Several iOS TestFlight build issues

[wizblob]

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently gotten my game onto TestFlight and have run into a few issues that appear to be specific to the iOS build. Since a lot of this stuff seems related, I wanted to see whether anyone else has seen something similar.

The details:

GDevelop version: 5.6.272

Exported with: iOS One-click packaging within GDevelop

Distributed with: TestFlight

Project orientation: Landscape

Tested on: iPhone 14 Pro w/ iOS 26.5

Worth noting: I only have access to my own devices for testing, so I haven’t been able to determine whether this is device-specific or happens across other iPhones.

The issues are as follows:

1: App goes to portrait but is set to Landscape

The project is configured for Landscape orientation. However, if I rotate the phone into portrait mode while the game is running, the game responds to the orientation change instead of remaining locked to landscape.

Since the game was designed for a landscape layout, a large part of the game is cropped off-screen. Rotating the phone back to landscape gives back the right view.

I want the game to stay in landscape regardless of how the phone is being held, while still allowing the user to rotate between the two landscape orientations.

Here is a video detailing what I’m talking about:

2: The game does not stretch across the screen

I’ve attached screenshots showing what I mean. Even when the game is being displayed correctly in landscape, it appears that the game is not using the full width of the screen.

Here is what it currently looks like on the phone’s entire screen:

Could it be related to the orientation problem described above?

I have it set to put the game in fullscreen at the start. Here is the event on the starting scene:

3: Audio stops after leaving and returning to the app

If I briefly leave the app and then return to it without fully closing it, the game resumes normally, but the audio no longer plays. The game itself continues functioning as expected. Only the audio appears to be affected.

Here is a video for reference. You will need volume for it to make sense.

I want to know:

1. Has anyone else seen any of this on iOS/TestFlight?

2. Are any of these known issues with recent exports or TestFlight builds?

3. Is there anything else I should check on my end before assuming this is an iOS problem?

4. Does anyone know of any way to fix anything described here?

Thanks!

[DesmonDev]

have you checked the game settings for resizing?

[wizblob]

I have, thanks for asking. Here is what I have regarding those settings. Does anything about this set off any red flags?

[wizblob]

Also worth noting: The share button is not working in TestFlight, either.

[DesmonDev]

nope, looks good…I know im a mac user and all, but may you just very quickly remind me what TestFlight is and specifically what it means to this?

[wizblob]

Thanks for taking a look.
To answer your question, TestFlight is an iOS app that lets devs see what their app will look like in action before it goes to the app store.
I don’t know if there are any caveats or differences from a native app, but what I do know is that when I have GDevelop package my app and send it for testing, it creates a bunch of issues that theoretically shouldn’t be there, which has me confused.

[DesmonDev]

wait, you dont just…side load the app? how does this work?

[wizblob]

Full disclosure: this is coming from a Windows user, so I can’t side load apps on an iPhone. Basically, you connect your apple developer account to your GDevelop account, when you export an App Store build, App Store Connect (which is basically where Apple stores app data for developers), picks it up a bit later, and then you can send the app to your phone.

You’ll get an email asking if your device wants access, you install what is essentially a beta version of the app, and then you can play it as if it were an actual app for 90 days.

I don’t know if these TestFlight apps work differently than native ones.

[DesmonDev]

i have an iphone (well i dont use it), but i could try both methods.

[andr]

As far as I know there shouldn’t be any differences between TestFlight and the App Store apart from having to resign/update the application every 90(?) days so it stays live and that micro transactions are disabled.

TestFlight is the official way to test applications on iOS, I believe you can have up to 10,000 people download your app through TestFlight.

Often used by developers and companies for development testing, and beta testing of apps that are already live on the App Store

[wizblob]

Okay, that’s not a good sign. I have my game set to stay in landscape and change its width to fit the size of the screen, and right now it’s not doing either of those. Not to mention the audio issue when it goes into the background.

Any chance these are bugs?

[DesmonDev]

How can i test this for you?

[wizblob]

I appreciate the offer, but this can only be replicated if you have an Apple Developer account and a GDevelop Gold membership, and those things put together are quite a bit of money, so don’t feel pressured to test anything.

[DesmonDev]

i do have an apple developer account…and i ONCE had a gdevelop gold membership, but i needed to eat so i cancelled it

[DesmonDev]

Also, mostly none of this is true. I have my ways…

[wizblob]

If you’re able to export something with iOS one-click packaging, and it replicates the same problems, then that’s probably our answer and the way the apps are wrapped after exporting is just buggy.

[DesmonDev]

did you test if it works on android?

[andr]

I haven’t tried to export from GDevelop to iOS yet, but I can give it a try in a few days time and see if I can replicate your results.

Otherwise you may just have to hope the developers catch wind of this and look into it.

[Da-Just]

Maybe the issue might be coming from TestFlight, since you got apple devices, why not just manual build the app, by exporting manual export from Gdevelop and get the things you need for manual export on apple and then test it to see if the issue is still there.

Else IDK much, i ain’t apple guy nor got any apple devices at all

[wizblob]

I tested it in some emulators and it worked fine, so it leads me to believe that somewhere along the process of exporting to iOS is when these issues show up.