Unable to Install App on User Devices after App Transfer to Different Developer Account

I have an app and I have transfered the app to another developer account. After tranfering the app to another account, I noticed the BundleID stay the same but the prefix of the AppID has changed: The old AppID: [old teamID].[bundleID]

The new AppID: [new teamID].[bundleID]

After uploaded the first build after app transfer with XCode Organizer, I received a warning about potential loss of Keychain Access, which is fine because my app doesn’t use Keychain Access.

But the problem begin when I release the uploaded build for beta testing, the beta testers already have the app with old AppID installed , they can download the new app (after transfer) with testflight app but after downloading, the Testflight app do nothing, the button changed from “downloading” to “update” again.

It seems like in the Testflight app, the old version of the app (with old AppID) can not be replaced with the new app (new AppID). But when I open the App Store, I able to download the app store version to the device, and after that, I can install the build in the Testflight as normal (it only work after I download the App Store version first).

So I’m worrying, when I release a new version on the app store, there would be a risk, that user tap on “update” button, then it download and do nothing, then display the “download” button again. This would be very bad, because my users can not update the app again.

Do anyone had the same problem, please tell me if it work, thank you

Answered by quochuywdm in 756577022

I contacted Support about this problem, but I haven't received a response yet, so I decided to try something on my own. I uploaded a new version of the app to the App Store and checked if the old version could be replaced with the new one.

Good news! It worked! On devices where the old version was installed, I was able to update the app when the update became available on the App Store. The new version replaced the old one smoothly, which TestFlight couldn't do after the app transfer.

After installing the app from the App Store (after the app transfer), I could install the TestFlight version or the new version without any issues.

To help others understand and solve similar problems, I created a graph that shows the process. After transferring the app, the beginning of your AppID automatically changes to match the new team. Because of this, you can't install the new TestFlight version on the old TestFlight version because AppIDs do not match. However, once an app is uploaded to the App Store, it has been signed by Apple - even if it has the old AppID, you can still replace it with the TestFlight version or a new version using the new AppID in Xcode.

I hope this graph helps others facing similar problems:

Accepted Answer

I contacted Support about this problem, but I haven't received a response yet, so I decided to try something on my own. I uploaded a new version of the app to the App Store and checked if the old version could be replaced with the new one.

Good news! It worked! On devices where the old version was installed, I was able to update the app when the update became available on the App Store. The new version replaced the old one smoothly, which TestFlight couldn't do after the app transfer.

After installing the app from the App Store (after the app transfer), I could install the TestFlight version or the new version without any issues.

To help others understand and solve similar problems, I created a graph that shows the process. After transferring the app, the beginning of your AppID automatically changes to match the new team. Because of this, you can't install the new TestFlight version on the old TestFlight version because AppIDs do not match. However, once an app is uploaded to the App Store, it has been signed by Apple - even if it has the old AppID, you can still replace it with the TestFlight version or a new version using the new AppID in Xcode.

I hope this graph helps others facing similar problems:

Unable to Install App on User Devices after App Transfer to Different Developer Account
 
 
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