iOS Certificate Types and Their Purposes

For developers new to iOS certificates, understanding their types and functions can be confusing. Here’s a detailed explanation.

iOS Certificate Interface

Apple Developer Account Types

Account Type Cost Features & Limitations
Free Account Free Registered with personal info; limited to development testing; max 3 test devices; cannot publish apps; no TestFlight, push notifications, in-app purchase, or Apple Sign-In
Individual 688 CNY Registered with personal info; up to 100 iPhones / 100 iPads for testing; supports App Store publishing, push, in-app purchase, etc.
Company 688 CNY Registered with company info; can add team members; app store page displays company info; other functions similar to Individual account
Enterprise 199 USD Registered with enterprise info; no App Store required; unlimited internal installations; cannot submit to App Store; applications mostly closed now

iOS Certificate Types and Their Purposes

Certificate Type Purpose
iOS Development Cert Used to install the app on real devices during development to test functionality
iOS Distribution Cert Required for packaging IPA and submitting to App Store after development testing
iOS Push Cert Used for server-side communication with Apple to send push notifications; not used for app compilation
iOS Enterprise Cert Available only for enterprise accounts; used to sign internal apps without App Store; supports internal distribution; users must trust the certificate to install

Enterprise certificates are intended for internal company apps such as OA systems, employee check-in, leave requests, or internal mail systems, not for general users.

iOS Certificate Composition and Validity

  1. Composition

    • p12 file: acts as the public key
    • .mobileprovision file: acts as the private key

  2. Quantity Limits

    • Development p12: up to 2
    • Distribution p12: up to 3
    • .mobileprovision: unlimited; one p12 can correspond to multiple .mobileprovision files

  3. Validity Period

    • iOS certificates are valid for one year
    • Expiry can be checked in the developer portal or software tools

iOS Certificate Deletion and Renewal

  1. Deleting Certificates

    • Can be deleted anytime, expired or not
    • Apps already on the App Store are unaffected
    • Test apps cannot run if their development certificate is deleted; reapplying the certificate allows reinstallation

  2. Certificate Expiry Handling

    • To update an existing app on the App Store, a new certificate must be applied for and used to repackage the app
    • If the app is not updated, expiry does not affect already published apps