Prepare App

Prepare the App

After creating the identifiers, you will need to

1. Configure them to associate the correct App Group with specific identifiers
2. Create the Loop App.

Some people get confused on this page. Many of the links look similar but are actually different pages at Apple.

Ask For Help Early

Please if you are having trouble - ask for help early by clicking on this link.

Configure Identifiers for Loop

Background Information (Click to open/close)

• One of the identifiers just created is used as the Bundle ID for building your app
  • This can be a little confusing and a lot of pages over at Apple look the same
  • Make sure you follow the links given for each section.
• Terms that may help:
  • App Group: associates different identifiers so the app works correctly - you will do this step under your Apple Developer ID account.
  • App: associates a particular identier as the main Loop code - you will do this step under the App Connect site which is associated with your developer ID but is a different URL.

This should only be needed one time.

Some steps can be skipped if you previously built the Loop app with a Mac using Xcode.

Please read carefully to avoid confusion.

Create App Group

Section Summary (click to open/close)

If you have already built the Loop app via Xcode using this Apple ID, skip ahead to Optional: App Group Description Modification.

1. Go to Register an App Group on the Apple Developer site.
2. For Description, use "Loop App Group".
3. For Identifier, enter "group.com.TEAMID.loopkit.LoopGroup", substituting your team id for TEAMID.
4. Click "Continue" and then "Register".

To skip the detailed instructions, click on Add App Group

The Loop App Group already exists if you previously built the Loop app using Xcode with this Apple Developer ID. In that case, skip ahead to Optional: App Group Description Modification to update the description.

If you have never built the Loop app with Xcode using your TEAMID, you need to create an App Group associated with your TEAMID.

1. Open this link: Register an App Group on the Apple Developer site.
2. For Description, use Loop App Group.
3. For Identifier, enter group.com.TEAMID.loopkit.LoopGroup, substituting your team id for TEAMID.
4. Double-check the spelling - your TEAMID must be correct and the Loop App Group must match the format shown in the previous step
   • A mistake here means you will not be able to build the Loop app until you fix it
5. Click Continue and then Register.

If this is successful, then skip ahead to Add App Group

If you get an error saying An Application Group with Identifier 'group.com.TEAMID.loopkit.LoopGroup' is not available. Please enter a different string, that means you already have the Loop App Group assigned to your account. Continue with the next section.

Optional: App Group Description Modification

This step is not required, but if you previously built using a Mac with Xcode, it is a good idea to update the Name associated with the Identifier for the Loop App Group. Then what you see on your display will match the directions as you continue.

Optional Rename Step (click to open/close)

Click to display the App Group List

Tap on the Identifier that shows group.com.TEAMID.loopkit.LoopGroup where TEAMID is your Developer ID.

• This opens the Edit your Identifier Configuration screen
• In the Description box in the upper left, edit the Description to match the NAME
• Tap Save in the upper right and confirm the the change for that identifier._

Notice in the table below that the XCode version of the NAME for the App Group is the same as the IDENTIFIER but with the . replaced with a space.

NAME	XCode version	IDENTIFIER
Loop App Group	group com TEAMID loopkit LoopGroup	group.com.TEAMID.loopkit.LoopGroup

Add App Group

First, review the Identifiers and then Add App Group to Identifiers.

Identifiers for the Loop app

If you ever built the Loop app using Mac, skip ahead to Previous Xcode Builders.

New Builders

Click this link: Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles: Identifiers List on the Apple Developer site.

If you never built using Xcode, then after the Add Identifiers Action, you will see the six items under NAME, in the table below, with the associated IDENTIFIER information. Your Developer ID replaces the TEAMID in the identifier.

Skip ahead to Table with Name and Identifier.

Previous Xcode Builders

If you built previously using a Mac with Xcode, you may see the XCode version in your NAME column of the table below.

• The name starts with XC and then the IDENTIFIER is appended where the . is replaced with a space, the example for Loop is shown in detail

If you want your NAME column to match the documentation, follow this optional step.

Optional Rename Step (click to open/close)

Referring to the table below, tap on each IDENTIFIER that has a different NAME

• This opens the Edit your App ID Configuration screen
• In the Description box in the upper left, edit the Description to match the NAME
• Tap Save in the upper right and confirm the the change for that identifier._

Only the Identifer Bundle ID matters and that is not something you can edit.

The Description or Name can be whatever you want.

Table with Name and Identifier

NAME	XCode version	IDENTIFIER
Loop	XC com TEAMID loopkit Loop	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop
Loop Intent Extension	XC Identifier	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.Loop-Intent-Extension
Loop Status Extension	XC Identifier	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.statuswidget
Loop Widget Extension	XC Identifier	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.LoopWidgetExtension
WatchApp	XC Identifier	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.LoopWatch
WatchAppExtension	XC Identifier	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.LoopWatch.watchkitextension

Capabilities for Each Identifier (Click to open/close)

When Action: Add Identifiers is working, you do not need this information. If you ever need to manually create the Identiers, the table below lists the required capabilities. For the App Group, you must first add that capability and update the Identifier and then modify the Identifier a second time to add the Loop App Group as directed in the next section.

