CI/CD with GitHub Actions

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Goal

Add a GitHub Actions workflow that builds, tests, and archives the iOS app on every push and pull request.

Prerequisites

• UI tests
• A GitHub repository with the iOS project pushed

Why CI for iOS

iOS apps are expensive to break — a bug caught after App Review or in production costs hours to fix + 1–7 days of re-review. CI catches issues on every commit, before they ship.

The workflow

Create .github/workflows/ci.yml:

name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:

jobs:
  build-and-test:
    runs-on: macos-15
    timeout-minutes: 30

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Select Xcode version
        run: sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode_16.app

      - name: List available simulators
        run: xcrun simctl list devices available

      - name: Build and test
        run: |
          xcodebuild test \
            -scheme ListApp \
            -sdk iphonesimulator \
            -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 16' \
            -testPlan ListAppTests \
            -testPlan ListAppUITests \
            -resultBundlePath TestResults \
            CODE_SIGN_IDENTITY="" \
            CODE_SIGNING_REQUIRED=NO
        env:
          DEVELOPER_DIR: /Applications/Xcode_16.app/Contents/Developer

      - name: Upload test results
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: test-results
          path: TestResults.xcresult

Key decisions

• macos-15 runner — required for Xcode 16.
• CODE_SIGNING_REQUIRED=NO — tests run on simulator, which doesn't need signing.
• -resultBundlePath — saves .xcresult bundle for artifact download.
• timeout-minutes: 30 — macOS runners are slower; 30 minutes prevents runaway bills.
• if: always() on artifact upload — uploads results even if tests fail, so you can inspect failure screenshots.

Optional: Archive job

Add a second job that creates an .xcarchive and .ipa for TestFlight distribution:

  archive:
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
    needs: build-and-test
    runs-on: macos-15
    timeout-minutes: 30

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Select Xcode
        run: sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode_16.app

      - name: Archive
        run: |
          xcodebuild archive \
            -scheme ListApp \
            -sdk iphoneos \
            -configuration Release \
            -archivePath ListApp.xcarchive \
            CODE_SIGN_STYLE=Manual \
            PROVISIONING_PROFILE_SPECIFIER="${{ vars.PROFILE_SPECIFIER }}" \
            DEVELOPMENT_TEAM="${{ vars.TEAM_ID }}"

      - name: Export IPA
        run: |
          xcodebuild -exportArchive \
            -archivePath ListApp.xcarchive \
            -exportPath . \
            -exportOptionsPlist ExportOptions.plist

      - name: Upload IPA
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: ListApp-ipa
          path: ListApp.ipa

Checkpoint

Push to GitHub and open a PR. The CI workflow runs automatically:

1. macOS runner boots, selects Xcode 16
2. xcodebuild test runs unit + UI tests on iPhone 16 simulator
3. Test results are uploaded as artifacts

Next: Push notifications — register for remote notifications and handle payloads.