Continuous Integration for Flutter Apps on iOS with Semaphore

Publishing iOS apps using Flutter involves a complex process that includes code signing, Apple's review process, and the need for automation in testing and deployment, for which Continuous Integration (CI) is highly beneficial. This text outlines how to set up a CI pipeline for Flutter apps on iOS using Semaphore, emphasizing the need for macOS and Xcode due to iOS development requirements. It introduces Flutter as a cross-platform UI toolkit and demonstrates how to utilize Semaphore's Visual Builder to create workflow pipelines with blocks for tasks such as installing dependencies, linting, running unit and UI tests, and building artifacts. The use of cached dependencies and the setup of simulators for integration tests are detailed, along with the option to integrate Slack notifications for build updates. The overall goal is to streamline the deployment process and improve the stability and quality of the app, allowing developers to focus more on building user-centric solutions.