Diawi link expired: how link life is counted and how to keep it live
· 7 min read
A tester writes "the link does not work" on Monday morning. You sent it on Thursday. On Diawi that usually means the link expired, and the answer depends on three things: your plan, when the link was last installed, and how many installs were left. This guide explains how Diawi counts link life, what you can do after a link expires, and how to keep test links working without sending a new one every few days. Diawi rules come from its link duration and availability page and its plans page, read on November 2, 2026.
The three things that end a Diawi link
- Time since the last install. Availability counts from "the date of the last installation (or the date of the upload itself if no installation has yet been made)".
- Installs left. Each plan has an install cap per app. When it is used up, the link stops.
- You. Anyone with access to the app on your account can disable it.
Whichever comes first ends the link.
Link life per plan
| Plan | Availability after the last install | Installs per app | Re-enable window after expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free account (EUR 0) | 1 day | 2 | 1 day |
| Starter (EUR 2.99/month) | 3 days | 10 | 1 day |
| Premium (EUR 29.99/month) | 7 days, more with add-ons | 50, more with add-ons | 3 days |
| Enterprise (EUR 299.99/month) | 15 days, more with add-ons | 100, more with add-ons | 5 days |
A worked example
Say you are on Premium. You upload on Monday. Nobody installs until Wednesday, when two testers do. The 7 days now count from Wednesday, so the link is available until the following Wednesday. If a third tester installs on Friday, the clock moves again, to the Friday after. If nobody had installed at all, the link would have ended the next Monday, 7 days after the upload.
This is generous for active links. A build that testers keep installing can stay up for weeks. It is less kind to the slow reader: the client who opens the email ten days later finds a dead link, because nobody installed in between.
Not available, then gone
An expired link does not vanish at once. It moves to "not available", and during the re-enable window an account owner can turn it back on from the dashboard. After the window the link is "gone" and Diawi deletes the files. From then on, the only fix is to upload the build again, which gives a new link and a new QR code.
The page is explicit about one case: "Links can't be re-enabled when using Diawi without an account." If you uploaded without signing in, an expired link is final.
How to keep a Diawi link live
- Buy an extension. Diawi sells extended availability as a pay as you go add-on: +1 month for EUR 0.49 or +1 year for EUR 4.99. For one important link this is the cheapest fix anywhere. Check with Diawi how it applies to your link before a deadline.
- Buy installs. If the cap is the problem, +100 installs costs EUR 0.49.
- Move up a plan. Premium gives 7 days and Enterprise 15 days after the last install.
- Re-enable inside the window. Set a reminder for the end of a test round, so you notice in time.
- Upload again. It always works, but every tester needs the new link.
Do not try to keep a link alive by installing it yourself every few days. It uses installs from the cap, and it breaks the moment you forget.
The real problem: a new link for every build
Even when link life is fine, every upload makes a new link. Over a month of daily builds that is thirty links in a chat thread, and testers install whichever one they scroll to. Expiry makes it worse, because the old links fail in a different way each time.
The fix is a link that does not change. Diawi sells a custom address add-on for EUR 2.99. In AppForShare, the same idea is a channel.
How AppForShare handles link life
AppForShare is the tool we make. Its rules are different from Diawi's, and in one way less generous: on the Free plan, link life counts from the upload, not from the last install.
| Plan | Link life | After expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Guest (no account) | 3 days | Signing up on the same browser within the 3 days moves the build into the account |
| Free | 7 days from upload | Upgrade within 7 days and the same link and QR code come back, or keep just that one link live for 60 days for $2, one time |
| Pro ($12/month) and Team ($39/month) | While the plan is active | If you cancel, links follow Free rules and stay live 7 more days after the paid period |
A few details help in practice:
- Warnings before it happens. On Free, the owner gets an email when a link has under 2 days left, and one more when a tester opens an expired link while the files are still kept.
- One link, one payment. If only one Free link needs more time, open its build in the dashboard and keep it live for 60 days for $2, one time. No subscription, nothing renews, and it also brings back a link that already expired while its file is still kept.
- A stable link on Pro. A channel such as Beta has one address,
/c/<code>, that always opens the newest build put into it. On Pro you can pick that address yourself, for example/c/acme-beta. If you change it later, the old address keeps redirecting for 30 days. See Beta and Live channels. - Ending a link on purpose. Long life is not always what you want. On Pro and Team you can pause a link, give it a stop date or an install limit. See install link controls.
- Old links never point elsewhere. A link address is never reused for someone else's build.
When a tester hits an expired link
Whatever tool you use, answer the same three questions before you upload again:
- Is this still the build they should test? If a newer one exists, send that instead of reviving the old link.
- Can the link come back? On Diawi, re-enable it inside the window. On AppForShare Free, upgrading within 7 days of expiry restores the same link and QR code.
- Will it happen again next week? If yes, the problem is the link per build, not this link. Move testers to one stable address.
A short reply that works: "That link was for build 142, which has expired. The current build is at this link, and from now on this address always has the newest build." Testers rarely mind an expired link. They mind not knowing which link is current.
Installed apps have their own clock
Do not mix up link life with app life. When a link expires, apps already installed from it keep working. They stop opening only when the build's own signing ends: the provisioning profile of an iOS Ad Hoc or Development build expires, or a certificate is revoked. Android APKs do not expire. If testers report that an installed app suddenly will not open, check the profile's expiry date, not the link. The free IPA inspector shows it with days left.
Which approach fits
- One build, one person, this week: Diawi's free account or an AppForShare Free account both work. Diawi's is fine if the build is under 20 MB.
- One important link that must last a month: Diawi's EUR 0.49 extension is hard to beat. AppForShare has no one off extension; you would need Pro.
- Builds every day for weeks: a channel link that stays the same, so testers bookmark it once.
- Clients who review late: links that live while you are subscribed, so the email from two weeks ago still works.
For limits beyond link life, see Diawi limits in 2026. For a full comparison, see AppForShare vs Diawi.
Common questions
How long does a Diawi link last?
1 day on the free account, 3 days on Starter, 7 on Premium and 15 on Enterprise, counted from the last install, or from the upload if nobody has installed yet.
Can I re-enable an expired Diawi link?
Yes, with an account, for 1 day on Free and Starter, 3 days on Premium and 5 days on Enterprise. Not if you uploaded without an account.
Do installed apps stop working when the link expires?
No. The link only controls new installs. An installed app keeps running until its own provisioning profile or certificate ends.
Why does my link say not available when it was installed yesterday?
It may have reached its install cap, or someone on the account disabled it. The time rule is only one of three.
