We have focused on creating development certificates and provisioning profiles to test and debug our apps on a device. Now, we have to create a distribution version of them in order to submit an iOS application. Be aware that Apple can change the design of their website at any time. So, don't get frustrated if the steps and screenshots do not match up:
- Log in to your Apple Developer account and go to Certificates, Identifiers, & Profiles. Click on App IDs. Create a new App ID by selecting the + icon in the upper-right corner and create a description that pertains to your application so that you can identify it. If you have an existing App ID that you have been using during development, you can disregard this step.
- Click on Distribution under Provisioning Profile. Select the + button and select App Store under the Distribution section. Press Continue.
- Select the App ID you want to associate with the file and click on Continue. Next, select the certificate that will be associated with your provisioning profile and click on Continue.
- Provide a profile name for your provisioning profile and select the Generate button.
- On the next screen, click on the Download button and double-click on the file to install it on your machine.
The App ID you use is imperative to identify your app that will be submitted. It is best to have a unique reverse-domain style string. Make sure that you create explicit App IDs for Corona apps. Do not use wildcard App IDs.
In order to distribute for the App Store, you need to create an App Store Distribution Provisioning Profile and a Production Certificate. Any development profile will not be accepted. The process is similar to making a development provisioning profile and development certificate.
You can find more information on distribution provisioning profiles on the Apple Developer site at https://developer.apple.com/ios/manage/distribution/index.action (you will be asked to log in to your Apple Developer account if you haven't done so already) and the Corona Labs site at http://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/distribution/iOSBuild/index.html.