Installing an Ad Hoc Distribution
What is Ad Hoc Distribution?
Ad Hoc Distribution allows you to try an application before it’s available in the iTunes App Store. This is how we distribute iPhone applications to beta customers.
What You’ll Need
Before beginning the installation process you’ll need:
- The
.zip
file for the application (usuallyMyApp.zip
) - The
.mobileprovision
file for the application (usuallyMyAdHocProfile.mobileprovision
) - Your Device: the iPhone or iPod Touch whose UDID you emailed us previously (Remember?)
- The computer you normally sync with your Device
We usually send the .zip
and .mobileprovision
files to you via email.
Installing the Application - Windows XP
- If you have the
.zip
and.mobileprovision
files in an email, save them to a convenient location, such as your Desktop. - Drag-and-drop the
.mobileprovision
file onto Library → Applications in iTunes. On the Mac, you can just drag it to the iTunes icon in your dock. - Extract the
.zip
file. To do this, right-click the.zip
file and select Extract All… . Step through the wizard and accept the defaults by clicking Next.
WINDOWS VISTA USERS: The built-in “Extract All…” command corrupts the application so that it cannot be installed. You should try using a different zip program like WinZip or WinRar to extract the Zip file. Better yet, ask the application developer to send you the application as a.ipa
file instead of a.zip
file, then you don’t have to unzip it. - Find the
.app
folder (usuallyMyApp.app
). - Drag-and-drop the whole
.app
folder onto Library → Applications in iTunes. On the Mac, you can just drag it onto the iTunes icon in the dock. - Verify that the application shows up in Library → Applications. Note that it will not have its normal icon.
- In iTunes, select your Device under Devices, choose the Application tab, and make sure that the new application is checked.
- Sync your Device and try out the new app!
If you run into any trouble installing an app, just email us at helpme@example.com. We’ll help you get it sorted out.