Archiving and uploading to App Store Connect
Turn your project into a real, uploadable build and get it into Apple's system.
A running simulator build isn't a shippable app. To submit, you create an archive — an optimized, signed release build — and upload it to App Store Connect, Apple's web dashboard for managing apps.
Create the app record first
- 1Go to appstoreconnect.apple.com ▸ My Apps ▸ + ▸ New App.
- 2Choose iOS, your app name (must be unique across the App Store), primary language, and your registered Bundle ID.
- 3This creates the shell you'll upload builds into.
Archive and upload
- 1In Xcode, set the run destination to Any iOS Device (arm64) — you can't archive against a simulator.
- 2Choose Product ▸ Archive. Xcode builds a release archive (this takes a minute or two).
- 3When the Organizer window opens, select your archive and click Distribute App ▸ App Store Connect ▸ Upload.
- 4Xcode validates and uploads. After a few minutes of processing on Apple's side, the build appears in App Store Connect under TestFlight.
Increment your build number for every upload (Apple rejects duplicates) — the field lives at your target's General ▸ Identity ▸ Build; add 1 before each upload. Make sure the version and build fields are set. If validation complains about a missing icon or an unsupported architecture, it names exactly what's wrong — fix that one thing and re-archive.
The moment your build shows up in App Store Connect, you've cleared the highest technical hurdle in iOS. Everything after this is testing and paperwork.