With TestFlight being replaced by iTunes Connect, what will happen to enterprise app beta testing?

Question

I couldn't find anything about enterprise beta testing in the iTunes Connect Developer Guide so I hope this question doesn't seem too out of place here. Also, it says here that even the beta will be subject to a review. We are using private APIs so the app will not pass the review.

What I want to be able to do is continue beta testing our enterprise apps without any AppStore reviews. Can I do this on iTunes Connect or do I have to find an alternative now? If its the second, then could you please recommend any possible alternatives. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Let's see if Apple is coming up with some updates to the current version. It's not only the Enterprise testing support that is missing ...

But you can easily jump to another Beta Distribution Platform, some free, some paid, some freemium:
https://crashlytics.com/
http://www.hockeyapp.com/
http://ubertesters.com/
https://www.testfairy.com/
http://www.applause.com/mobile-sdk
https://appblade.com/
http://www.installrapp.com/
https://deploygate.com/
... and probably others I don't know.

Or you could host your own:
http://www.hanchorllc.com/betabuilder-for-ios/
http://hockeykit.net/

I personally switched to Crashlytics, it covers all that I need and it's free. Some things are better than in TestFlight, some aren't as good. But your choice might be different - some other platforms offer crowd testing for example or premium in-app test features.

Answer 2

You will never pass the AppStore review when using private APIs. Thus the only possible solution is to switch to alternatives. TF is not for enterprise app testing and we need to take it as it is.

I found nice article on beta testing enterprise apps without AppStore review, not sure if it is something you were looking for, but the main point is the same as yours. When testing enterprise app, you need to support different OSs (not only iOS 8) and you need to distribute your build without any reviews. Today TF is going to shutdown these both features.