Not able to install iPhone App archive via Xcode Organizer/iTunes

Question

I have spent quite some time trying to resolve the following issue: We use to give xcode-built products (OurApp.app) to our customers for testing (they usually then drag them on their test devices via iTunes). Of course, all those devices are enabled for testing, i.e. added to the provisioning profile we build the app with. This has been working fine for some time.

Now a customer reported problems with the installation (iOS 6.0) and I can reproduce them on my iPhone 4 (6.1.2) when I try to drag the built archive on to the applications folder of my device in the Xcode Organizer. The device console looks like this for the installation:

installd[54] <Error>: 0x2fef2000 handle_install: Install of "/var/mobile/Media/PublicStaging/OurApp.app" requested by mobile_installation_proxy
installd[54] <Error>: 0x2fef2000 MobileInstallationInstall_Server: Installing app ch.xxx.ourapp
installd[54] <Error>:  0x2fef2000  SecTrustEvaluate  [leaf CriticalExtensions IssuerCommonName]
installd[54] <Error>: 0x2fef2000 verify_signer_identity: MISValidateSignatureAndCopyInfo failed for /var/tmp/install_staging.Zq80Gw/OurApp.app/OurApp: 0xe8008015
installd[54] <Error>: 0x2fef2000 do_preflight_verification: Could not verify executable at /var/tmp/install_staging.Zq80Gw/OurApp.app
mobile_installation_proxy[4310] <Error>: 0x3d232b88 MobileInstallationInstall: failed with -1
mobile_installation_proxy[4310] <Error>: handle_install: Installation failed
installd[54] <Error>: 0x2fef2000 install_application: Could not preflight application install
installd[54] <Error>: 0x2fef2000 handle_install: API failed

I have tried the following:

• Verfied the archive via codesign verify -vvvv, everything seems ok
• When I deploy the app via Xcode > Run (same provisioning profile), the app can be installed and run on the device
• Looking at the embedded.mobileprovision of the archive in a text editor, I see that the UDID of my device is indeed included
• While failing at the end, the installation via Organizer succeeds in importing the provisioning profile into the library, and it stays there with the green checkmark indicating that the corresponding certificate is also available (I have deleted it and retried installation, only to observe the same behavior several times)
• Contrary to what some people state in forums, it is indeed possible to install products built with a development profile via the Xcode Organizer. You do not need a distribution profile for this. I have several other apps built with development profiles for which the described installation procedure works.

Any ideas what could be wrong here? I would greatly appreciate any suggestions, as I am quite stuck here.

Answer 1

I've seen similar problems if I browse through a build with Finder before zipping it into the IPA. I think it was creating .DS_Store files that were obviously unsigned.

How are you creating the IPA files? Can you verify the code signature when unzipping the failing IPA?

Also, you do know about OTA distribution, right? Using something like TestFlight is far simpler than doing it manually.