Moving off InstallOnAir: links, UDIDs and testers in one afternoon

Nov 3, 2026 · 7 min read

InstallOnAir does one thing simply: upload an .ipa or .apk, get a link and a QR code, send it. Teams usually move on when that one thing is no longer enough. A client wants a link that still works in three weeks, a build needs a password, the CI pipeline should upload on its own, or testers are tired of getting a new link every day. The good news is that there is very little to move. InstallOnAir has no tester accounts to export, no SDK in your app and, as published on their site in November 2026, no API or CI plugins to rewrite. You have a few live links, a list of iPhones and the people you send builds to. This checklist takes them in that order. It uses AppForShare as the destination because that is the tool we make; steps 1 and 2 work for any target. The short product guide is Move from InstallOnAir.

What moves and what does not

Item	On InstallOnAir	What to do
Live links	Expire after 3 or 7 days unless extended	Leave them. Upload only the builds still in testing
iPhone UDIDs	Really in your Apple account and profiles	Copy the list from your latest .ipa and import it
Testers	No accounts, just links and optional emails	Send one channel link once
CI	Nothing to migrate: no API	Add a CLI, GitHub Action or fastlane step if you want one
Paid extensions	Per build, stack on the expiry date	Let them run out; nothing transfers

Step 1: re-upload the builds still in testing

There is nothing to export. Links that are already out keep following InstallOnAir's rules: as published on their site in November 2026, 3 days for guest uploads and 7 days on a free account, longer if you bought an extension. Apps already installed from them keep working until their own provisioning profile ends; the link only controls new installs (see what happens when an InstallOnAir link expires).

Upload only the builds people still need. For one or two, the web upload box is fine. For many, the CLI is faster:

export APPFORSHARE_TOKEN=afs_your_token
npx appforshare upload MyApp-1.4.2.ipa --notes "Client review build" --password "$LINK_PASSWORD"

Three things to check while you upload:

Size. Free takes files up to 150 MB, guest uploads up to 50 MB. InstallOnAir's free tier allows 200 MB, so a build between 150 MB and 200 MB needs Pro (2 GB) on our side. Tips to slim a build are in sharing an IPA or APK over 200 MB.
Password. If the old link was posted in a big chat or forwarded around, set a password on the new build. Every account, Free included, can do this per build.
Android bundles. If your pipeline makes .aab files, upload the bundle itself with a free account. AppForShare turns it into one APK testers can install. See .aab upload.

Step 2: bring your iPhone UDIDs

InstallOnAir never held your devices. You registered them in your Apple Developer account, and every Ad Hoc profile you made includes them, so your builds install on the same phones from any link. What you want is the list, so the new tool can tell testers whether a build includes their phone.

Open your latest Ad Hoc .ipa in the free IPA inspector. It reads the file in the browser and lists every provisioned UDID. Use copy all.
In AppForShare, open the Devices page and import the list: one UDID per line with an optional name, or Apple's Register Multiple Devices file. Up to 1,000 devices per import, on every plan with an account.
For new testers, send the free UDID finder link. It shows the iPhone's UDID and lets the tester email it to you or save it to your account. Lookups are deleted after one day.
Ask testers to tap Remember this device on the UDID result page. After that, every iOS install page tells them whether their iPhone is in the build, before they tap Install. This works on every plan, guest builds included. See iPhone device check.

On Pro, with an App Store Connect connection, you can register saved UDIDs on your Apple account from the Devices page and remake the ad hoc profile; you still build again. On Team, hands free device setup can do the registration for devices that come in through the onboarding link. See iOS device registration.

Step 3: one link per app, so testers stop hunting

On InstallOnAir every upload is a new link. That is fine for a one off share and tiring for a test round with a build a day. On Pro, a channel such as Beta has one stable address that always opens the newest build put into it. iPhones get the iOS build and Android phones the APK from the same link; a computer sees both and the QR code.

Create the channel the first time you use it: npx appforshare upload app.apk --channel beta.
Give it a readable address such as /c/acme-beta with a custom channel address. If you rename it later, the old address redirects for 30 days.
Put an older build back into the channel if a new one is broken. That rolls back the link, not apps already installed.

Step 4: decide how long links should live

This is where the two tools differ most, so pick on purpose.

A one off share this week: a Free account gives 7 day links, the same as an InstallOnAir free account.
One important link for about two months: on Free, pay $2 once to keep one build's link live for 60 days. Paying again adds 60 days, up to 120 days ahead. Only one extended link per account at a time.
Many builds, or links that must keep working: on Pro ($12 a month) and Team ($39 a month), links stay live while you subscribe.

To be fair: as published on their site in November 2026, InstallOnAir sells per build extensions of 1 month for $1.89, 6 months for $4.99 and 1 year for $9.99, they stack, and no limit on the number of builds is stated. For one long lived link on a single build, that can cost less than our options. Our $2 option covers one link at a time on purpose.

Step 5: tell testers, once

Email the link. InstallOnAir lets you email testers at upload for free. On AppForShare, emailing the install link is Pro and Team: up to 5 addresses per build, one plain email per address, from the build page, the CLI or CI. See email the install link and emailing a test build without attaching the file.
Or share it yourself. On any plan, paste the link or QR code into the chat you already use.
On Team, invite testers. Tester groups, private projects open only to invited testers, new build emails in the tester's language and per tester status replace the chat thread. See tester groups.

A message that works: "From now on, bookmark this link. It always has the newest build."

Step 6: add CI if you want it

There was nothing to migrate here, so this is new ground. On Pro and Team, the CLI, GitHub Action and fastlane plugin upload a build at the end of the job and can put it straight into the Beta channel. The endpoints are in the CI API reference, and the MCP server lets AI coding tools look up builds and links. Details in uploading to InstallOnAir from CI.

What you give up

Bigger free uploads. 200 MB on InstallOnAir's free tiers against our 50 MB guest and 150 MB Free.
A one off large upload. Their $2 upload credit allows one file up to 1 GB on a free account. We have no equivalent; large files need Pro.
Cheap long extensions on many builds. Covered in step 4.
Free emailing and free install counts. InstallOnAir includes both on a free account. Ours are Pro and up.

For everything side by side, see AppForShare vs InstallOnAir and pricing.

Common questions

Do iPhone testers need to register again?

No. Their devices are already in your Apple account and profiles. Importing the UDID list only tells AppForShare about them.

Can I bring my InstallOnAir links with me?

No. Links stay with the service that made them. Upload the current build again and send the new link.

Do apps installed from InstallOnAir stop working?

No. An installed app keeps running until its own provisioning profile or certificate ends, whichever link it came from.

Can I keep using InstallOnAir for one off shares?

Of course. Many teams keep a free tool for quick shares and use channels for the main test round.