Grek Factory

Guide · iPhone

iPhone apps: how the Apple workflow and the IPA file work

An iPhone app is delivered as an IPA file that is signed for Apple. This guide explains what an IPA is, what you need from Apple and where each step fits. The status box tells you what Grek Factory supports today.

What is an IPA?

An IPA (iOS App Store Package) is the file format of an iPhone app. It is signed with certificates and a provisioning profile so that Apple’s devices accept it. You use an IPA to install the app on registered test iPhones or to deliver it to App Store Connect (TestFlight and the App Store).

What do I need from Apple?

An Apple Developer Program membership under your own name or company, an app identity (bundle identifier), the iPhones you want to test on, and signing certificates. Apple reviews apps for the App Store; that review is between you and Apple.

Can Grek Factory give me an IPA today?

See the status box below: it shows what is currently available, taken from Grek Factory’s own status. Grek Factory does not submit apps to the App Store for you.

What Grek Factory currently supports

… Coming soon

The IPA export is not available yet. Grek Factory is preparing the iPhone workflow; this guide explains how it fits together so you know what to expect. Nothing can be bought or built for iPhone until the status above says it is available.

Open Apple setup — coming soon

The iPhone workflow

How an iPhone app reaches a device or the App Store:

  1. 1. Build and preview the app

    What it is
    Create the prototype, edit it and try it in Live Preview.
    Why it matters
    The iPhone app is built from the same project as the Android app.
    What Grek Factory does
    Keeps one project for every platform.
    What you do
    Finish the app’s content and design.
    What happens next
    Set up your Apple account.

    Start building

  2. 2. Apple Developer setup

    What it is
    Join the Apple Developer Program and, for automatic App Store Connect actions, create an App Store Connect API key in your own account.
    Why it matters
    Apple apps are signed under the owner’s developer identity. The account and keys stay yours.
    What Grek Factory does
    Guides you through what is needed and stores credentials in encrypted, server-side storage that the browser never reads back.
    What you do
    Create or sign in to your Apple account and approve the connection. Enrollment can take time on Apple’s side.
    What happens next
    Prepare the app identity.

  3. 3. App identity and test iPhones

    What it is
    A bundle identifier for the app and, for test installs, the devices (iPhones) registered to your account.
    Why it matters
    A signed test build runs only on devices Apple knows about.
    What Grek Factory does
    Derives a stable bundle identifier from your project unless you choose your own.
    What you do
    Register the iPhones you want to test on.
    What happens next
    Prepare signing.

  4. 4. Signing

    What it is
    Certificates and a provisioning profile that bind your app, your account and the devices.
    Why it matters
    Without valid signing an iPhone refuses to install the app.
    What Grek Factory does
    Prepares signing through your connected account when the iPhone workflow is available for your project.
    What you do
    Approve what Apple asks for.
    What happens next
    Build the IPA.

  5. 5. Build the IPA

    What it is
    The signed IPA file for your app.
    Why it matters
    This is the file that goes onto test iPhones or to App Store Connect.
    What Grek Factory does
    Builds the IPA when the iPhone workflow is available (see the status box above).
    What you do
    Download it after the build.
    What happens next
    Install on test devices, or upload through App Store Connect.

  6. 6. Install or distribute

    What it is
    Install on registered test iPhones, or deliver the build to TestFlight and the App Store.
    Why it matters
    Distribution and App Review are Apple processes.
    What Grek Factory does
    Does not submit your app for App Store review.
    What you do
    Use TestFlight or App Store Connect with your own account.
    What happens next
    Release the app.

iPhone IPA

What the format is, and what Grek Factory currently offers.

The IPA is the iPhone counterpart of the Android APK, but it is always tied to an Apple identity: the same file will not install on any iPhone. That is why the Apple Developer account, the test devices and the signing come first.

iPhone IPA .ipa

… Coming soon

Best for
Installing the app on registered test iPhones or delivering it to App Store Connect, under your Apple Developer account.
Not for
Android phones, or sharing with anyone whose device is not covered by the signing.

Open Apple setup — coming soon

Frequently asked questions

Is an IPA the same as an APK?

They play the same role on different platforms, but an IPA must be signed for Apple and works only on devices and accounts covered by that signing. An APK is the Android installation package.

Do I need a Mac?

Not to read this guide. What a given workflow needs from your computer depends on the path you choose; the Setup steps in your project say so before you start.

Does Grek Factory submit apps to the App Store?

No. Submission and App Review are done by you in App Store Connect.

Can I get the source code for iPhone?

Yes, the Source Code ZIP contains the project so you can build for iPhone yourself.