Building Your Mobile App for Our Cloud

Testing a website? You don’t need to build anything - just enter your URL when creating an app. This guide is for mobile apps (iOS and Android) only.

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Build Requirements

Autosana runs your mobile apps on both our virtual device cloud (iOS Simulators and Android Emulators) and real devices in the cloud. The build you upload decides where it can run:

Platform	Build	Runs on
iOS	`.app` (compressed as `.zip`)	Simulator only
iOS	`.ipa`	Real devices only
Android	`.apk`	Emulators and real devices

iOS Builds

Simulator — a .app bundle compressed as .zip, built for the simulator SDK (arm64). Cheapest and fastest; covers most testing.
Real device — a .ipa built for physical hardware (iphoneos). Required for real-device testing.

Building on an M1+ Mac will use arm64 by default. Intel Macs will produce x86_64 builds, which won’t work on our simulators.

The simulator (.app) build steps are below; jump to Real device builds for .ipa.

App Clips

A simulator build of your full app already contains its App Clip, in YourApp.app/AppClips/. Upload the full app as usual.
You can also upload an App Clip on its own: an .app whose Info.plist contains NSAppClip, built for the simulator and zipped like any other .app. This is a valid upload.

See Testing App Clips to open the App Clip in a test.

Android Builds

Format: .apk (Android App Bundles, .aab, are not supported)
Architecture: a universal APK (recommended) runs on both emulators and real devices. An x86_64-only APK runs on emulators but not real devices.

Most build commands create universal APKs that include all architectures by default, so the same Android build works on both emulators and real devices — no separate build needed.

Select your framework to see build instructions:

React Native
Flutter
Native iOS
Native Android

Important: React Native apps must be built in Release mode. Debug builds will attempt to connect to Metro bundler and fail to run on the device. Release builds bundle the JavaScript code directly into the app, making them standalone.

React Native (iOS)

Build it with:

npx react-native run-ios --mode Release

App file should be here:

ios/build/Build/Products/Release-iphonesimulator/[YourApp].app

In macOS, it should just be YourApp because macOS hides .app extensions

Go to Finder, compress YourApp to a .zip and upload/drag it into the Autosana app upload dialog

React Native with Expo (iOS)

For Expo projects, use EAS Build to create simulator builds:

Add this profile to your eas.json:

{
  "build": {
    "autosana-simulator": {
      "distribution": "internal",
      "ios": {
        "simulator": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Run the build command:

eas build --platform ios --profile autosana-simulator

Once the build completes, EAS will provide a download URL for the build
Download and extract it to get the .app file
Compress the .app to a .zip and upload it to Autosana

This profile only creates a Simulator artifact; it does not enable APNs. If the app uses expo-notifications, add its config plugin. During Expo Prebuild or Continuous Native Generation, that plugin adds aps-environment=development to the iOS app. If the app does not use expo-notifications, declare the entitlement under ios.entitlements or configure it in the native Xcode project. Follow Testing Push Notifications: Configure an Expo EAS build.

React Native (Android)

Navigate to your Android directory and build the release APK:

cd android && ./gradlew assembleRelease

The APK will be located at:

android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

Upload the .apk file to Autosana

React Native with Expo (Android)

For Expo projects, use EAS Build to create APK builds:

Add this profile to your eas.json:

{
  "build": {
    "preview": {
      "distribution": "internal",
      "channel": "preview",
      "android": {
        "buildType": "apk"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run the build command:

eas build --platform android --profile preview

Once the build completes, EAS will provide a download URL for the .apk file
Download the APK and upload it to Autosana

Flutter (iOS)

This builds a .app for the simulator. To test on real iPhones, build a .ipa instead — see Real device builds.

