chore: Disable iOS external group distribution by default (#30272)

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## **Description**

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also include relevant motivation and context. Have in mind the following
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2. What is the improvement/solution?
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These changes disables iOS external group distribution by default within
our workflows. We're going to try relying on internal group distribution
instead since it removes the Apple review bottleneck from External
builds. Uploaded builds to internal groups will be immediately
available.

## **Changelog**

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CHANGELOG entry:

## **Related issues**

Fixes: https://consensyssoftware.atlassian.net/browse/MCWP-607

## **Manual testing steps**

```gherkin
Feature: my feature name

  Scenario: user [verb for user action]
    Given [describe expected initial app state]

    When user [verb for user action]
    Then [describe expected outcome]
```

## **Screenshots/Recordings**

<!-- If applicable, add screenshots and/or recordings to visualize the
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### **Before**

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### **After**

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## **Pre-merge author checklist**

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- [ ] I've followed [MetaMask Contributor
Docs](https://github.com/MetaMask/contributor-docs) and [MetaMask Mobile
Coding
Standards](https://github.com/MetaMask/metamask-mobile/blob/main/.github/guidelines/CODING_GUIDELINES.md).
- [ ] I've completed the PR template to the best of my ability
- [ ] I've included tests if applicable
- [ ] I've documented my code using [JSDoc](https://jsdoc.app/) format
if applicable
- [ ] I've applied the right labels on the PR (see [labeling
guidelines](https://github.com/MetaMask/metamask-mobile/blob/main/.github/guidelines/LABELING_GUIDELINES.md)).
Not required for external contributors.

#### Performance checks (if applicable)

- [ ] I've tested on Android
  - Ideally on a mid-range device; emulator is acceptable
- [ ] I've tested with a power user scenario
- Use these [power-user
SRPs](https://consensyssoftware.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TL1/pages/edit-v2/401401446401?draftShareId=9d77e1e1-4bdc-4be1-9ebb-ccd916988d93)
to import wallets with many accounts and tokens
- [ ] I've instrumented key operations with Sentry traces for production
performance metrics
- See [`trace()`](/app/util/trace.ts) for usage and
[`addToken`](/app/components/Views/AddAsset/components/AddCustomToken/AddCustomToken.tsx#L274)
for an example

For performance guidelines and tooling, see the [Performance
Guide](https://consensyssoftware.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TL1/pages/400085549067/Performance+Guide+for+Engineers).

## **Pre-merge reviewer checklist**

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checklist: an
unchecked box is ambiguous, a checked box means the reviewer consciously
assessed that responsibility. See `docs/readme/ready-for-review.md`.
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- [ ] I've manually tested the PR (e.g. pull and build branch, run the
app, test code being changed).
- [ ] I confirm that this PR addresses all acceptance criteria described
in the ticket it closes and includes the necessary testing evidence such
as recordings and or screenshots.

<!-- CURSOR_SUMMARY -->
---

> [!NOTE]
> **Medium Risk**
> Changes the default `distribute_external` behavior for iOS TestFlight
uploads across GitHub workflows and Fastlane, which could
unintentionally stop external tester distribution if callers relied on
the prior default.
> 
> **Overview**
> iOS TestFlight uploads now **default to internal-only distribution**
by setting `distribute_external` to `false` by default in
`upload-to-testflight.yml`, `scripts/upload-to-testflight.sh`, and the
Fastlane `upload_to_testflight_only` lane.
> 
> Workflow callers (e.g. `nightly-build.yml`, `runway-*-builds.yml`,
`auto-rc-ota-build-core.yml`) remove explicit `distribute_external`
overrides and update input descriptions to reflect the new default.
> 
> <sup>Reviewed by [Cursor Bugbot](https://cursor.com/bugbot) for commit
d2b15fb. Bugbot is set up for automated
code reviews on this repo. Configure
[here](https://www.cursor.com/dashboard/bugbot).</sup>
<!-- /CURSOR_SUMMARY -->

Author: Cal-L

.github/workflows/auto-rc-ota-build-core.yml

@@ -142,5 +142,4 @@ jobs:
       build_commit_sha: ${{ needs.trigger-build.outputs.built_commit_sha }}
       build_version: ${{ needs.trigger-build.outputs.semantic_version }}
       build_number: ${{ needs.trigger-build.outputs.ios_version_code }}
-      distribute_external: false
     secrets: inherit

