TestFlight invitation not received: what to check

A tester says the invitation never arrived. Before you resend, find out which of the two methods you used and walk through the list. Most causes are on the developer side and take a minute to check. Apple documents the invitation methods; the other checks below are practical advice.

Know the two invitation methods

Apple's TestFlight page says testers use "their invitation email or a public link" to accept invitations (retrieved 2026-10-24). So an invitation is either:

• An email sent to the address you entered.
• A public link you share yourself. No email is sent for this at all.

If you shared a link, the tester should have received nothing by mail. Send them the link instead.

Checks on your side

1. Address. Is it spelled right? Is it the address the tester actually reads?
2. Group. Is the tester in a group, and is a build assigned to that group? A tester added with no build to test has nothing to install.
3. Build state. For external testers the first build may need review before testing starts. Apple says "Testing can begin once a build is approved." See why the first build waits and build not showing.
4. Internal or external. Internal testers are App Store Connect users; external testers are not. Check you added the person in the right place.
5. Expired build. A build becomes unavailable after 90 days. See build expired.

Checks on the tester's side

1. Look in spam, junk and promotion tabs. Search for "TestFlight".
2. Open the email on the iPhone or iPad, with the TestFlight app installed.
3. Check that the device is signed in with the Apple Account you invited.
4. Organisation-managed Apple Accounts may have limits. See managed Apple Accounts.

When to resend

Resend only after the above. A repeated invitation to a wrong address changes nothing. If nothing works, switch to a public link, and set limits so it does not fill up. See public link limits.

Who fixes what

Need testers on iOS who give structured feedback? Start here.

Related: App testing problems: causes and fixes, TestFlight build not showing, TestFlight build expired, TestFlight feedback before app review.