Expo EAS finally lets indie dev bypass Apple's permission slip nightmare to test app on a real iPhone—after handing over Apple ID anyway

Cathy Lai, an individual developer, is utilizing Expo EAS to build and test an iOS app on a physical phone. The process involves checking in React Native code on GitHub and building a production-ready binary using Expo Application Service. The binary is signed with an App Store certificate and provisioning profile, which are auto-generated by Expo EAS. The app's bundle identifier, com.cathyapp1234.oauthpro2, is registered and unique in the App Store. The build process takes place on the Expo server, with Lai's Apple account credentials used to generate necessary build credentials. The app is then uploaded to App Store Connect and made available on TestFlight, with a build finish time of approximately 1 second. The app's distribution certificate is set to expire on August 4, 2026. This process is significant in the iOS development industry, as it demonstrates the use of Expo EAS to streamline the build and testing process for iOS apps.