# App Center Distribute Alternative for iOS: Auto Device Provisioning

> Visual Studio App Center retired in March 2025, and with it the auto-provisioning that registered testers’ iPhones and re-signed builds. BuildFerry brings that back for iOS.

Last updated: 2026-11-05
Canonical: https://buildferry.app/app-center-alternative

Microsoft retired Visual Studio App Center on March 31, 2025. Most of its distribution features have open replacements, but one of them was hard to find anywhere else: **auto-provisioning**. When a tester's iPhone joined, App Center registered its UDID in your Apple account, created a new provisioning profile and re-signed the build.

That's exactly what BuildFerry does.

## What App Center users miss most

- **New testers without a rebuild.** Most hosting tools still need you to add the UDID, update the profile and export again.
- **One link per app** that always serves the newest build.
- **No Mac in the loop** for signing.

## App Center Distribute and BuildFerry side by side

| | App Center (retired) | BuildFerry |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Status | Retired on March 31, 2025 | Live |
| Collects UDIDs | Yes | Collected by a signed profile in Safari |
| Registers iPhones with Apple | Yes, with auto-provisioning | Yes, through your App Store Connect key |
| Re-signs for new iPhones | Yes | Yes, in the cloud |
| Approval before install | Groups and invites | You approve each iPhone (or auto-approve) |
| Android | Yes | No, iOS only |
| Builds in the cloud | Yes | No: your CI builds the .ipa |
| Upload from CI | Yes | GitHub Action, CLI and fastlane |
| Crash reports and analytics | Yes | Not yet |

## Moving from App Center

1. Create an App Store Connect API key with Admin access. [Here's how](https://buildferry.app/app-store-connect-api-key).
2. Connect it in BuildFerry. A distribution certificate is created for you.
3. Upload the last .ipa you distributed through App Center.
4. Send your testers the new share link. They allow a one-time profile and you approve each iPhone.

Devices you registered through App Center are already in your Apple account, so they still count toward your [100-device limit](https://buildferry.app/apple-device-limit), and BuildFerry shows the exact number.

## When something else is the better choice

- **You need Android too:** Firebase App Distribution or a hosting tool covers both platforms.
- **You need builds in the cloud:** a CI service such as Xcode Cloud, GitHub Actions or Bitrise builds the .ipa, and one more step sends it to BuildFerry. [Set it up with GitHub Actions](https://buildferry.app/github-actions-ios-distribution) or [with fastlane](https://buildferry.app/fastlane-ad-hoc-distribution).
- **You need crash reporting:** pair BuildFerry with a crash reporter, or use TestFlight for larger betas.