diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1b30dd53b3..9268eb6cb6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ This is the log of notable changes to EAS CLI and related packages.
 
 ### 🐛 Bug fixes
 
+- [eas-cli] Stop `eas build` from looping forever printing "There are still no registered devices." when a device registration method other than Website registers no devices. ([#4254](https://github.com/expo/eas-cli/pull/4254) by [@dennytosp](https://github.com/dennytosp))
+
 ### 🧹 Chores
 
 ## [22.2.0](https://github.com/expo/eas-cli/releases/tag/v22.2.0) - 2026-08-20
diff --git a/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile.ts b/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile.ts
index 20c5ae4a42..120d288702 100644
--- a/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile.ts
+++ b/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile.ts
@@ -388,15 +388,24 @@ export class SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile {
       const devices = await ctx.ios.getDevicesForAppleTeamAsync(ctx.graphqlClient, app, appleTeam, {
         useCache: false,
       });
-      if (devices.length === 0) {
-        Log.warn('There are still no registered devices.');
-        // if the user used the input method there should be some devices available
-        if (method === RegistrationMethod.INPUT) {
-          throw new Error('Input registration method has failed');
-        }
-      } else {
+      if (devices.length > 0) {
         return devices;
       }
+
+      Log.warn('There are still no registered devices.');
+      // if the user used the input method there should be some devices available
+      if (method === RegistrationMethod.INPUT) {
+        throw new Error('Input registration method has failed');
+      }
+      // Only the website method registers devices out of band, so only there does waiting and
+      // reading the list again stand a chance of returning something. Every other method is done
+      // registering by the time it resolves - with nothing to wait for, looping would just reread
+      // the same empty list forever and leave the user no way out but killing the process.
+      if (method !== RegistrationMethod.WEBSITE) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `No devices were registered. Run 'eas device:create' to register your devices first.`
+        );
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/__tests__/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile-test.ts b/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/__tests__/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile-test.ts
index 3eebe7bfb2..e5a69d5e2e 100644
--- a/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/__tests__/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile-test.ts
+++ b/packages/eas-cli/src/credentials/ios/actions/__tests__/SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile-test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { EasJson } from '@expo/eas-json';
 
 import { Analytics } from '../../../../analytics/AnalyticsManager';
 import { ExpoGraphqlClient } from '../../../../commandUtils/context/contextUtils/createGraphqlClient';
+import DeviceCreateAction, { RegistrationMethod } from '../../../../devices/actions/create/action';
 import {
   Account,
   AppleAppIdentifierFragment,
@@ -10,11 +11,12 @@ import {
   AppleDeviceClass,
   AppleDeviceFragment,
   AppleDistributionCertificateFragment,
+  AppleTeamFragment,
   IosAppBuildCredentialsFragment,
 } from '../../../../graphql/generated';
 import Log from '../../../../log';
 import { getApplePlatformFromTarget } from '../../../../project/ios/target';
-import { selectAsync } from '../../../../prompts';
+import { pressAnyKeyToContinueAsync, selectAsync } from '../../../../prompts';
 import { Actor } from '../../../../user/User';
 import { Client } from '../../../../vcs/vcs';
 import { CredentialsContext, CredentialsContextProjectInfo } from '../../../context';
@@ -56,6 +58,11 @@ jest.mock('../SetUpDistributionCertificate', () => ({
 import { SetUpDistributionCertificate } from '../SetUpDistributionCertificate';
 jest.mock('../../../../project/ios/target');
 jest.mock('../../../../prompts');
+jest.mock('../../../../devices/actions/create/action', () => ({
+  __esModule: true,
+  ...jest.requireActual('../../../../devices/actions/create/action'),
+  default: jest.fn(),
+}));
 
 describe(doUDIDsMatch, () => {
   it('return false if UDIDs do not match', () => {
@@ -228,6 +235,73 @@ describe('runAsync', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('registerDevicesAsync', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.clearAllMocks();
+    jest.restoreAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  const setUpAdhocProvisioningProfile = new SetUpAdhocProvisioningProfile({
+    app: { account: {} as Account, projectName: 'projName', bundleIdentifier: 'bundleId' },
+    target: { targetName: 'targetName', bundleIdentifier: 'bundleId', entitlements: {} },
+  });
+
+  async function registerDevicesAsync(
+    ctx: CredentialsContext,
+    method: RegistrationMethod
+  ): Promise<AppleDeviceFragment[]> {
+    jest
+      .mocked(DeviceCreateAction)
+      .mockImplementation(() => ({ runAsync: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(method) }) as any);
+    return await (setUpAdhocProvisioningProfile as any).registerDevicesAsync(
+      ctx,
+      {} as AppleTeamFragment
+    );
+  }
+
+  it('returns the devices registered by the chosen method', async () => {
+    const { ctx } = setUpTest();
+
+    await expect(registerDevicesAsync(ctx, RegistrationMethod.DEVELOPER_PORTAL)).resolves.toEqual([
+      { identifier: 'id1' },
+      { identifier: 'id2' },
+      { identifier: 'id3' },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('gives up when the developer portal method registers nothing', async () => {
+    const { ctx } = setUpTest();
+    ctx.ios.getDevicesForAppleTeamAsync = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+    await expect(registerDevicesAsync(ctx, RegistrationMethod.DEVELOPER_PORTAL)).rejects.toThrow(
+      `No devices were registered. Run 'eas device:create' to register your devices first.`
+    );
+    expect(ctx.ios.getDevicesForAppleTeamAsync).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it('reports the input method failing on its own', async () => {
+    const { ctx } = setUpTest();
+    ctx.ios.getDevicesForAppleTeamAsync = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
+
+    await expect(registerDevicesAsync(ctx, RegistrationMethod.INPUT)).rejects.toThrow(
+      'Input registration method has failed'
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('waits for the website method until the devices show up', async () => {
+    const { ctx } = setUpTest();
+    ctx.ios.getDevicesForAppleTeamAsync = jest
+      .fn()
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce([])
+      .mockResolvedValue([{ identifier: 'id1' }] as AppleDeviceFragment[]);
+
+    await expect(registerDevicesAsync(ctx, RegistrationMethod.WEBSITE)).resolves.toEqual([
+      { identifier: 'id1' },
+    ]);
+    expect(pressAnyKeyToContinueAsync).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+});
+
 describe('refresh ad-hoc provisioning profile', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     jest.clearAllMocks();