xcode is creating generic xcode archive instead of iOS App Archive

My case wasn't 'skip install' nor a cocoapods issue. It appears that one of the 3rd party frameworks which I ended up not using was the cause for this. The solution was simply removing it.

In order to track this issue I right clicked the generic archive file in Xcode's organizer and selected 'show in finder' -> right click the archive file -> select Show Package Contents -> Products -> Applications and inside this folder you can see what other files are in it besides the {project-name}.app file. In my case there was a file with the prefix of the framework I wasn't using, which led to its removal from the project's workspace.

If you have any .xcodeproj files in Project>Targets>Build Phases>target dependencies remove it from there and then build your ipa. It works for me. Cheers

In my case problem was "Skip install" set to "NO" for one of embedded static libraries. Also useful link: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/technotes/tn2215/_index.html