Mac developers rejoice, for thou shall TestFlight with the best of them

News
By Oliver Haslam
published

macOS Monterey preview
macOS Monterey preview (Image credit: Bryan M. Wolfe / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple has released a beta version of TestFlight for Mac.
  • Developers can download TestFlight 3.2 and test their own apps as well as those of other developers.

Apple has made a beta version of TestFlight for Mac available, giving developers the opportunity to test their own apps using the beta software distribution tool.

Available for macOS Monterey, the new TestFlight 3.2 beta is now available for download, but there are caveats. Mainly, developers can currently only test their own apps as well as apps created by other developers.

Use the beta version of TestFlight for Mac to test your Mac apps. You can invite registered Apple developers to download this beta version and use it to test your apps on macOS Monterey beta 5. We'd also appreciate your feedback on TestFlight for Mac, which you can provide through Feedback Assistant.

This is the latest step in a move that will make it easier for developers to share beta builds of their Mac apps with their testing pool, something that has been possible for iPhone and iPad app developers for years. The TestFlight expansion to Mac will also presumably mean distributing updates and release notes will be easier than ever, too.

This being a beta, there are points that developers should note. Not least, a couple of oddities including the fact VoiceOver is not fully functional yet. Anyone running older betas of macOS Monterey will also have to do some hoop-jumping, too.

When using this version of TestFlight on macOS Monterey beta 5 or earlier, you'll need to quit the beta version of your native Mac app before updating it, as the system will not prompt you to quit before updating. Also, please note that VoiceOver is not fully functional in this version of TestFlight.

All being well, macOS Monterey will be made available to the world within the next few weeks alongside iOS 15 and similar updates. The macOS Monterey release will be the best Mac update yet, adding new features including funky 3D maps and more.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.