Itms-services Action Download-manifest Amp-url Https

When writing the actual link in HTML, you should use:

<a href="itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=https://example.com/app.plist">Install App</a>

When using in a shell script or email client that supports raw URIs, use:

itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=https://example.com/app.plist Itms-services Action Download-manifest Amp-url Https

Never use amp-url literally. It will break the installation.

On your download page, create an anchor tag: When writing the actual link in HTML, you

<a href="itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=https://apps.yourcompany.com/releases/v1.2.3/manifest.plist">
  Tap to install MyApp v1.2.3
</a>

If using redirects, ensure the final URL remains HTTPS and accessible.

Check device console logs (via macOS Console.app when device connected) for installer errors.

To understand why this keyword exists, you must understand Apple’s Over-the-Air (OTA) distribution.

The problem: How do you get a proprietary iOS app onto 500 employee iPhones without going through App Store review? The solution: OTA using the itms-services scheme. When using in a shell script or email

The process involves three components:

For that link to work, it must point to a server hosting a file with the following XML structure. This tells the device what app to download.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>items</key>
    <array>
        <dict>
            <key>assets</key>
            <array>
                <dict>
                    <key>kind</key>
                    <string>software-package</string>
                    <key>url</key>
                    <string>https://example.com/apps/YourAppName.ipa</string>
                </dict>
            </array>
            <key>metadata</key>
            <dict>
                <key>bundle-identifier</key>
                <string>com.example.yourappname</string>
                <key>bundle-version</key>
                <string>1.0.0</string>
                <key>kind</key>
                <string>software</string>
                <key>title</key>
                <string>Your App Name</string>
            </dict>
        </dict>
    </array>
</dict>
</plist>