When you are ready to distribute your app to users, you choose a distribution method depending on the platform and your program membership. Xcode only presents the distribution methods and distribution options that are available to you and your app.
First accept the Apple Developer Agreement to create a developer account, download beta software and tools, visit forums, and report bugs. Then join the Apple Developer Program to have full access to capabilities you can add to your app and the distribution methods. For the capabilities available for each platform and membership, go to Developer Account Help.
After you test your app on simulated and real devices in Xcode, distribute your beta version to real-world users, or offer a preview of an upcoming release. For iOS, tvOS, and watchOS apps, you can distribute a build using TestFlight to internal and external testers, or distribute a build to a limited number of registered devices. For macOS apps, you can distribute an Apple-notarized build or distribute a build to a limited number of registered computers.
After beta testing your final build, you can submit it to App Review and distribute it through the App Store. For macOS apps, you can also distribute a notarized app outside the Mac App Store.
After distributing your app using TestFlight or through the App Store, you can view crash and energy reports in the organizer and jump to the source code where an event occurred. If you distribute your app through the App Store, you can also view metrics reports in the organizer. For watch-only apps, only crash reports are available.
For options to distribute business, customized, or in-house apps, go to Find the best way to reach your users. If you join the Apple Developer Enterprise Program, go to Develop and distribute an enterprise app for alternate steps.
You can distribute a watchOS app with the same branding and similar functionality as your iOS app by including the watchOS and iOS targets in the same Xcode project. To distribute a watchOS app that has no companion iOS app, go to Create and distribute a watch-only app.
For iOS, macOS, and tvOS apps, you can create a universal purchase that allows your customers to purchase related apps, running on different platforms, together from the App Store. To learn more about universal purchase, go to Add a platform to create a universal purchase in App Store Connect Help.