TestFlight build not showing for testers? It is stuck at Missing Compliance.

What you see

You upload a build. It processes and App Store Connect shows it as VALID. Then nothing happens. Testers never get an email. The TestFlight app shows no new build. Nothing on the build page explains why.

If you look closely at the TestFlight tab, the build may carry a small "Missing Compliance" label. If you read the build through the App Store Connect API, its state is MISSING_EXPORT_COMPLIANCE. From the outside it looks exactly like a failed upload.

Why it happens

Apple asks one question of every build: does this app use non-exempt encryption? Until that question is answered, the build cannot be distributed to anyone. It just sits there.

Apple asks the question for every single build unless the app answers it up front in Info.plist. So if you answered it by hand last time, you will hit the same wall on the next upload.

The fix, step by step

Step 1. Confirm this is the problem. Open the build in App Store Connect under TestFlight and look for "Missing Compliance". Or read the build from the API and check its state. If it says MISSING_EXPORT_COMPLIANCE, keep going.

Step 2. Decide your answer. False is correct when the only crypto in your app is HTTPS to your own backend. That covers most apps that call an API and show data. If your app really does use non-exempt encryption, do not answer false. Answer Apple's export compliance questionnaire instead.

Step 3. Unblock the build you already uploaded. You can answer the question in the App Store Connect UI. If you script releases, patch the build directly:

PATCH https://api.appstoreconnect.apple.com/v1/builds/{BUILD_ID}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "data": {
    "type": "builds",
    "id": "BUILD_ID",
    "attributes": { "usesNonExemptEncryption": false }
  }
}

Once that is set, the build can be distributed.

Step 4. Fix it for every future build. Add the key to Info.plist so each build answers the question at build time:

<key>ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption</key>
<false/>

In an Expo project, put it under ios.infoPlist in app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "ios": {
      "infoPlist": { "ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption": false }
    }
  }
}

Step 5. If testers still see nothing, check the group. Compliance is the first gate. The second is whether the build is attached to your tester group. Some CI setups, Codemagic included, upload and submit to TestFlight but never add the build to your internal group. After the build reaches VALID, attach it:

POST /v1/betaGroups/{GROUP_ID}/relationships/builds
{"data":[{"type":"builds","id":"BUILD_ID"}]}

Then verify from the group side with GET /v1/betaGroups/{GROUP_ID}/builds. Do not trust the build side endpoint GET /v1/builds/{id}/betaGroups. It can report false negatives.

One exception. An internal group with automatic distribution turned on gets every processed build by itself. If you try to attach a build to it, Apple returns 422 "Cannot add internal group to a build". That is expected. In that case judge success by the build reaching VALID and by what testers see in the TestFlight app.

How to prevent it

• Put ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption in Info.plist on day one of every iOS project.
• When a TestFlight build reaches no one, check compliance first. It is the most common cause and the fastest to rule out.
• Script the attach step and the group side check as the last step of every release. Do not trust the CI log alone.

Related traps

• ITMS error 90062. Once a version is approved, new builds need a higher marketing version. Bumping only the build number is not enough.
• CI says the upload failed when it worked. Check App Store Connect before you rerun, because a second upload with the same build number is rejected as a duplicate.
• Looking up testers by API. The tester's email lives under the username field, not email.

Keep reading.