How to Sign Your iOS App (.xcarchive) and Publish It to the App Store

When you generate an iOS app from Rebrand → Generate Apps, Mailbux builds a branded Xcode archive and gives you an .xcarchive.zip download. An archive is the exact format Apple needs to sign and ship an app — this guide takes you from that download to a build on the App Store (or TestFlight).

What you'll need

• The .xcarchive.zip you downloaded from the rebrand dashboard (unzip it to get the .xcarchive).
• An Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year at developer.apple.com/programs).
• A Mac with Xcode installed (free from the Mac App Store). Signing and uploading iOS apps requires macOS.

Step 1 — Register your App ID and create the app record

1. In your developer account, go to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles → Identifiers and register an App ID that matches your app's bundle identifier (shown on the rebrand brand details, e.g. com.yourbrand.inbox).
2. In App Store Connect, open Apps → + and create a new app using that bundle ID.

Step 2 — Open the archive in Xcode

1. Unzip the .xcarchive.zip.
2. Open Xcode, then Window → Organizer.
3. Drag the .xcarchive into the Organizer (or double-click it). It appears under Archives.

Step 3 — Sign & distribute

Apple requires every App Store build to be signed with your distribution certificate and provisioning profile. Xcode automates this:

1. Select the archive and click Distribute App.
2. Choose App Store Connect → Upload.
3. Pick Automatically manage signing and select your team. Xcode creates the distribution certificate and profile for you and re-signs the archive.
4. Click Upload. The build appears in App Store Connect after a few minutes of processing.

Prefer not to open Xcode? You can export a signed .ipa from the Organizer and upload it with Apple's free Transporter app instead.

Step 4 — Test on TestFlight

In App Store Connect, open TestFlight, add yourself as an internal tester, and install the build on your iPhone. Confirm branding, sign-in, and push notifications before submitting for review.

Step 5 — Submit for review

1. Open your app → App Store tab and complete the listing: name, subtitle, description, keywords, support URL, and a privacy policy URL.
2. Upload screenshots for the required device sizes (at minimum 6.7" iPhone).
3. Fill in the App Privacy questionnaire, attach the processed build, and click Add for Review → Submit.

Shipping updates later

For each new version, regenerate the iOS app from the rebrand dashboard, download the new archive, and repeat steps 2–3. Increment the version/build number in App Store Connect if prompted.

Troubleshooting

• "No accounts with App Store Connect access." Sign in to Xcode under Settings → Accounts with the Apple ID that owns your Developer Program membership.
• Bundle ID mismatch. The App ID, the App Store Connect app, and the archive's bundle identifier must all match.
• Build "stuck" in processing. Apple processing can take 15–60 minutes; you'll get an email when it's ready or if there's an issue.

More in the series: do the same for Android → Sign & publish your Android app (.aab), or reach desktops → Distribute your branded desktop app.