TestFlight is one of Apple's best tools for developers. The ability to distribute beta builds to testers, gather feedback, and iterate before release is invaluable. But managing TestFlight through App Store Connect's web interface? That is where the experience falls apart.
If you have ever spent twenty minutes trying to add a tester to a group, or refreshed the builds page repeatedly waiting for a new build to appear, or lost your session halfway through configuring beta app review information, you know exactly what we are talking about.
There is a better way. Forge brings full TestFlight management to a native macOS app, and the difference in workflow speed is dramatic.
The TestFlight Workflow Problem
Here is a typical TestFlight workflow in App Store Connect's browser interface:
- Archive and upload your build from Xcode. Wait for processing.
- Open App Store Connect in Safari. Log in (again).
- Navigate to your app, then to TestFlight.
- Wait for the builds list to load. Find your new build.
- Click into the build. Wait for details to load.
- Fill in "What to Test" notes for your testers.
- If this is your first build with new permissions or content, submit for beta app review.
- Navigate to Groups. Wait for that page to load.
- Add the build to the appropriate testing group.
- Optionally, navigate to individual testers to add new ones.
Each of those steps involves a page load. Each page load takes anywhere from two to eight seconds. Context switches between pages lose your mental model of what you were doing. And if your session expires at step 7 — which happens more often than it should — you start over from step 2.
For a solo developer shipping updates weekly, this is annoying. For a team shipping daily builds across multiple apps, it is a serious productivity drain.
How Forge Streamlines TestFlight
Forge's TestFlight module is designed around how developers actually work with beta testing, not around how a web page renders data.
See All Builds at a Glance
When you open TestFlight in Forge, you see your builds immediately. No page load, no spinner. The build list shows version numbers, build numbers, processing status, and upload dates in a clean table that you can sort and filter instantly.
New builds appear as soon as Apple finishes processing them — Forge polls for updates automatically, so you do not need to sit there hitting refresh.
Manage Testing Groups Efficiently
Testing groups are a core part of any TestFlight workflow. You might have an internal group for your team, an external group for trusted beta testers, and another for a client preview.
In App Store Connect's web interface, managing groups means navigating between separate pages, loading each group individually, and adding builds one at a time. In Forge, groups are visible in the sidebar. You can drag a build to a group, or select a group and add builds with a couple of clicks. Adding and removing testers from groups is equally direct.
Configure Beta Information Without the Maze
Every build that goes to external testers needs "What to Test" notes, and the first build of each version needs beta app review information — contact info, notes for reviewers, and sign-in credentials if applicable.
In the browser, this information is spread across different sections of the page. In Forge, it is all in one view. You fill in the details, submit, and move on.
Tester Management That Scales
If you work with external testers, you know the pain of managing them in App Store Connect. Adding testers by email one at a time, checking invite statuses, seeing who has installed which build — it is all unnecessarily tedious in the browser.
Forge gives you a complete tester list with install status, device information, and session counts. You can see at a glance who is actually testing and who has not opened the app in weeks. This matters when you have limited external tester slots and want to make sure they are going to people who are actively providing feedback.
A Real-World Comparison
Let me walk through a concrete scenario: you have just uploaded a new build and you want to push it to your internal testers.
In App Store Connect (browser):
- Open Safari, navigate to App Store Connect (3 seconds)
- Log in if session expired (15-30 seconds with 2FA)
- Navigate to My Apps > Your App > TestFlight (6-10 seconds of page loads)
- Find the build in the list (2-3 seconds)
- Click into build details, add "What to Test" notes (5 seconds)
- Navigate to the Internal Testing group (3 seconds)
- Add the build to the group (3 seconds)
- Total: 30-55 seconds of mostly waiting
In Forge:
- Open Forge (already running, instant)
- Click TestFlight in the sidebar (instant)
- See the new build, click it (instant)
- Add your "What to Test" notes (instant, just typing)
- Add to internal testing group (2 clicks)
- Total: under 10 seconds, all of it actual work
That thirty-second difference might not sound like much, but multiply it by every build, every day, across every app you manage, and it adds up to hours per month.
Build Processing Visibility
One feature that Forge handles particularly well is build processing status. After you upload from Xcode, Apple processes your build — checking for issues, running automated tests, and preparing it for distribution. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour.
In App Store Connect's browser, you see a generic "Processing" status with no further detail. You refresh. Still processing. Refresh again. Still processing.
Forge shows processing status with more granularity and updates automatically. You can keep working on other things and the build will appear in your list as soon as it is ready, without manual refreshing.
Compliance and Export Information
If your app uses encryption — and most apps that make HTTPS calls technically do — you need to manage export compliance for each build. In the browser, this is another click-through that you have to remember to do.
Forge surfaces compliance requirements clearly, letting you set the encryption declaration for new builds without hunting for the right checkbox in a web form.
Keyboard-Driven Workflow
For developers who live in Xcode and Terminal, switching to a browser and clicking through a web UI is a context switch that breaks your flow. Forge supports keyboard navigation throughout the TestFlight module. You can move between builds, switch groups, and perform common actions without reaching for the mouse.
This might seem like a small thing, but for power users who manage TestFlight daily, keyboard shortcuts turn a series of manual clicks into a fluid workflow.
Getting Started with TestFlight in Forge
If you are ready to stop fighting with the browser for TestFlight management:
- Download Forge
- Add your App Store Connect API key in Settings
- Navigate to any of your apps and click TestFlight
Your builds, groups, and testers will be right there. No setup beyond the API key. Forge reads the same data App Store Connect does — your existing groups, testers, and builds all appear exactly as you have configured them. And if you also manage subscriptions and in-app purchases, check out how Forge streamlines IAP management too.
Try Forge today and experience what TestFlight management should have felt like from the start.