Needed for iPhone testing through TestFlight and for the App Store. Not needed for the Prototype preset.
Starwisp never submits your app and never holds your Apple credentials. Your own workflow in your own GitHub uploads your builds with your own key. Submission to App Review is a button you tap. Starwisp automates your own uploads.
Time: 20 minutes for the key, after your account is approved. Needs: an Apple Developer Program membership, and the Account Holder or an Admin role.
Slow prerequisites (read this first) #
| Item | How long | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual enrollment | often same day to a few days | Estimate; Apple publishes no timeline. |
| Organization enrollment | weeks (reports of 10 days to 3+ weeks; unverified) | Needs a legal entity (DBAs are not accepted), a D-U-N-S number, a public website on the organization's domain, and someone with legal authority. Apple may phone to verify. |
| D-U-N-S number | up to 5 business days, plus up to 2 for Apple to receive it | Free from Dun & Bradstreet; paying to expedite does not help. |
| App Review | usually under 1 to 2 days; first submissions of AI-generated apps may take longer or be rejected | Do not promise yourself a date. |
A first launch is realistically about a week with individual accounts, and 4 to 8 weeks with organization accounts (an unverified estimate). Start enrollment before you need it.
Steps (App Store Connect key) #
- Open https://appstoreconnect.apple.com as the Account Holder or an Admin.
- Go to Users and Access → Integrations → App Store Connect API → Team Keys.
- Click Generate API Key (the + button). Name it
Starwisp. Give it the Admin role (EAS needs it to create signing certificates and profiles). - Click Download API Key next to the new key. Apple lets you download the
.p8file only once. If you lose it, revoke the key and make a new one. - Copy the Key ID from the key's row and the Issuer ID shown above the table.
- Open https://developer.apple.com/account → Membership details and copy the Team ID.
Least privilege: Apple asks for the Admin role here because EAS creates certificates. Revoke the key if you stop using Starwisp. Do not share the .p8.
If your Apple account is an individual account, tell the factory by setting the repository variable APPLE_TEAM_TYPE on <org>/factory. Its default is COMPANY_OR_ORGANIZATION. The value to use for an individual account is not yet documented here; ask support before changing it.
Where it goes #
Console → Settings → Vault → card App Store Connect API key:
| Field | Secret |
|---|---|
| Key ID | ASC_API_KEY_ID |
| Issuer ID | ASC_API_ISSUER_ID |
| Private key (.p8) | ASC_API_KEY_P8 |
| Apple Team ID | APPLE_TEAM_ID |
Click Test now.
Optional: push notifications #
Card APNs push key (secrets APNS_KEY_ID, APNS_KEY_P8). In Apple Developer → Certificates, IDs & Profiles → Keys, create a key with Apple Push Notifications service (APNs) ticked, environment Sandbox & Production, Team Scoped. Download the .p8 once. Apple allows two APNs keys per team.
What it gates #
TestFlight uploads and App Store submission (the ship stage).
What it costs #
Apple Developer Program: $99 a year (estimate; check Apple's page).
Rules to know #
Each app must be your own distinct idea. Apple rejects template-like or near-duplicate apps. Keep fixes after approval to bug fixes, since over-the-air updates must not change reviewed behavior.
Plain-text version of this page: /docs/vendors/apple.md. This page is copied from the product's own docs, so it matches the release you install.
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