Can we keep using TestFlight for staff?

For testing, yes. For an app staff use every day, no: Apple says a build can be tested for up to 90 days, so the app becomes unavailable unless someone keeps uploading new builds.

Is Vamiq a replacement for TestFlight beta testing?

No. Vamiq is for production apps on enrolled company devices. Keep TestFlight for your beta testers.

Do staff need to enrol their devices?

The devices that receive your private apps do. Private apps install on enrolled company iPhones and iPads; the person may be asked to accept.

What happens to builds already in TestFlight?

Nothing changes for them. Each one stays available to testers until its 90 days are up.

Guide

TestFlight is for testing

Builds expire after 90 days. Staff apps belong on a production route: what Apple says, the routes that fit, and a two-week move plan.

Updated 21 October 2026

Why staff apps outgrow TestFlight

Last checked: 21 October 2026, against the Apple pages listed under Primary sources at the end of this guide.

The symptom is familiar: on a Monday morning the app on half the field team’s phones will not open, because its TestFlight build has reached the end of its life and nobody uploaded a new one.

TestFlight is doing what it was built for. Apple describes it in one line: “TestFlight lets you distribute beta builds of your app, manage beta testers, and collect feedback.” It is a testing service, and a good one. It is not a home for an app your staff rely on every day.

TestFlight’s limits, in Apple’s words

Build life: Apple says “You can test a build for up to 90 days.” After that the build is no longer available to testers, so someone has to keep uploading new ones.
Testers: up to 100 internal testers, who are App Store Connect users with access to your content, and up to 10,000 external testers.
Review: Apple says “If you invite external testers, your beta build may require review.”
Feedback, not records: TestFlight collects tester feedback. It does not keep a production record of which staff device runs which release.

Production routes for staff apps

A production route keeps an approved release available to the right people, brings them updates, and takes the app back when someone leaves. For staff on company iPhones and iPads, two Apple routes fit.

Routes for staff apps (Apple sources checked 21 October 2026)
Route	Who it suits	How it reaches devices	What to know
Custom app through Apple Business	Most companies with a private staff app	Your organisation gets it in the Custom Apps section of Apple Business, and it installs on enrolled company devices	It goes through App Review first; Apple says most apps are reviewed within 24 to 48 hours
In-house app (Apple Developer Enterprise Program)	Eligible organisations with 100 or more employees	Installs on enrolled company devices	Apple’s eligibility rules and continuous evaluation apply
TestFlight	Testers trying a build before release	The TestFlight app on each tester’s device	Each build is available to testers for up to 90 days

How Vamiq fits

Vamiq is for the production side. Your people find the app in your own branded app store, with your logo, and it installs on the company iPhones and iPads you enrol; the person may be asked to accept. You see the status of each install.

For in-house builds you upload, Release Guard checks each one before it can reach a device: its identity, version, signature and the OS versions it supports. A failed check blocks the build, and a check that can’t run shows as unknown, never as passed. Release controls are included in Distribution and in the 14-day trial, and work on the devices you manage with Vamiq.

Keep TestFlight for what it does well: testing the next version before it reaches staff. See release controls for what happens after testing.

A two-week move

A plan for one staff app, for an organisation that already uses Apple Business. If yours does not, start there: Apple says verifying a new organisation “can take up to five working days”.

Days 1 to 2: confirm the route. For most staff apps, that is a custom app for your own organisation.
Days 3 to 5: submit the production build to App Review as a custom app, with your own organisation as the one that may see it.
Days 6 to 8: once Apple approves it, get licences in Apple Business, connect Apps and Books to Vamiq, and enrol the company devices that need the app, by link, QR code or zero-touch.
Days 9 to 12: assign the app to a first group of enrolled devices, check the status of each install, then add the other groups.
Days 13 to 14: tell testers which builds stay in TestFlight, and tell staff where the production app now lives.

Frequently asked questions

Can we keep using TestFlight for staff?: For testing, yes. For an app staff use every day, no: Apple says a build can be tested for up to 90 days, so the app becomes unavailable unless someone keeps uploading new builds.
Is Vamiq a replacement for TestFlight beta testing?: No. Vamiq is for production apps on enrolled company devices. Keep TestFlight for your beta testers.
Do staff need to enrol their devices?: The devices that receive your private apps do. Private apps install on enrolled company iPhones and iPads; the person may be asked to accept.
What happens to builds already in TestFlight?: Nothing changes for them. Each one stays available to testers until its 90 days are up.

Primary sources

App Store Connect Help: TestFlight overview — How long a build can be tested, tester limits and review for external testers. Checked 21 October 2026.
Apple Developer: TestFlight — Apple’s TestFlight page: beta testing with internal and external testers. Checked 21 October 2026.
Apple Developer: Volume Purchase and Custom Apps — How a custom app is offered privately to an organisation in Apple Business. Checked 21 October 2026.
Apple Developer: Switching to the Apple Developer Program — App Review times for apps moving to a custom app. Checked 21 October 2026.
Apple Support: Sign up for Apple Business — Verifying a new organisation in Apple Business. Checked 21 October 2026.