Build the app for simulator:

flutter build ios --simulator

If your app uses flavors, add the --flavor flag:

flutter build ios --simulator --flavor [flavorName]

The .app file will be located at:

build/ios/iphonesimulator/Runner.app

Compress the .app to a .zip file
Drag or upload the .zip file into the Autosana app upload dialog

Flutter (Android)

Build apk in debug mode:

flutter build apk --debug

If your app uses flavors, add the --flavor flag:

flutter build apk --debug --flavor [flavorName]

File is located at:

build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-debug.apk

Drag or upload the .apk file into the Autosana app upload dialog

Native iOS (Xcode/SwiftUI)

Option 1: Using Xcode (Graphical Interface)

Open your project in Xcode
At the top of Xcode, set:
- The scheme to your app target (e.g., “MyApp”)
- The device to a simulator (e.g., “iPhone 16 Pro”)
In Xcode menu, select Product > Scheme > Edit Scheme
Under Run, change Build Configuration to Release
Press Command + B to build the project
After the build finishes, the .app file will be located at:

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/<ProjectName>/Build/Products/Release-iphonesimulator/<AppName>.app

Right click and open in Finder
Right click and compress it to make a .zip file
Drag or upload the .zip file into the Autosana app upload dialog

Finding the build folder in Finder:

Open Finder
Press Command + Shift + G
Paste the path and press Enter

Option 2A: Ordinary unsigned Simulator build

Open Terminal and navigate to the root of your Xcode project:

cd /path/to/your/project

Run this command to build the Release version for simulator:

xcodebuild -scheme YourAppScheme \
  -sdk iphonesimulator \
  -configuration Release \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,OS=latest,name=iPhone 16 Pro' \
  -derivedDataPath ./build \
  ARCHS=arm64 \
  ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=NO \
  CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY="" \
  CODE_SIGNING_REQUIRED=NO \
  CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO \
  build

After the build completes, your .app file will be located:

./build/Build/Products/Release-iphonesimulator/YourAppName.app

Right click and open in Finder
Right click and compress it to make a .zip file
Drag or upload the .zip file into the Autosana app upload dialog

This recipe explicitly disables signing. It cannot be used for APNs push notification testing or any feature that requires a signed entitlement.

Option 2B: Push-capable signed Simulator build

First enable Push Notifications for the app target under Signing & Capabilities in Xcode. Then build without the settings that disable signing:

xcodebuild -scheme YourAppScheme \
  -sdk iphonesimulator \
  -configuration Release \
  -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,OS=latest,name=iPhone 16 Pro' \
  -derivedDataPath ./build \
  ARCHS=arm64 \
  ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=NO \
  build

The signed .app is located at:

./build/Build/Products/Release-iphonesimulator/YourAppName.app

Before compressing it, confirm that the signed entitlements contain the APNs development environment:

codesign -d --entitlements :- \
  ./build/Build/Products/Release-iphonesimulator/YourAppName.app

The output must contain aps-environment with the value development. Then run the complete architecture, entitlement, and bundle-ID preflight in Testing Push Notifications, compress the .app, and upload the resulting .zip.

Why Release configuration? Release builds provide production parity with optimizations enabled, matching what your users experience. Debug builds work, but they are not recommended because they do not reflect the production environment.

Native Android (Kotlin/Java)

Option 1: Debug Build (Recommended for Quick Testing)

Debug builds work immediately without any signing configuration.Using Android Studio:

Open your project in Android Studio
From the menu bar, select Build > Build Bundle(s) / APK(s) > Build APK(s)
Wait for the build to complete
Click on locate in the notification that appears, or navigate to:

app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Upload the .apk file to Autosana

Using Terminal:

cd /path/to/your/android/project
./gradlew assembleDebug

APK location: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Option 2: Release Build (Production Parity)

Release builds provide better production parity but require signing configuration.Step 1: Configure Signing (if not already set up)Add this to your app/build.gradle:

android {
    buildTypes {
        release {
            // Use debug keystore for testing (not for Play Store)
            signingConfig signingConfigs.debug
            minifyEnabled false
        }
    }
}

This uses the debug keystore for convenience. For Play Store releases, you’ll need a proper release keystore.

Step 2: Build the Release APKUsing Terminal:

cd /path/to/your/android/project
./gradlew assembleRelease

APK location: app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apkUsing Android Studio:

Open your project in Android Studio
From the menu bar, select Build > Select Build Variant
Change from “debug” to “release”
Select Build > Build Bundle(s) / APK(s) > Build APK(s)

Which should I use?

Debug: Faster builds, works immediately, easier debugging
Release: Production-like optimizations, catches minification issues

Real device builds (`.ipa`)

To run on real iPhones instead of the simulator, upload an .ipa built for physical hardware (iphoneos) — not a zipped .app. The file extension is how we route the build: .ipa → real device, .app / .zip → simulator.

