ESP8266 Community Forum

Does anyone have experience in using this module in an IoT configuration where an iOS application is used for provisioning or bringing the system on-line with a P2P connection?

Apple iOS os fairly restrictive and requires approval of a device before it can be used in P2P WiFi.

Does the ESP8266 have this approval or guidance for provisioning the module in an iOS environment?

Take look at WiFiManager. When the ESP8266 needs configuration it turns into a WiFi AP. The IOS (or Android, Windows, Mac, Linux) device can connect to the ESP8266 using the usual WiFi settings control. Once connected the IOS device opens a Web page to configure the ESP8266 SSID and password.

This does not use P2P or WiFi Direct so it is much easier to use and does not require Apple approval.