provisioning profile for live build

Solar2D Corona Live Builds
#1

Hi, I’m new to corona (well, now Solar2D).
I was attracted to Solar2D for many reasons but live build option was one of them so I can actually transfer the demo app/game to my iPhone for testing.

I understand that I have to have an Apple Developer account for the certificate required for provisioning profile in live build setting but I was surprised to find that I have to pay $99 annual fee to Apple to join Apple Developer.

Is this the only way to test the live build? or is there a way to join and get certificate for live build without paying $99 fee? I thought $99 fee was required to publish apps/games to Apple Store. Is that mean you still have to pay $99 a year even if you are not planning to publish it to AppStore?

Thanks in advance.

Corona Live Server crashes on 2020.3598
#2

I’m copying and pasting…

There are three methods to install an app on an iOS device, as outlined below.

You can not test an app built for App Store Distribution on a device. Apps built for distribution are intended for submission to Apple.

Copy to Device

  1. Connect your device.
  2. Follow the steps outlined in Build Process above, ensuring that you select Copy to device for the After Build option.

Xcode

  1. Connect your device, open Xcode , and then open the Devices window by selecting Window → Devices .
  2. In the left column, select the device.
  3. In the main pane, look for the Installed Apps section which shows the currently installed apps (this list may be empty initially). Below the list, click the [ + ] button and navigate to the location of the .app file which was generated by Corona. Select the file and click Open . Assuming there are no provisioning/certificate errors, the app should install on the device.

iTunes

  1. Connect your device and ensure that iTunes is open.
  2. Select File → Add to Library… (⌘-O) and navigate to the .app file that was generated by Corona. Alternatively, drag the file over the iTunes dock icon and release.
  3. The view should change to the device’s info screen and show all installed apps. Confirm that your app is listed in the Apps menu on the left.
  4. Sync the device and the app should install. Note that iTunes can be particular about app versions — if you repeatedly test new versions of your app, you should remove the previous version from the device before installing the new version. This will ensure that the most current version is installed.

Refreshing Profiles

On occasion, you may need to refresh the provisioning profiles via Xcode. This can be accomplished as follows:

  1. In Xcode, open the Preferences window by selecting Xcode → Preferences… .
  2. Select Accounts from the upper tab bar.
  3. Select the desired account under Apple IDs in the left pane.
  4. In the lower-right section, click the View Details… button.
  5. A panel should open, showing the associated provisioning profiles. In the lower-right section of this panel, click on the small “refresh” button.
  6. Quit and restart both Xcode and the Corona Simulator and proceed with the build process.
#3

Thanks for the reply but it really doesn’t answer my main question…
Looks like all 3 options requires a build and a build requires Provisioning Profile.

So my main question is, can you get Provisioning Profile from Apple Developer account without paying $99 annual fee?

It appears that there’s development and distribution provisioning profiles according to Corona documentation. Is there a way to get development provisioning profile without paying $99 annual fee? or do you must pay that fee to even get development provisioning profile?

Thank you.

#4

Yes. I believe you can use xCode to create a free provisioning profile and use it for Solar2D (Corona) builds.

I don’t know the exact steps, but searching for ‘ios xcode free provisioning profile’ should probably get you started.

Note: I tende to do most of my testing on Android because Apple makes it so dang painful to sign apps. If you don’t have an Android device they I get it. You’re stuck. Also, I have a developer license, so I haven’t had to go through what you are. Still, I’m sure you can get a free provisioning profile for development/testing.

Ping back when you get this worked out and if you can suggest links to articles/pages that were useful to you. It would be awesome for future folks with the same issue.

Tip: When evaluating web pages with advice on this, I’d compare what is required in the Corona steps: https://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/distribution/iOSBuild/index.html to be sure you’re making the right kinds of certificates.

Finally, this looks promising as a starting point: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/ios/get-started/installation/device-provisioning/free-provisioning?tabs=windows