Beta Builder :: Wireless Distribution of Your Adhoc Archive

Category: My Tutorials > iOS

Hey .. how’s work going? It’s good Han !!! … good good … So you have done with your release and verified with QA after some bug fixing; That’s great; You done a good job;

Now Its time to share the Adhoc with client; Ok … so what would you do? You will probably generate an IPA and attach it in email along with release notes.. right ??? Or you will upload it over some ftp/dropbox to let the client download and install it via iTunes … han??

Well… orite .. that’s fine.. but you know what? In both cases when client has an IPA file, he/she has to use the iTunes to sync your app in device, and in case he is away from his desk (or wants to reinstall it after deleting the old installation) he is stuck ..

Listen .. you are missing one thing here … when you have IPA files and iOS version > 4.0, you should use the web-based, wireless distribution of Adhoc apps and the ability to embed provisioning profiles right into the IPA bundle; Your test users can now install the builds without ever using iTunes at all; Doesn’t it sound good?

To achieve this, here is the BetaBuilder, a MacOS X app that takes your archived IPA file and creates the required manifest and HTML files for wireless distribution. It even zips up a copy of the app for folks on 3.x that need to install via iTunes;

The tool is pretty much easy to use; You just need to follow these simple steps ..

Generate your IPA file as you are doing already;
Open the BetaBuilder application and follow its UI (select the IPA file and it will fill the rest of the fields itself)
in Deployment Path enter the path where you want to upload your build. It can be a path to a directory on your ftp server, a public folder on your dropbox or anything that is publicly accessible.
Hit Generate Deployment Files button; It will ask you where you want to save generated files; Chose a directly in your system and wait for a beep like “Tinnnnnnggggg” …
You heard that sound? Great .. you have done it .. 👍👍 Say thanks to BetaBuilder … You may now quit it;
Go to directory where you saved your generated files; Verify that you have following files
1. beta_archive.zip
2. index.html
3. manifest.plist
4. README.txt
5. Your IPA file
Upload these file to path/link you mentioned in Deployment Path.
ALL DONE … open this link in any provisioned device for your Adhoc to test. You should see something like this on your browser’s screen;

Tap on link and the application should install on your device. Share the same link with your clients and let them install/test the Adhoc builds on the go, from everywhere, anytime.

Download the BetaBuild from here.
Requirements: MacOS 10.6 or greater

Happy Development ..

Author Profile

Aasim Naseem

Hey, Thanks for your interest. I’m a PMP, AWS Solutions Architect, and Scrum Master certified professional with 17+ years of hands-on experience leading projects, building teams, and helping organizations deliver software solutions better, faster, and smarter.

Outside of work, I’ve got a deep curiosity for history — especially ancient civilizations like Egypt. I also enjoy reflecting on the everyday moments that shape how we live and work. This blog is my space to share insights, lessons, and thoughts from both my professional journey and personal interests.

Thanks for reading — and I hope you will find something here that matches your interest.