title: How come I can install an app store distribution build directly on my device?
body: <p>I was under the impression that it was impossible to install an app store distribution build directly on a test device (without going through the actual App Store). I found multiple references to the following note by Apple (though I could not find the note itself in the current version of the iOS App Distribution Guide):</p>
  
  <p><em>"App Store provisioning profiles do not allow for a distribution built application to be installed on an Apple device. To install your distribution ready application on a device, you must create an Ad Hoc provisioning profile."</em></p>
  
  <p>Now consider the following: I have an Ad Hoc Distribution provisioning profile and an App Store Distribution provisioning profile. The ad hoc profile contains a list of provisioned devices, the app store profile doesn't. My (no jailbrake) device is included in the provisioned devices in the ad hoc profile. My build was signed with the app store profile. The resulting .ipa file was <strong>submitted to the App Store</strong> (and approved - but it is not publicly available yet). When I view the package contents of the .ipa file, I see that the embedded.mobileprovision is indeed the app store profile (without the provisioned devices list). When I drag this profile to my Xcode Organizer, I get an error that the profile cannot be installed because the device is not included in the profile (as expected). However, when I drag the .ipa file to my Xcode Organizer, the <strong>app installs on the device</strong> (and can be opened on the device afterwards). I tried this after making sure there were no other copies of the same app installed on the device. The same thing does not work when I use a different device that is not included in the provisioned devices of the ad hoc profile (even though the .ipa contains the app store profile without provisioned devices list).</p>
  
  <p>Does anyone have a possible explanation for this? It seems that somehow a build signed with an app store profile can still be installed on a device included in the corresponding (same app identifier? same team identifier?) ad hoc profile. But if this would be the case, what is the point of making separate ad hoc builds?</p>