iOS UDIDs for ad-hoc builds
Last updated 16 August 2026
Apple restricts an ad-hoc provisioning profile to a fixed list of devices, identified by their UDID. A tester whose device isn’t on that list can open your install link, but the install itself will fail.
Only ad-hoc builds are affected
Android has no equivalent, and iOS builds signed with an enterprise distribution certificate install on any device. If you’re on either of those, skip this page.
What App Dropper shows you
When a build is signed with a UDID-restricted profile, App Dropper reads the registered device list straight out of it at upload time — nothing to paste in by hand. The install page shows how many devices the profile allows. If a tester is stuck on Unable to Install, that count is the first thing to check: their device almost certainly isn’t one of them yet.
App Dropper can’t capture a missing UDID for you. The tester has to find theirs another way — Apple Configurator, a UDID-lookup site, or their device management tool — and send it to you.
Fixing a failed install
Have the tester open the link on their iPhone or iPad
If it installs, their device is already in the profile and you’re done.
Ask them for their device UDID
Any of the tools above will give them the 25- or 40-character identifier.
Add the UDID to your provisioning profile
In your Apple Developer account, on the ad-hoc profile the build is signed with.
Re-export and upload the new build
Same project, new version. The share link doesn’t change — the tester reopens the one they already have and installs normally.
Related: inviting testers and uploading a build.
Ready to try it?
Drop an .apk or .ipa and get a shareable install link in seconds.