Context

Apple requires screenshots of your app for App Store submission. If you don't have access to a Mac, you may be wondering how to capture the necessary screenshots using Codemagic. Automated screenshot approaches (such as running screenshot tests during a build) often result in only the first screen (e.g., the login screen) being captured, which is not sufficient for App Store submission.

Answer

There are two approaches you can use to capture App Store screenshots via Codemagic without a Mac:

Option 1: Manual Screenshots via VNC (Remote Access)

You can connect to a Codemagic Mac machine remotely over VNC and use the iOS Simulator to manually navigate your app and capture each screen. Here's how:

1. Enable remote access in your build configuration before triggering the build.

2. Manually trigger the build — remote access only works on manually triggered builds.

3. After the build finishes, you have a 10-minute window to connect via VNC.

4. Once connected, launch your app in the iOS Simulator, log in, and navigate to each screen you want to capture.

5. Take screenshots of each required screen manually.

Note: Plan your screens in advance. The session remains active until you cancel it or reach the maximum build duration limit (60 minutes by default).

For setup instructions, refer to the Codemagic documentation on accessing the builder machine remotely.

Option 2: Automated Screenshots with Fastlane + Codemagic

If you prefer an automated approach, you can use Fastlane in combination with Codemagic to automatically generate screenshots. This requires setting up Fastlane's screenshot tooling within your Codemagic workflow.

For a detailed walkthrough, see the Codemagic blog post on automating iOS screenshots using Fastlane and Codemagic.