Manus AI Launches App Store Publishing Tools for iOS and Android Developers
James Ding Jan 19, 2026 12:16
Manus AI introduces App Sharing and Testing feature that automates app packaging for Google Play and TestFlight, cutting deployment time from days to minutes.
Manus AI, the general-purpose AI agent from Butterfly Effect Pte. Ltd., rolled out a new App Sharing and Testing feature that streamlines the notoriously painful process of getting mobile apps into testing environments on Google Play and Apple's App Store.
The update targets a specific bottleneck that plagues developers using no-code and AI-assisted platforms: the gap between finishing an app and actually getting it onto testers' devices. What typically takes days of wrestling with platform-specific configurations now happens through a guided workflow.
What Actually Ships
For Android, Manus handles packaging apps into Google's required AAB format and prepares them for upload to the Play Console. The iOS integration goes deeper—Manus connects directly with TestFlight, creating the app in a developer's Apple account, packaging the build, and uploading to App Store Connect automatically.
The feature doesn't publish apps live to either store. Instead, it handles the testing infrastructure that precedes any public release. Once Apple processes a build, developers receive TestFlight invitations and can distribute to internal or external testers through App Store Connect.
Requirements and Access
iOS publishing requires an Apple Developer account (currently $99/year). Android distribution through Google Play needs a Google Play Developer account ($25 one-time fee). The feature is available to all Manus users with the "Develop Apps" capability enabled.
This follows Manus's January 11 release of version 1.6 Max, which the company said improved task success rates and user satisfaction. The platform already supports end-to-end mobile development including backend databases, user authentication, payment processing, and email notifications.
The Practical Upshot
For solo developers and small teams using AI tools to build apps, the traditional app store submission process remains one of the steepest learning curves. Apple's requirements alone involve provisioning profiles, code signing certificates, and App Store Connect configurations that trip up even experienced developers.
Manus is betting that abstracting these steps keeps users on the platform longer and reduces the point where many AI-built apps simply die—stuck between "working prototype" and "something people can actually install."
The company frames this as an on-ramp rather than a complete solution. Final app store submissions still require manual review and approval through the respective developer consoles, but the initial technical hurdles are handled automatically.
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