TestFlight has two kinds of testers. The choice decides who can get a build, how fast, and whether Apple reviews it first.
The differences
| Internal testers | External testers | |
|---|---|---|
| Limit (Apple) | up to 100 App Store Connect users with access to your content | up to 10,000 people |
| Who they are | members of your App Store Connect team | anyone you invite by email or public link |
| Beta review | Apple describes the review for external testers; check App Store Connect for your build | the first build in a group is sent to App Review; later builds may not need a full review |
| Build lifetime | up to 90 days | up to 90 days |
Apple's pages confirm the two limits, that the first build added to a group is reviewed and later builds may not need a full review, that testing can begin once a build is approved, and that builds become unavailable after 90 days. Apple does not say in these pages that internal builds skip review, so this page does not claim it. Users need one of these roles to be added as internal testers: Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, Developer or Marketing.
Decision rule
- Use internal testers for your own team: fast checks of every build, people who have App Store Connect access anyway.
- Use external testers when you want people outside your team: real users, friends, a beta audience. Plan for the review of the first build.
- Use both in sequence: internal for "does it install and start", external for "does it make sense to a stranger".
Things that trip people up
- Internal testers are users of your account. Adding a tester as a user also gives them account access, so give them the lowest role that works.
- External testers are not guaranteed to respond. A bigger group does not mean more feedback.
- Managed Apple Accounts in reserved domains cannot test builds. See the linked fix.
- Builds expire after 90 days. Upload a new one if testers see nothing.
From testers to feedback
TestFlight gets the build onto devices. It does not decide what feedback you get. If you want private, structured feedback from other developers, AppReviewX does that: one feedback you write earns one credit, and new accounts start with 0 credits. Test packages are for apps that are already published; test groups are for Google Play on Android.
More in App testing problems and fixes. Related: Google Sign-In fails in the test build, In-app products not showing in a test build and TestFlight feedback before App Review.