25.3 · TestFlight, phased release, App Review and rollback

Shipping through the App Store has rules and timing you do not control. Knowing the path, and what you can and cannot undo after release, decides whether a bad build is an annoyance or an incident.

Mental model. There is no true rollback once users have updated. Prevent with staged exposure; limit damage with switches you control; fix forward fast.

Getting a build out

TestFlight, phased release, expedited review and what each stage means.

  1. What is the path from an archive to users: TestFlight internal and external testing, review, release options, phased release and expedited review? 25.3.1 · L2
    The path is: archive a Release build, validate and upload it to App Store Connect (from Xcode, xcodebuild and the API, or CI), wait for processing (which also…

Review and compliance

App Review, privacy labels, encryption and common rejections.

  1. How does App Review work, what causes common rejections, and what are export compliance, the privacy labels and usage descriptions about? 25.3.2 · L3
    Every version goes through App Review, which checks the app against the App Store Review Guidelines (safety, performance, business, design and legal). The…

When it goes wrong

Hotfix, pause, kill switches and what cannot be rolled back.

  1. What can and cannot be rolled back after release, and how do you respond to a bad release: pause, flags, server changes and a hotfix? 25.3.3 · L5
    Be clear about what is reversible. You cannot roll back an installed app: the App Store does not let you push an older binary as a downgrade, users who updated…

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