TestFlight Public Link Not Working? Causes and Fixes

Quick answer: When a TestFlight public link is not working, the cause is usually one of four problems:

The link reached its tester limit, so the beta is full.
The group has no approved build that you notified testers about. Developers report this as "not accepting any new testers".
The tester's device does not meet your criteria or cannot run the build.
TestFlight is not installed on the device that opened the link.

First, open your external group in App Store Connect. Read the insight cards at the top of the page. Apple uses them to tell you when there are no compatible builds, when the public link is full, or when a build will expire soon.

How TestFlight public links work

A public link belongs to one external testing group. On the TestFlight tab in App Store Connect, select the group. Then click Create Public Link on its Testers tab.

Next, choose Open to Anyone or Filter by Criteria. Filter by Criteria accepts only the devices and OS versions that you select. You can also set a tester limit between 1 and 10,000.

Later, use Manage next to Public Link to edit the criteria, change the limit or disable the link. Apple's Invite external testers help page describes all of this.

Three rules from the same page explain most problems:

Your app can have up to 10,000 external testers in total.
Builds for external testers must pass TestFlight App Review. The first build gets a full review. Later builds of the same version might not.
Anyone can share the link, so people that you did not invite can join and fill places. App Store Connect shows them as anonymous.

If you have no group yet, start with how to add external testers in TestFlight.

"This beta is full"

When a beta has no free places, the link page shows testers "This beta is full." Developers report this message on the Apple Developer Forums. This message has three common causes.

The link reached its tester limit

If you set a limit on the link, the link stops accepting testers at that number. The insight card then says that the public link is full. To fix this:

Click Manage next to Public Link.
Increase the limit.
Click Save.

The app reached 10,000 external testers

The limit of 10,000 is for each app, not for each group or link. A new group or a new link does not help. You must free some places first.

Deleted testers still count

Apple's Delete testers from TestFlight page says that deleted testers still count toward the tester limit. They continue to count until you expire their build or until it expires automatically.

To free places:

Find inactive testers. On the Testers tab, click Add Filter. Choose Sessions, select None and click Add. If you want, also add a Time Range filter.
Select these testers. Then click Delete.
Expire the old builds that these testers installed. Open the build and click Expire Build (Stop testing a build). When you expire a build, no tester can install it. Do this only for builds that you do not need.

One report shows that this may not be enough. In the forum thread above, a developer removed about 10,000 public link testers after their build expired.

Two days later, new testers still saw "beta is full". The thread has no answer.

"This beta isn't accepting any new testers right now"

Developers report this exact message in an Apple Developer Forums thread. Apple does not publish a list of causes.

That thread has two fixes. The first is to add a build to the external group. The second is to tap a button that notifies testers about an approved build.

Both fixes point to the same cause: the group has nothing that a new tester can install. Check these items in order.

The link is off or has changed. Click Manage next to Public Link. Check that the link is enabled. Also check that its URL is the same as the URL that you shared. One developer in the thread found that the URL changed without notice.
No build in the group. Select the group. Then click Add Builds.
The build is not approved yet. The build statuses Waiting for Review and In Beta Review mean that TestFlight App Review must approve the build before external testing starts. Missing Compliance means that you must still answer the export compliance questions.
Approved, but not distributed. When you add a build to a group, "Automatically notify testers" is optional. If you did not select it, Apple says that you must notify testers manually after approval. In the TestFlight sidebar, under Builds, click the platform. Choose the version. Then click Notify Testers in the build's row. The status then changes to Testing.
Expired or rejected. A build expires 90 days after upload. You cannot use a rejected build in TestFlight. In both cases, upload a new build.

The same checks help when testers joined but see no build at all. Our guide to TestFlight saying No Builds Available explains that case in detail.

The link opens, but the tester can't install

The device does not meet your criteria

If you chose Filter by Criteria, only devices and OS versions that match can join. Apple's TestFlight page for testers says that testers can tap Learn More in the invitation. There they see what you require.

This detail helps: a tester can accept on another device if they have a device linked to TestFlight that meets your criteria.

To see how often this happens, open the group. Then read the public link metrics. For the last 30 days, Apple counts Views in TestFlight, Accepted, Didn't Meet Criteria and Didn't Accept (View and manage tester information).

A high Didn't Meet Criteria count means that your filter is too strict.

The OS is too old

To test iPhone and iPad apps, TestFlight needs iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 or later. The minimum iOS version of your build is also important.

Apple says that the Install button appears when a compatible build is available for the device. If a tester can accept but sees no Install button, compare their iOS version with your deployment target.

Wrong device or platform

TestFlight runs only on Apple devices. A tester on Android or Windows cannot join.
To use your iPhone app on a Mac, a tester needs a Mac with Apple silicon. The group must also have Test iPhone and iPad apps on Apple silicon Macs enabled in its settings.
For an Apple TV app, the tester taps the link on an iPhone or iPad and accepts the invitation. Then the tester installs the app from TestFlight on Apple TV with the same App Store account.

The link opens in Safari, or TestFlight asks for a redeem code

A public link opens a page on testflight.apple.com. In Safari on an iPhone, the page shows two steps: get TestFlight from the App Store, then tap View in TestFlight. If TestFlight is not installed, step two has nothing to open.

Ask the tester to install TestFlight, open the link again and tap View in TestFlight.

On Apple's tester page, redemption codes appear only in the steps for an email invitation to an Apple TV app. The public link steps use no code. If TestFlight asks a public link tester for a code, you have no code to send.

In this forum thread, a developer reports that TestFlight asked public link testers for a redeem code. Another thread describes TestFlight stuck on the Redeem screen. Neither thread has an answer from Apple.

Try these steps one at a time:

Install or update TestFlight on the device that will run the app.
Open the link in Safari on that same device, not on a computer. Then tap View in TestFlight.
If the link still does not work for one person, invite that person by email.

Developer checklist

Open the external group. Read the insight cards: no compatible builds, link full, build expiring.
Check that the public link is enabled under Manage.
Check that the group's Builds tab has at least one build.
Check the build status. It must be Testing, not Waiting for Review, In Beta Review, Missing Compliance, Expired or Rejected.
If you turned off automatic notification, check that you clicked Notify Testers for the build.
Compare the tester limit with the number of testers. Remember that deleted testers still count.
Read the Didn't Meet Criteria count in the public link metrics. If it is high, make the criteria less strict.
Compare the build's minimum iOS version with the iOS versions on your testers' devices.
Open the link yourself on an iPhone that is not in the group.

When the link works, the next problem is to get people to tap it. See where to find beta testers for an iOS app.

After launch

A public link is for builds before release. After your app is live on the App Store, you still need people who try it and tell you where they had problems.

Raizy is a free feedback exchange for indie iOS developers. Another developer installs your app from the App Store and uses it. Then they send a short screen recording or a screenshot with written notes.

A moderator checks every feedback session before any credit moves. You earn credits when you test other developers' apps.

Raizy does not take TestFlight builds. Read how feedback on a live iOS app works.