TestFlight build without version change

When distributing my app to external testers i can enjoy doing so without waiting for testflight review if i keep the app version the same and change only the build number, this works great.


once i release the build for appstore, when I submit another testflight build it insists on increasing the app version ("file must contain a higher version than that of the previously approved version"), but if i do so - i have to wait for testflight approval. is there a way around it?


1) 0.0.1 build 10 // first testflight build of 0.0.1 - needs testflight approval, ok

2) 0.0.1 build 11 // version not changed - no testflight approval needed, good

3) 0.0.1 build 12 // version not changed - no testflight approval needed, good

4) 0.0.1 build 13 // submitted to appstore - appstore approval, ok, no testflight approval needed, good

5) 0.0.1 build 14 // for testflight purposes only! -- error "must contain a higher version"! oops...

(kind of weird that i can't submit another version of 0.0.1 just for testflight purposes)

6) 0.0.2 build 15 // for testflight purposes only! - needs testflight approval...

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way around this, but I guess it makes sense that once a version of your app has been released/approved for release you can only start testing a version that is higher than it.

this is unfortunate for us (and seems like a resource waste for Apple) when we want to do a bug fix or few during step (5) - in order to do that we have to wait for TF approval despite of the fact that the version just passed AppStore approval, which is a more thorough check.

On the whole, I think TestFlight just isn't worth it and it is unfeasable for any "normal" company to use -- I mean, how much control of your internal development process do you want to lose to a third party?
TestFlight build without version change
 
 
Q