.github/workflows/build-and-upload-to-testflight.yml

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ on:
         type: string
         default: 'MetaMask BETA & Release Candidates'
       distribute_external:
-        description: 'Whether to distribute to external testers. Defaults to false; nightly-build.yml relies on the script default (true) so it always distributes externally.'
+        description: 'Whether to distribute to external testers. (default: false)'
         required: false
         type: boolean
         default: false
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ on:
           - 'MM Card Team'
           - 'Ramp Provider Testing'
       distribute_external:
-        description: 'Whether to distribute to external testers'
+        description: 'Whether to distribute to external testers (default: false)'
         required: false
         type: boolean
         default: false

.github/workflows/nightly-build.yml

@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ jobs:
       source_branch: main
       environment: exp
       testflight_group: 'MetaMask BETA & Release Candidates'
-      distribute_external: true
     secrets: inherit
 
   # ── iOS rc: build + TestFlight upload (after exp for sequential versions) ─
@@ -43,7 +42,6 @@ jobs:
       source_branch: main
       environment: rc
       testflight_group: 'MetaMask BETA & Release Candidates'
-      distribute_external: false
     secrets: inherit
 
   # ── Android exp: ephemeral branch + build ──────────────────────────────

.github/workflows/runway-production-builds.yml

@@ -65,5 +65,4 @@ jobs:
       build_commit_sha: ${{ needs.build.outputs.built_commit_sha }}
       build_version: ${{ needs.build.outputs.semantic_version }}
       build_number: ${{ needs.build.outputs.ios_version_code }}
-      distribute_external: false
     secrets: inherit

.github/workflows/runway-rc-builds.yml

@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ jobs:
       build_commit_sha: ${{ needs.build.outputs.built_commit_sha }}
       build_version: ${{ needs.build.outputs.semantic_version }}
       build_number: ${{ needs.build.outputs.ios_version_code }}
-      distribute_external: false
     secrets: inherit
 
   slack-notification:

.github/workflows/upload-to-testflight.yml

@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ on:
         required: true
         type: string
       distribute_external:
-        description: 'Whether to distribute to external testers. Set false for nightly/internal builds to avoid expiring previous TestFlight builds.'
+        description: 'Whether to distribute to external testers. (default: false)'
         required: false
         type: boolean
-        default: true
+        default: false
       runner_provider:
         description: Runner provider forwarded from the caller
         required: false

ios/fastlane/Fastfile

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ platform :ios do
     # Convert groups parameter to array (Fastlane CLI passes strings, not arrays)
     groups_param = options[:groups] || ['MetaMask BETA & Release Candidates']
     groups = groups_param.is_a?(Array) ? groups_param : [groups_param]
-    distribute_external = options[:distribute_external].nil? ? true : options[:distribute_external].to_s.downcase == 'true'
+    distribute_external = options[:distribute_external].nil? ? false : options[:distribute_external].to_s.downcase == 'true'
     notify_external_testers = distribute_external
 
     if ipa_path.nil? || ipa_path.empty?

scripts/upload-to-testflight.sh

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #   branch              - Git branch name (required)
 #   ipa_path            - Optional: Direct path to IPA file (if not provided, uses find-ipa-file.sh)
 #   testflight_group    - Optional: TestFlight external testing group name (default: MetaMask BETA & Release Candidates)
-#   distribute_external - Optional: Whether to distribute to external testers (default: true)
+#   distribute_external - Optional: Whether to distribute to external testers (default: false)
 #
 # Environment variables:
 #   IPA_PATH - IPA path (set by find-ipa-file.sh if not provided as argument)
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ PIPELINE_NAME="$1"
 BRANCH="$2"
 LOCAL_IPA_PATH="$3"
 TESTFLIGHT_GROUP="${4:-MetaMask BETA & Release Candidates}"
-DISTRIBUTE_EXTERNAL="${5:-true}"
+DISTRIBUTE_EXTERNAL="${5:-false}"
 
 # Get IPA path: use argument if provided, otherwise use find-ipa-file.sh
 if [ -n "$LOCAL_IPA_PATH" ]; then