Signing matters. Use a Development or Ad Hoc signed .ipa. You do not need to register our device UDIDs — builds are automatically re-signed for the test device. Enterprise-signed builds fail to launch on our devices, and App Store builds aren’t supported. Re-signing strips some entitlements (e.g. Push Notifications, Apple Pay, App Groups), so features depending on them won’t work during tests.

If re-signing breaks Team-ID-prefixed Keychain access groups, expand Advanced during IPA upload and enable Fix Keychain access after re-signing. Most apps do not need this option.

Android needs no separate build — a universal .apk already runs on both emulators and real devices.

React Native (Expo)
Flutter
Native iOS / bare React Native

Use an EAS profile with internal distribution — note there is no simulator: true:

{
  "build": {
    "device": {
      "distribution": "internal"
    }
  }
}

eas build --platform ios --profile device

EAS provides a download URL for the .ipa. Upload that file to Autosana.

flutter build ipa --export-method development

(The default export method is app-store, which won’t launch on our devices.)The .ipa is written to:

build/ios/ipa/[YourApp].ipa

Upload that .ipa to Autosana.

Using Xcode:

Set the run destination to Any iOS Device (not a simulator)
Product > Archive
In the Organizer, click Distribute App and choose Debugging (development) or Release Testing (ad hoc) — not Enterprise or App Store Connect
Upload the exported .ipa to Autosana

Using Terminal:

xcodebuild -scheme YourAppScheme \
  -sdk iphoneos \
  -configuration Release \
  -archivePath ./build/YourApp.xcarchive \
  archive

xcodebuild -exportArchive \
  -archivePath ./build/YourApp.xcarchive \
  -exportPath ./build/ipa \
  -exportOptionsPlist ExportOptions.plist

With ExportOptions.plist setting the signing method to debugging (or release-testing):

<?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>method</key>
    <string>debugging</string>
</dict>
</plist>

The .ipa lands in ./build/ipa/. Upload it to Autosana.

After uploading your .ipa, start a run with Target: Real device (or device.physical: true via the API). See Real Device Testing for how to run and pick a device.

Getting Started

Core Features

Best Practices

Code-Managed Flows

Guides

Integrations

Uploading Your App

APIs

Building Your Mobile App for Our Cloud

Build Requirements

iOS Builds

App Clips

Android Builds

React Native (iOS)

React Native with Expo (iOS)

React Native (Android)

React Native with Expo (Android)

Flutter (iOS)

Flutter (Android)

Native iOS (Xcode/SwiftUI)

Option 1: Using Xcode (Graphical Interface)

Option 2A: Ordinary unsigned Simulator build

Option 2B: Push-capable signed Simulator build

Native Android (Kotlin/Java)

Option 1: Debug Build (Recommended for Quick Testing)

Option 2: Release Build (Production Parity)

Real device builds (`.ipa`)

​Build Requirements

​iOS Builds

​App Clips

​Android Builds

​React Native (iOS)

​React Native with Expo (iOS)

​React Native (Android)

​React Native with Expo (Android)

​Flutter (iOS)

​Flutter (Android)

​Native iOS (Xcode/SwiftUI)

​Option 1: Using Xcode (Graphical Interface)

​Option 2A: Ordinary unsigned Simulator build

​Option 2B: Push-capable signed Simulator build

​Native Android (Kotlin/Java)

​Option 1: Debug Build (Recommended for Quick Testing)

​Option 2: Release Build (Production Parity)

​Real device builds (.ipa)

Build Requirements

iOS Builds

App Clips

Android Builds

React Native (iOS)

React Native with Expo (iOS)

React Native (Android)

React Native with Expo (Android)

Flutter (iOS)

Flutter (Android)

Native iOS (Xcode/SwiftUI)

Option 1: Using Xcode (Graphical Interface)

Option 2A: Ordinary unsigned Simulator build

Option 2B: Push-capable signed Simulator build

Native Android (Kotlin/Java)

Option 1: Debug Build (Recommended for Quick Testing)

Option 2: Release Build (Production Parity)

Real device builds (`.ipa`)