iOS Device Pools

By default, QA Wolf runs iOS tests on real, physical devices shared across customers, resigning your app during installation so it can install unreleased builds without a per-app provisioning profile. Two situations need different device access instead:

A feature can’t be tested on a resigned app — push notifications and universal links (associated domains) depend on capabilities tied to a provisioning profile for your app’s bundle ID, which only you can produce. Sign the app yourself for QA Wolf’s devices instead — these are allowlisted devices.
A test needs full device control, or data/configuration to persist across runs — for example, MDM (Mobile Device Management) testing. QA Wolf can dedicate devices to your team — these are private devices.

Contact your QA Wolf representative to enable allowlisted or private devices for your team.

Shared vs. allowlisted vs. private

	Shared (default)	Allowlisted	Private
Device pool	Shared across customers	Part of the shared pool	Dedicated to your team
App signing	Resigned by QA Wolf	Signed by you for QA Wolf’s devices	Signed by you; resigning skippable
State between runs	Cleaned up between every run	Cleaned up between every run	Can persist across runs

Private devices can do anything allowlisted devices can. You can share the UDIDs of private devices and skip resigning when that’s needed for your tests.

Allowlisted devices

Sign the app for QA Wolf’s devices

QA Wolf shares a set of device UDIDs with you. Add these devices to the provisioning profile for your app’s bundle ID.

Build and sign the app for those devices using that profile.

Include QA Wolf instrumentation

When QA Wolf resigns an app, it injects an instrumentation library that lets your tests mock system behavior. When you sign the app yourself, include this library so mocking still works.

Fastlane users — use the inject_qawolf_instrumentation action from the QA Wolf Fastlane plugin.
Non-Fastlane users — use the injection script in the plugin repository.

After injecting the instrumentation library, resign the IPA. Fastlane users can use the Fastlane resign action; otherwise resign the IPA with whatever your pipeline already uses.

Target allowlisted devices

Set targetDevices to Allowlisted Device in your workflow’s target configuration so the run is scheduled on the devices you signed the app for. deviceModel and iosVersion depend on the devices QA Wolf allocated for your team.

{
  platform: "ios",
  schemaVersion: 1,
  meta: {
    deviceModel: "iPhone 15",
    iosVersion: "26",
    targetDevices: "Allowlisted Device",
  },
}

Disable resigning

Because you signed the app yourself, disable QA Wolf’s resigning when the app launches by setting the qawolf:disableResigning capability:

import { flow } from "@qawolf/flows/ios";

export default flow(
  "Test push notifications",
  {
    target: {
      platform: "ios",
      schemaVersion: 1,
      meta: {
        deviceModel: "iPhone 15",
        iosVersion: "26",
        targetDevices: "Allowlisted Device",
      },
    },
    launch: {
      app: { env: "IPA_BUILD_LOCATION" },
      capabilities: {
        "qawolf:disableResigning": true,
      },
    },
  },
  async ({ driver, test }) => {
    await test("notification is received", async () => {
      // your test steps
    });
  },
);

Private devices

Set targetDevices to Team Dedicated Device in your workflow’s target configuration so the run is scheduled on your team’s devices. deviceModel and iosVersion depend on the devices QA Wolf allocated for your team.

{
  platform: "ios",
  schemaVersion: 1,
  meta: {
    deviceModel: "iPhone 15",
    iosVersion: "26",
    targetDevices: "Team Dedicated Device",
  },
}

Flow conventions

@qawolf/flows

@qawolf/pom

@qawolf/testkit

@qawolf/emails

@qawolf/cli

Local execution

@qawolf/ci-sdk

REST

Shared vs. allowlisted vs. private

Allowlisted devices

Sign the app for QA Wolf’s devices

Include QA Wolf instrumentation

Target allowlisted devices

Disable resigning

Private devices

​Shared vs. allowlisted vs. private

​Allowlisted devices

​Sign the app for QA Wolf’s devices

​Include QA Wolf instrumentation

​Target allowlisted devices

​Disable resigning

​Private devices

Shared vs. allowlisted vs. private

Allowlisted devices

Sign the app for QA Wolf’s devices

Include QA Wolf instrumentation

Target allowlisted devices

Disable resigning

Private devices