Moving from TestFlight to the App Store Version | Support

Moving from TestFlight to the App Store Version

Last updated: May 18, 2026 · Applies to: iPhone (iOS 16+)

Earn Your Ears is now live on the App Store. If you've been running the beta through TestFlight, this article walks through making the switch — what to install, what carries over (your data, your runs, your account), and what to do with TestFlight once you don't need it for Earn Your Ears anymore.

Why you should switch: TestFlight builds expire 90 days after they were uploaded. Once that timer runs out, the beta version stops working. The App Store version doesn't expire and gets regular updates — switching now is the way to keep using the app long-term.

The short version

Three steps, about 90 seconds total:

Open the App Store on your iPhone and search for Earn Your Ears
Tap Get (or Update) — the App Store version installs over the TestFlight version automatically
Open the app and sign in with your existing account — all your data is already there

Open Earn Your Ears in App Store

Tap on your iPhone — the App Store link only works on iOS devices.

What carries over

What	Carries over?
Your account (email, display name, profile)	Yes — stored in our backend, not on your phone
Run History (every saved run, with GPS tracks)	Yes — same backend, signed in with the same email
Active Training Plan and progress	Yes
Race Day settings (selected weekend, race, corral)	Yes
Voice coaching settings	Yes (since 1.3.0 these persist server-side)
Founding Member status (first 25 beta testers)	Yes — tied to your account email, restored on first launch
Location permission	Yes — iOS keeps your existing permission across the install

Nothing is lost. Because the App Store version shares the same bundle (com.dismiles.app) as your TestFlight version, iOS treats them as the same app — your local data, settings, and permissions stay in place. Anything stored on our server (account, runs, plan progress) syncs automatically when you sign in.

Step-by-step

1 Open the App Store on your iPhone

Tap the blue App Store icon on your home screen.

2 Search for "Earn Your Ears"

Tap the Search tab at the bottom of the App Store, then type Earn Your Ears in the search bar. You should see our app icon (purple gradient with a runner silhouette and Disney-style castle).

3 Tap Get (or Update)

The button label depends on iOS version and what's already installed:

Get — iOS thinks this is a new install. Tap it; the App Store version will install over the TestFlight one.
Update — iOS detected the TestFlight build and is treating the App Store version as an update. Same result.
Open — you've already got the App Store version installed. Skip to step 5.

4 Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your Apple ID password

Apple requires authentication for any App Store install or update, even for free apps. Use whatever method your iPhone is set up for.

5 Open the app

Tap the Earn Your Ears icon on your home screen. You should be signed in already — if not, sign in with the same email and password you used in the beta. Your runs, plans, and settings will be right where you left them.

Quick sanity check: Once you're in, tap the Profile tab. Confirm your name and email look right, and that your Premium / Founding Member status is showing as expected. Then tap Plan to make sure your active training plan is still there. If anything looks off, see the Troubleshooting section below.

What to do with TestFlight

Your TestFlight install of Earn Your Ears is now redundant. Two options:

If Earn Your Ears was the only app you tested

You can delete TestFlight entirely. Long-press the TestFlight icon (the blue propeller) on your home screen and tap Remove App → Delete App. That removes both TestFlight and any leftover beta entry for Earn Your Ears.

If you test other beta apps

Keep TestFlight installed. Just open it, find Earn Your Ears in your apps list, and tap Stop Testing. This removes Earn Your Ears from your TestFlight account without touching anything else.

Don't delete the Earn Your Ears app from TestFlight before installing the App Store version. If you do, you may lose your active sign-in session and have to sign back in. (Your data is still safe in our backend — you just have to re-authenticate.)

How updates work after the switch

Once you're on the App Store version, updates work the same way they do for any other App Store app:

Update type	How it gets to you
App Store updates	iOS downloads and installs automatically (or you'll see a badge on the App Store icon if you have auto-updates off)
OTA updates	Smaller, faster fixes still arrive over the air. Close and reopen the app to pick them up — same as during the beta.

You'll no longer see TestFlight update notifications. The small build YYYY.MM.DDx tag on the home screen still appears and still updates with each OTA — that's the easiest way to tell whether you have the latest fixes.

Troubleshooting

I can't find Earn Your Ears in the App Store

Make sure you're searching from your iPhone, not a Mac or iPad. Also confirm your App Store region is set to the United States — the app is currently only available in the US App Store. To check: iOS Settings → tap your name at the top → Media & Purchases → View Account → Country/Region.

The button says "Open" instead of "Get" — did the App Store version already install?

Probably. iOS auto-updated you to the App Store version overnight if you had Auto-Updates enabled and the TestFlight build had matching metadata. Tap Open and verify your data is intact (see Quick Sanity Check above).

I tapped Update and now my home screen has two Earn Your Ears icons

That should not happen — both versions use the same bundle, so iOS slots them into the same app icon. If you do see two, the second one is a Search Suggestion or App Library entry, not a real second install. Long-press the duplicates to confirm. If both are real installs (rare), delete one and reopen the other — your data lives in our backend, so signing back in will restore everything.

I signed in and my runs aren't there

First check that you're signed in with the exact same email you used during the beta — capitalization doesn't matter but typos do. If the email matches, force-close the app (swipe up to App Switcher, swipe Earn Your Ears up), reopen it, and pull down on the home screen to refresh. If runs still don't appear, email us — we can look up your account server-side.

I was a Founding Member but Premium features are locked

Open Profile and tap Restore Purchases. Founding Member status is granted via your account email, so once you've signed in correctly the restore should re-grant Lifetime Premium within a few seconds. If that doesn't work, email us from the email tied to your account.

The app is asking for Location permission again

This shouldn't happen normally — iOS preserves Location permission across an in-place update. If it does ask, choose Allow While Using App, then go to iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Earn Your Ears and set it to Always so background GPS works during runs.

When does my TestFlight version stop working?

Each TestFlight build expires 90 days after it was uploaded. After expiry, the app shows an "Expired" message on launch and won't run until you install a newer build (TestFlight or App Store). The App Store version has no expiry — install it now and you don't need to think about TestFlight expiry again.

I'm running the App Store version on this phone but TestFlight on another — will that cause issues?

No. They're functionally the same code with the same bundle ID, and your account / data lives in our backend. Both will stay in sync as long as you're signed in to the same email.

I deleted TestFlight and the Earn Your Ears icon disappeared too — is my data gone?

No, your data is safe on our server. Install the App Store version, sign back in with the same email, and your runs, plans, and settings will all reappear. The only things that don't survive an uninstall are the locally cached pieces (voice settings sync, OTA bundle) — those re-download on first launch.

Need More Help?

If anything looks off after the switch, the fastest path is to email us with your account email so we can verify your data server-side:

Email Support

support@earnyourears.app · We typically respond within 24 hours

Or reach us on:

Discord — Join here
Support portal — support.earnyourears.com/portal