Building, Testing, and Distributing Apps

Introduction

Guides in this section will help you build, test and distribute mobile apps. While web-based applications, including Progressive Web Apps, can be distributed using our built-in publishing process, distributing a Native App requires a few additional steps. Therefore, the guides in this section focus on Native Apps.

• Building Native Apps – The first step to install a native app on a mobile device is to create an application package (IPA on iOS and APK on Android).
• Distributing Native Apps – To install an application package, it must be signed and submitted to the appropriate app stores (AppStore on iOS or PlayStore on Android) or installed via a mobile device management (MDM) solution.
• Updating Native Apps – Native apps are normally updated by building and distributing the updated version. In some situations (mainly for smaller changes) these steps can be skipped with an over-the-air update.
• Debugging Native Apps – Web applications can be debugged directly in the web browser. For native apps, this is also possible but requires a few extra steps to set up.
• Testing Native Apps – To test native apps, third-party software is required. This guide explains how to use Appium to test native apps.