

  - name: Upload to App Store Connect
    env:
      APPLE_API_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.APPLE_API_KEY_ID }}
      APPLE_API_ISSUER: ${{ secrets.APPLE_API_ISSUER }}
      APPLE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.APPLE_API_KEY }}
    run: |
      mkdir -p ~/.appstoreconnect/private_keys
      echo "$APPLE_API_KEY" > ~/.appstoreconnect/private_keys/AuthKey_$APPLE_API_KEY_ID.p8

      xcrun altool --upload-app --type ios \
        --file src-tauri/gen/apple/build/arm64/*.ipa \
        --apiKey $APPLE_API_KEY_ID \
        --apiIssuer $APPLE_API_ISSUER

Version Management

Incrementing Versions

For each App Store submission, increment appropriately:

{ "version": "1.0.0", "bundle": { "iOS": { "bundleVersion": "1" } } }

version : Increment for user-visible changes (1.0.0 -> 1.0.1 or 1.1.0)
bundleVersion : Must increment for every upload (1 -> 2 -> 3)

Version Script Example

#!/bin/bash

increment-build.sh

CONFIG="src-tauri/tauri.conf.json" CURRENT=$(jq -r '.bundle.iOS.bundleVersion' $CONFIG) NEW=$((CURRENT + 1)) jq ".bundle.iOS.bundleVersion = "$NEW"" $CONFIG > tmp.json && mv tmp.json $CONFIG echo "Bundle version incremented to $NEW"

Reference Links

Apple Developer Program
App Store Connect
App Store Review Guidelines
Tauri iOS Documentation
Tauri Distribution Guide

distributing-tauri-for-ios

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