Getting Your Development Signing Certificate
A signing certificate is the first requirement you need in order to be able to sign apps for installation on iOS devices. Specifically, you need a development certificate, which lets an individual install and run an app on a device. (Note that this is different from a distribution certificate, which is issued to a team; for complete information about Apple's certificate requirements, see Your Signing Certificates in Depth in Apple's iOS Developer Library.)
To learn about the additional signing requirements, see Signing Apps for Use with iOS Gateway.
Step by Step: Getting a Signing Certificate from Apple
The signing certificate must be obtained from the online Apple Developer portal. To obtain a development signing certificate, follow the steps below.
- Navigate to the Member Center on the Apple Developer website and log in with your Apple developer account. If you do not have an Apple developer account, you will need to create one.
- In the Member Center, click to select the Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles section, then select Certificates under iOS Apps.
- To create a certificate, click the Add button (+) in the upper-right corner.
- Choose Apple Development or iOS App Development as the type, then click Continue.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to create a certificate signing request (CSR) file through Keychain Access on your Mac and upload it to the website, then click Generate.
- Download the certificate, then double-click the downloaded certificate to install it in your keychain.
If you have previously created a certificate, you can download it in the Member Center. In the left sidebar, click All certificates to see what certificates are available. Select the correct one in the list, then click Download.