Beginning of Semester Class Setup

  1. Make sure you have access to App Store Connect:
    1. Try to login at App Store Connect with your AppState username and password
      1. If you successfully authenticate, you already have an account
      2. Otherwise, you will get an authentication error
    2. If you get an authorization error:
      1. Submit a support ticket to be added to our App Store Connect instance for first-time setup
        • Once added by SRC, you will receive an invitation email to accept
        • This only needs to be done once if you are using App Store Connect for the first time
  2. Request access for your students to App Store Connect:
    1. Submit a support ticket to add your app and any students that need access to that app
      1. Navigate to support.appstate.edu/help
      2. Click Software in the left panel
      3. Click Service or Software Request
      4. Select "Apple Developer Program for Academic Courses" as the service
    2. Ticket must include:
      1. Make a copy, fill out, and share a document per course in the ticket
      2. This form includes: 
        1. Class information (name, course prefix, and number)
        2. Create a unique Bundle ID name (reverse-domain name) (e.g. edu.appstate.202404.AppNameHere)
          1. Bundle IDs should include term code they will be used in (e.g. 202404 for Fall 2024, 202502 for Summer 1 2025)
        3. Create an App Name (e.g. Backyard Birds)
        4. What hardware capabilities app with need (e.g. push notifications, geographic services, iCloud, etc.)
          1. If unsure, put "Default" and it will get the default capabilities.
            1. Default Capabilities:
              1. Push Notifications
              2. Maps
              3. In-App Purchases
          2. If you know you don't need any capabilities, put "N/A".
        5. Per student:
          1. Student names
          2. Student AppState emails
          3. How long students will need access (for a semester for a course v.s. for a year for a capstone/thesis)

            Note

            Only submit a request once you know the app information. A new support ticket will have to be created if the Bundle ID ever need to be changed.

  3. After approval, you will be sent the info and files via FileShare needed in order for a device to push a build of an app to App Store Connect:
    1. Finalized Bundle ID
    2. Developer Certificate
    3. Distribution Certificate
    4. Certificate Private Key
    5. Password to Private Key
    6. Created Provisioning Profile

Creating App in App Store Connect & Giving Student Access

In order for a student to start work on an app, an entry for the app needs to be created in App Store Connect. This app entry will only be visible to you and Admins by default, so be sure to add the necessary students to the app as well.

  • Navigate to App Store Connect and click the + by Apps
  • Fill out the information for the application:
    • Platform: The type of devices that will be using the application (e.g. iOS)
    • Name: Identifiable human-readable name for the application that you used for the support ticket in Beginning of Semester Class Setup
    • Bundle ID: Select the ID given to you from submitting your ticket in Beginning of Semester Class Setup
    • SKU: The unique identifier name for the app. Typically will be the reverse-domain name included in the Bundle ID (edu.appstate.202404.AppNameHere) and match what is in the dropdown.
    • User Access: Select Limited Access and choose the users that should have access to submitting builds to the App
  • Click Create to finalize the app creation
  • Share the Bundle ID, certificates, profile, private key, and password to private key received in Beginning of Semester Class Setup with students added to the app
  • Student can now begin development and testing with the app

Testing Student Apps

After a student has created an app, there may be a need to run the app on your end to make sure it is working appropriately. There are currently two options available to do this: Xcode's Simulator and TestFlight. Please see the linked documentation to learn how to test these apps.

Upload Example Apps

You may want to create an example app and upload it to App Store Connect for use in the classroom. Please see the linked documentation to learn how to test these apps.

End of Semester Offboarding

  1. Students will be deleted by Systems once per year at the end of the Spring semester (unless prior exception is given due to capstone/thesis work)
  2. Faculty members do NOT get removed going through University offboarding
  3. Once an App no longer has any students assigned to it and is determined to not be needed by Faculty, it will enter an archived state.
    1. Apps may be recoverable within a certain time frame. Submit a support ticket to see about potentially recovering the app.

Resources

Troubleshooting

  • Can't create a new app because of an agreement update?

    • Submit a support ticket to SRC to have the agreement signed
      • Service or Software: Apple Developer Program for Academic Courses
      • Summary: Accept New Agreement Update
      • Description: Please accept the new agreement update for the CS Developer account
  • Unable to create an account in App Store Connect after receiving an invitation.
    • Sometimes Apple's servers are unable to create a new account due to them being down.
    • If possible, wait a while before trying again.