Hi…
Hope someone can clear this up for me.
I have an Ad-Hoc iOS app that I have on my own personal iPad. The certificate I used expires in June of this year. At that point will the app stop working or will I just not be able to build a new version with that existing certificate?
Thanks,
Jim
No it will not stop working (unless it was installed via TestFlight)
and No you will not be able to build a new version
Here’s the Apple Documentation on expiring certificates: https://developer.apple.com/support/certificates/
It does happen to say that in-house apps will stop working when the certificate expires.
[quote=375418:@Tim Parnell]Here’s the Apple Documentation on expiring certificates: https://developer.apple.com/support/certificates/
It does happen to say that in-house apps will stop working when the certificate expires.[/quote]
This is correct. Before a certificate expires, you should get a new one (you can have two of these) and a new provisioning profile and then rebuild your app. This will prevent any downtime.
Thanks guys…
From the link Tim provided… “iOS Distribution Certificate (in-house, internal use apps)
Users will no longer be able to run apps that have been signed with this certificate. You must distribute a new version of your app that is signed with a new certificate.”
I assume “in-house, internal use apps” is the same as Ad-Hoc… So based on this it looks like Dave’s answer is not correct.
And this explains a problem I had with the app a year ago… The iPad in “single app mode” and if that single app will not run (due to an expired certificate) then the device is almost “bricked”. I was able to get the iPad running again but it took a lot of messing around including wiping it.
[quote=375415:@James Meyer]
I have an Ad-Hoc iOS app that I have on my own personal iPad. The certificate I used expires in June of this year. At that point will the app stop working or will I just not be able to build a new version with that existing certificate?[/quote]
I can’t say with 100% certainty for Ad-Hoc certificates but can say with 100% certainty that apps using an Apple Enterprise certificate (commonly referred to as “in-house apps”) will quit working if a new profile is not installed prior to the expiration date. Back in iOS 6, if you tried to launch a program with an expired certificate you got a dialog telling you it was expired. Somewhere around iOS 8 or so, Apple quit putting up a dialog. Now in that situation if you tap the program icon the screen will just flash and return to the iOS home screen without any explanation or seeing the launch image of the program.
I’m guessing an expired Ad-Hoc certificate would do the same. But don’t think I’ve ever personally tested it.