NAME	IDENTIFIER	Capabilities
Loop	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop	App Groups HealthKit NFC Tag Reading Push Notifications (do not configure) Siri Time Sensitive Notifications
Loop Intent Extension	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.Loop-Intent-Extension	App Groups
Loop Status Extension	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.statuswidget	App Groups
Loop Widget Extension	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.LoopWidgetExtension	App Groups
WatchApp	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.LoopWatch	none
WatchAppExtension	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.LoopWatch.watchkitextension	HealthKit SiriKit

Add App Group to Identifiers

Section Summary (click to open/close)

Note 1 - If you previously built with Xcode, the Names listed below may be different, but the Identifiers will match. The Add Identifier Action that you completed above generates 6 identifiers, but only 4 need to be modified as indicated in this step. A table, provided above, lists both Names and Identifiers for all 6 if you are interested.

Note 2 - Depending on your build history, you may find some of the Identifiers already have your "App Group" and you are just verifying the status.

1. Go to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles on the Apple Developer site.
2. For each of the following identifier names (be sure to look in Identifier column if names do not match):
   • Loop
   • Loop Intent Extension
   • Loop Status Extension
   • Loop Widget Extension
3. Click on the identifier's name.
4. In the App Services column, scroll down to the App Groups row
   • Ensure the check box (under the Capabilities column) for App Groups is checked
   • If the word Edit shows up under NOTES, the App Group is already selected
   • If the word Configure shows up, tap on it
     • This opens the App Group Assignment screen
     • Check the box by Loop App Group that uses your TEAMID in group.com.TEAMID.loopkit.LoopGroup and then Continue and Save
5. Remember to do this for each of the 4 identifiers listed in item 2 above.

To skip the detailed instructions, click on Create Loop App in App Store Connect

Click to open the Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles: Identifiers List page.

Look in the IDENTIFIER column to locate each Identifer. The name in the NAME column may be different if you previously built with a Mac using Xcode.

NAME	IDENTIFIER
Loop	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop
Loop Intent Extension	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.Loop-Intent-Extension
Loop Status Extension	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.statuswidget
Loop Widget Extension	com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop.LoopWidgetExtension

Click on each IDENTIFIER in turn and the Edit Your App ID Configuration screen will open.

Add Time Sensitive Notifications

There is one difference for the Loop Identifier from the other 3 Identifiers. You must manually enable the Time Sensitive Notifications capabilty. Follow the directions below for adding the Loop App Group, but keep scrolling down until you see the Time Sensitive Notifications. Make sure that check box is enabled, as shown in the graphic below. If you do not do this, the Build will fail.

The example graphic below has numbered steps that match these directions. The columns from left to right are Capabilities, App Services and Capability Requests. With the exception of one App Service (for Loop), the check box under Capabilities will already be checked for you.:

1. Looking at the App Services column, scroll down to the App Groups row and ensure the check box (under the Capabilities column) for App Groups is checked
2. If the word Configure shows up, tap on it
   • This opens the App Group Assignment screen
   • If it said Edit instead of Configure - you can click to confirm you have the correct App Group but won't need to continue or save if it is correct
3. Check the box by Loop App Group that uses your TEAMID in group.com.TEAMID.loopkit.LoopGroup
   • Note that if you previously built with Xcode, the name may be different, i.e., XC group com TEAMID loopkit LoopGroup
4. Tap Continue
5. Tap Save

If you did not need to make changes, the Save button will not be active.

• Tap on the < All Identifiers link at the top left

The full list of Identifiers should be displayed again.

Repeat until the 4 Identifiers have the Loop App Group configured.

• If you miss an identifier, the Create Certificates step will succeed but Build Loop will fail.
• If you do not enable the Time Sensitive Notifications for the Loop Identifier, the Create Certificates step will succeed but Build Loop will fail.

Digital Service Act Compliance

In order to create an app you need to indicate whether you are a trader or a non-trader. You are a non-trader unless you use the same Developer ID to submit apps for sale.

Even if the graphic below does not match what you see exactly, it should assist in guiding you through the steps.

Open this link: App Store Connect / Apps; log in if needed.

If you do not see the banner, shown in the top of the graphic below, asking you to Complete Compliance Requirements, you can skip ahead to Create Loop App in App Store Connect.

If you do see the banner, follow the numbered steps in the graphic below:

1. Click on the link that says "Complete Compliance Requirements" to open a new screen shown in the middle of the graphic below

2. Tap on the "Complete Compliance Requirements for Your Name" link to bring up a pop-up shown in the bottom of the graphic below

3. Select the "This is a non-trader provider account" radio button

4. Click Save

You do not need to add a bank account or fill out tax forms if you are only using the App Store to get your own app into TestFlight. You only need to have a paid account with a valid license agreement and have completed this compliance form. Ignore other requests from Apple.

