iOS development build still blocked after #4402 — issue remains reproducible

[EmrePatan]

Hi Expo team,

I'm opening a new issue as a follow-up to #4402 because the original issue is now closed, but the problem is still reproducible and is blocking development on a physical iOS device.

Related issue: #4402

Project environment
Expo SDK: 57
React Native: 0.86.3
React: 19.2.3
expo-router: ~57.0.21
Platform: iOS
Device testing target: physical iPhone
Build system: EAS Build
App package/bundle identifier is already configured
EAS project is already linked
Current situation

The application itself is working in development, and the remaining blocker is creating/using the iOS development build required for physical-device testing.

This is particularly blocking real-device push notification validation.

The project already has its EAS configuration in place, but the development-build flow still encounters the same underlying problem discussed in #4402.

The original issue has been closed, so I am opening this issue because the problem remains reproducible with the current project/tooling.

Expected behavior

I should be able to create an iOS development build through EAS and install/run it on the registered physical iPhone.

Actual behavior

The development-build flow cannot be completed because the issue reported in #4402 still occurs.

As a result, I cannot complete physical-device validation.

Why this matters

This is currently blocking:

physical iOS development-build testing
Expo push-notification end-to-end testing
APNs/device-token validation
final production-readiness testing on a real iPhone
Additional context

This is not a request to reopen #4402 blindly.

I would like to confirm whether:

#4402 was expected to be fixed by a specific EAS CLI / Expo version,
there is a currently recommended workaround,
or this is still a known issue that needs further investigation.

I can provide the latest EAS CLI output, build logs, project configuration, and a minimal reproduction if needed.

Thanks.

Managed or bare?

Managed

Environment

expo-doctor:
21/21 checks passed. No issues detected!

expo-env-info 2.1.0 environment info:

System:
OS: Windows 11 10.0.26200

Binaries:
Node: 24.19.0
npm: 11.17.0

IDEs:
Android Studio: AI-261.26222.65.2614.16204760

npmPackages:
babel-preset-expo: ~57.0.0 => 57.0.12
expo: ~57.0.23 => 57.0.23
expo-router: ~57.0.21 => 57.0.21
react: 19.2.3 => 19.2.3
react-dom: 19.2.3 => 19.2.3
react-native: 0.86.3 => 0.86.3

Expo Workflow: managed

Error output

Resolved "development" environment for the build. Learn more: https://docs.expo.dev/eas/environment-variables/#setting-the-environment-for-your-builds
Environment variables with visibility "Plain text" and "Sensitive" loaded from the "development" environment on EAS: EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL.
Environment variables loaded from the "development" build profile "env" configuration: EXPO_PUBLIC_APP_ENV.

√ Using local iOS credentials (credentials.json)
√ Push Notifications are set up

Compressing project files and uploading to EAS Build. Learn more: https://expo.fyi/eas-build-archive
√ Compressed project files 1s (2.0 MB)
√ Uploaded to EAS 1s
√ Computed project fingerprint

See logs: https://expo.dev/accounts/emrepatan/projects/movieapp-mobile/builds/1763115c-dfa2-492f-a035-0f1ccb7562b8

Waiting for build to complete. You can press Ctrl+C to exit.
× Build failed

🍏 iOS build failed:
Unknown error. See logs of the Prepare credentials build phase for more information.

Reproducible demo or steps to reproduce from a blank project

The issue is reproducible from a fresh/minimal Expo project as well, so it does not appear to be specific to my application code.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create a fresh Expo project using Expo SDK 57.

2. Configure the project for EAS Build.

3. Configure an iOS development build profile.

4. Configure iOS credentials / push notification support.

5. Run an iOS development build:

   npx eas-cli@latest build --platform ios --profile development --verbose-logs

6. EAS successfully:

   • resolves the build environment,
   • processes the project,
   • uploads the project,
   • calculates the project fingerprint,
   • and reports that Push Notifications are set up.

7. The build then fails during the "Prepare credentials" phase with:

   🍏 iOS build failed:
   Unknown error. See logs of the Prepare credentials build phase for more information.

The same failure occurs in both:

• my existing Expo SDK 57 application
• a fresh/minimal Expo test project

My main project currently also passes:

npx expo-doctor

Result:

21/21 checks passed. No issues detected.

This appears to be the same issue previously reported in #4402.