Deploy Apache Cordova iPad App without Apple Developer Account
After you developed an app for a friend using Visual Studio 2013 Pro with Apache Cordova Extension , I was hoping to also get it up and running on iPad 3 as quickly as it did on Android. However, things turned out to be more complicated than originally anticipated: $ 99 for an Apple developer account would be too high for one device development (the app is only meant to run on one device, no commercial intent).
At least I now have the ability to use Mac OSX and Xcode which is connected to Visual Studio over the network. Installing the app in the iOS simulator works as expected, but I am struggling with deploying it to iPad. I have already considered a device for working in a prison, as the warranty has expired and this will not be a problem for my friend. According to the information, I discovered that it is possible; however, I couldn't find out much on how to do this.
Thanks in advance.
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After a few months, I finally found a working solution: The latest version of Xcode (7 Beta 2) is capable of signing iOS apps using the regular AppleID instead of a $ 100 developer license.
First you need to prepare the vs-mda-remote node plugin on your Mac and be able to build applications [See here like] . Using a suitable deployment target in Visual Studio, the application can be tested in a virtualized iOS environment.
However, the deployment options will Remote Device
and Local Device
will work if you are not subscribed to the Apple Developer Program. Other methods (described here here or here ) that require jailbreaking the device does not work for me.
Interestingly, Apple seems to have changed its strategy a bit, finally allowing apps to be signed and deployed to undisturbed iOS devices.
Whenever an app is built for the iOS simulator, vs-mda-remote will create a whole new build folder (named using 3 to 5 digits of a random number) located in ~ / remote-builds / builds. Inside this build folder, you will need to open your XCode project file with XCode 7 (example path:) ~/remote-builds/builds/654/cordovaApp/platforms/ios/YOUR_PROJECT_NAME.codeproj
.
After connecting and discovering your iOS device, you must select it as the deployment target. Then you should follow these instructions , basically just adding the AppleID that should be used to sign the application. This was not possible with earlier versions of Xcode, and is certainly much easier than using one of the "hacking" methods of jailbreaking your device and virtually voiding its warranty.
Finally, you will need to set Code Signing Identity
to the registered AppleID (for both Project and Target) and you are ready to deploy your application.
This method worked for me using iOS 8.3 and Mac OSX Yosemite 10.10.4. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
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