How to send an app build to a client for review

Getting a build onto a client’s phone is the part of agency work nobody budgets for. TestFlight needs their Apple ID, an invitation and the TestFlight app, and external testers wait on Apple’s beta review. An ad hoc build only installs on devices whose identifiers you registered first. Android is easier until the client is on an iPhone, which they usually are. And all of it falls apart when the reviewer is a marketing lead on a locked-down work laptop.

A share link skips the install entirely. The build runs on a cloud device and streams to whatever the client opens the link on.

How the usual routes compare

	TestFlight	Ad hoc / install links	VibeView share link
What the client needs	An Apple ID, an invite and the TestFlight app	A device you registered in advance	A browser
Works on a desktop	No	No	Yes
Android and iOS	iOS only	Per platform	Every platform, one link each
Which build they see	Whatever they last installed	Whatever they last installed	The build you pinned, every time
Taking it back	Remove the tester	The build stays installed	Revoke the link; it stops at once

1. Prepare a build that stands on its own

The client will not have your development server, so the build has to run without it. For React Native or Expo, upload a release build, or a simulator build with its JavaScript bundled in. For iOS that means a simulator .app, not an .ipa; for Android an .apk. Point it at a staging backend that will be up for the whole review, and give the client a demo account if the app has a sign-in.

Open the build on the Devices page with your dev server stopped and tap through the screens you want reviewed. What you see there is what the client sees.

2. Create a link per review round

Open the app, go to its Share tab and click Share this app, then choose Send a link. Name and Expires are on the first screen; the rest are under More options:

• Name: the client and the round, such as “Acme, round 2”. Only your team sees it.
• Build: Pin to a build. A pinned link keeps showing the build the client is signing off on, even after you upload the next one.
• Device models: pick the phones and tablets the client cares about, and turn on Let visitors choose the device if you selected more than one, so they can check the iPad layout themselves.
• Expires (On a date…): the end of the review window.
• Audio: Sound only if the app plays sound or video.

Save and send the URL. For the next round, create a new link pinned to the new build, so the old feedback still points at the build it was about.

3. What the client experiences

They open the link and see a Tap to Start screen with your app’s icon and name. After that, the app opens on a live device in their browser, and they tap, swipe and type as they would on a phone. On a phone of their own, a swipe drives the app rather than scrolling the page. A Screenshot button beside the device downloads exactly what they are looking at, which is the easiest way for them to attach “this button” to their feedback.

Every visit is a fresh session, so the client never inherits state from a previous review. Closing the page ends it.

4. Walk them through it live

For a review call, start a session yourself, click Collaborate above the device and turn on Enable collaboration. Share a View only link while you present, then switch to Can control and send a fresh link when you want the client to take over. Both of you see the same screen in real time, with nothing to install on their side. How many guests can join one session depends on your plan; Starter and Professional allow more than one, so a client and their colleague can both watch.

5. Close the round

When feedback is in, let the link expire, or revoke it from the Share tab. A revoked link stops working immediately, and anyone still on it is told the link is no longer active. If a link travels further than you meant, Regenerate link gives it a new URL and keeps its settings.

Every visit uses your plan’s streaming minutes, the same pool as your own sessions, and the Session history page lists each share-link session with when it ran and for how long.

Frequently asked questions

Does the client need a VibeView account? No. They open the link and play. Turn on Require visitors to log in only for links you post somewhere public.

Can I show the iOS and Android versions? Yes, with a link for each. Each platform’s build is its own app in VibeView, so create a share link on each and send both.

Can the client review a TV app? Yes. Apple TV, Android TV and Roku apps share the same way; the client drives them with the arrow keys or the remote controls beside the device.

What if they open it on their phone? It works in a mobile browser too: the device responds to touch, and a swipe drives the app instead of scrolling the page.

Can I put the build on a page for them instead? Yes. On Starter and Professional, an embed puts the live app on your own page, such as a client portal. See embedding an app demo.