Create Loop App in App Store Connect

Section Summary (click to open/close)

If you have created a Loop app in App Store Connect before, make sure you Remove Apple Vision Pro and then skip ahead to Create Certificates.

1. Click on the link apps list to open App Store Connect and click the blue "plus" icon to create a New App.
   • Select "iOS".
   • Select a name: this will have to be unique, so you may have to try a few different names here, but it will not be the name you see on your phone, so it's not that important.
   • Select your primary language.
   • Choose the bundle ID that matches com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop, with TEAMID matching your team id.
   • SKU can be anything; e.g. "123".
   • Select "Full Access".
2. Click Create

You do not need to fill out the next form. That is for submitting to the app store.

Remove Apple Vision Pro from the app you just created.

To skip the detailed instructions, click on Create Certificates.

If you have created a Loop app in App Store Connect before, skip ahead to Create Certificates.

If you have previously used some kind of remote build, like diawi or TestFlight, you may have your Loop in the App Store but can't see it. Don't worry - there are instructions for this case.

1. Open this link: App Store Connect / Apps to view your apps; log in if needed.

   • If you have never added an app to App Store Connect, you will not see the icons inside the red rectangle and should keep going, although some people report the search icon shows up for them
   • If you have an app that is not shown, you will see a search icon and the All Statuses dropdown. If you get to step 3 and cannot find your com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop in the Bundle ID dropdown, this means you need to follow Find My Loop.

   

2. There might be a blue banner present at this time. If not, it will show up after you have at least one app.

   • The information banner refers to "iOS Apps on Apple Vision Pro"
   • You must wait until you have an app before you can edit the capabilities for the app - this will happen after the next step

3. Click the Add Apps button or the blue "plus" icon ( ) and select New App as shown in the graphic below

   

4. The New App dialog box opens and should appear similar to the graphic below. Before you fill anything out, make sure your Bundle ID is available in the dropdown menu (it shows as Choose in the graphic below). If you do not see com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop, with TEAMID matching your TEAMID in the dropdown menu; back out of this screen and follow the directions in Find My Loop instead.

   • Select iOS.
   • Enter a name: this will have to be unique
     • You could start with Loop_ABC where ABC are your initials
     • If that is already taken, you can add a number, for example, Loop_ABC_123
     • This name is what you see on the App Store Connect list and in the TestFlight app
     • Once installed on your phone, you will see the Loop app with the standard Loop Logo
     • You can Change the App Store Connect Name later if you want
   • Select your primary language.
   • Choose the Bundle ID that matches com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop
   • SKU can be anything; for example 123.
   • Select "Full Access".

   

5. One last check - if the Bundle ID has a number other than your actual 10-digit TEAMID embedded in it, you will be creating an App in the App Store that you cannot use

   • In this case, do NOT select Create
   • Instead, go back and put the correct value into the TEAMID Secret and follow the steps in Errors with Browser: Delete Identifiers
6. Click Create but do not fill out the next form. That is for submitting to the app store and you will not be doing that.

Remove Apple Vision Pro

This might not be displayed anymore. Leaving it here in case you see this.

It is now time to edit the availability of your app on Apple Vision Pro. If you skip this step, you will get an annoying email telling you Apple Vision Pro is not supported by your app.

• First click to return to the main App Store Connect. In the message section labeled iOS Apps on Apple Vision Pro, click on "Edit Availability", highlighted by the red rectangle in the graphic below.

  

• This opens a new screen. By default, all your apps have Apple Vision Pro selected. Tap on the None button and then save to remove this.

• If you later create a new app, you might need to perform the same task for the new app
  
  

  

You are done with this activity and can close the browser tab. It's time to head back to your GitHub account and Create Certificates

Find My Loop

This section is for people who were not able to follow the instructions in the last section because com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop, with TEAMID matching your TEAMID, was not in the dropdown menu for Bundle ID.

There are two possible reasons:

1. You did not complete Add App Group to Identifiers or one of the predecessor steps; review those steps
2. Your app is already in App Store Connect, but you cannot see it

You may have no memory of ever setting up Loop in App Store Connect. If you previously used some kind of remote build, like diawi, your Loop may be there as a Removed App.

• Open this link: App Store Connect / Apps, look for the All Statuses dropdown indicator, and select Removed Apps

  

• Click on the App name:

  

• Ensure this is the app you want by selecting App Information, highlighted on the left side in the graphic below.

  • Examine its Bundle ID (not in view in this graphic) - confirm it is correct.
  • The format should be: com.TEAMID.loopkit.Loop with your TEAMID included

• Then scroll down to the bottom and choose Restore App.

  

• Make sure User Access is set to Full Access and click on Restore.

  

Next Step

The next step is to configure your TestFlight Group for this app.