# Appium iOS app testing

**URL:** <https://discuss.appium.io/t/appium-ios-app-testing/105>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [September 3, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://discuss.appium.io/t/appium-ios-app-testing/105 "2014-09-03T04:55:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 8

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**Author:** ![JessicaSachs](https://discuss.appium.io/user_avatar/discuss.appium.io/jessicasachs/32/5291_2.png) [@JessicaSachs](https://discuss.appium.io/u/JessicaSachs)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://discuss.appium.io/t/appium-ios-app-testing/105/8 "2014-10-10T19:55:21Z")

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@venkatesh_mothe

**You cannot automate:**

- Enterprise apps (they are signed with distribution certs)
- App Store apps (they are signed with distribution certs)
- Apps sent over AirWatch (they are signed with distribution certs)

This is because the `.ipa` file needs to be signed with a **DEVELOPMENT** provisioning profile/cert **not a distribution provisioning profile/cert** for Apple’s Instruments (the thing that tells iOS what to tap) to automate your app.

`.ipa` files that you have downloaded from the app store cannot be automated because they would need to be **resigned** with a valid Development provisioning profile/cert (something that is tied to your appleId and authenticated against Facebook, etc’s developer accounts.).

If you have an internal app that is an Enterprise App, you can **resign it** and **then** install it to the device to be automated. The point is you need access to the development certificate and profile to resign it.

@sendlink To be clear: It is `.ipa`s with a “Development” provisioning profile that can be automated – NOT a “Development Distribution” profile.

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_[View the full topic](https://discuss.appium.io/t/appium-ios-app-testing/105)._