In-house app rejected in app store [closed] - iphone

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I have submitted three in-house apps to app store with the username and password requirement to access the app. But it was rejected the second time. I followed the solutions offered here in the following posts,
Alternative solutions for in-house iPhone enterprise app distribution
iPad in-house App distribution through App Store
I used an alertview to ask for username and password. Username and password are saved in keychain. My applications are single window applications that doesn't require internet connection. How can I submit my app to the app store? Some suggest implementing php username and login for the app. How can I accomplish that? Can anyone give an explanation ?
Reason I have got from Apple:
We found that your app is an in-house application, intended for
employees or members of your organization. As such, it is not
appropriate for the App Store.
For information on distributing proprietary, in-house applications,
please refer to the iOS Developer Enterprise Program.
If you cannot - or choose not to - revise your app to be in compliance
with the App Store Review Guidelines, you may wish to build an HTML5
web app instead. You can distribute web apps directly on your web
site; the App Store does not accept or distribute web apps.
HTML5 is the major new version of HTML and enables audio and video to
play natively in the browser without requiring proprietary plug-ins.
Using HTML5, web apps can look and behave like native iPhone and iPad
apps, and using HTML5's Offline Application Cache, a web app can work
even when the device is offline. With web apps, you have flexibility
to deliver as much or as little functionality as you desire.
To get started with iPhone or iPad web apps, please review Getting
Started with iPhone Web Apps.
For a description of the HTML elements and attributes you can use in
Safari on iPhone, check out Safari HTML Reference: Introduction.

Just as Apple suggested, you should look into the iOS Developer Enterprise Program. It is created specifically to work for in-house app development.
With an enterprise distribution profile and certificate, you can create .ipa files that can be installed on any device, with no need to get the device IDs of all devices you plan to install it on beforehand.

This line says it all,
We found that your app is an in-house application, intended for employees or members of your organization. As such, it is not appropriate for the App Store.
For information on distributing proprietary, in-house applications, please refer to the iOS Developer Enterprise Program.
They don't want in-house apps on the store, they want you to use their enterprise program.
Apple as a company wants to make the most money and for them they limit this method to make more money. However it is only $300.
University (i think it's similar to Enterprise but for academic institution) will not work since it requires the device id's like ad-hoc.

For iOS 3 programs are available:
Developer, to submit to App Store only
Enterprise only for in-house distribution, ie in your company limited to your employees and not for App Store
University (i think it's similar to Enterprise but for academic institution)
To confirm you strongly that you cannot use Enterprise as you wish, i can tell you that when my company subscribed Enterprise Program, someone from Apple phone me asking if I understood that Enterprise license does not allowed to submit on the App Store.

Related

How can I make an app available without adding it to the Apple app store? [closed]

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I want to create an iPhone/iPad application for a restaurant menu. The application works only for this restaurant. I want to install the application without uploading it in the app store.
I don't want to install the application into the devices as developer device.
What options do I have for this kind of distribution scenario?
Look at docu for Enterprise Apps. But then the restaurant needs an Apple Enterprise license, and everybody installing the app must be an employee of the restaurant.
Developper and ad-hoc apps work only for a limited time (3 months if i remember correctly).
Apple offers two ways you can do this. (The third is jailbreaking.)
The older way, an Enterprise membership. This is more designed for large organizations with an IT department:
$300 annually
you deploy directly to the device
terms of the contract say: may only deploy onto devices owned by the business (and yes, they can tell if you abuse this)
apps last 1 year, must be re-signed and re-deployed
kinda labor-intensive and fiddly, especially if the developer and device manager are different people, or use different signing keys; really needs an MDM system to work well
since Apple doesn't review your code, you can use private API if you want. woo hoo.
There's a newer way, which I highly recommend: the B2B App Store.
works with your $100 developer membership
deployment uses Apple for hosting, doesn't expire
needs no special software; works well with Apple Configurator
app is private to whoever you specify
the business gets access by signing up for the free "volume purchase program".
In fact, the whole process is almost exactly like a normal app store app, except that the app is not public. Apple reviews it, puts it in the "secret" store. Developer specifies some Apple IDs; only those Apple IDs can see the app in the store (through the volume purchase interface.) They can install it, AND/OR generate redemption codes for it (which work for anyone.) It's very slick. There's a good 2012 WWDC video about it for dev program members.
https://developer.apple.com/programs/volume/b2b/
Both programs require the business to have a DUNS number. This is generally not a problem.

Is it possible to publish similar apps under enterprise app deployment

I have five iphone apps which have similar interface/functionality but for the use of five different business persons.They are doing same type of business. So the similarity in app. The app will be free to use by public.
Apple says
1. Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or advertising theme will be rejected
2. Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program.
3. Apps that look similar to apps bundled on the iPhone, including the App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore, will be rejected.
Is these guidelines applicable for apps under enterprise app deployment ? Is it possible publish apps under Ad-hoc mode and give link of the app through another website?
if your app is same interface functionality. just add a db to it for different people. No need to publish it more than once. and issue regarding duplication on apstore, they already have billions of apps so no care for what purpose your app is. just differentiate the database as your goal is manage users separately.

Is it possible to place an app in the Apple app store that is intended for select customers but not general public consumption?

My company bosses want to create a native version of a currently web-based app that will be available to their existing customers (currently a few thousand).
They say it is imperative that the application be available for downloading from the app store.
However the app would only be of any use to customer who already have an account (and would be useless to anybody else who downloaded the app).
Is this actually possible to submit such a thing to the app store?
There are dozens of Apps in the App Store that where they are only usable if you are an existing customer. Look at all the banking related ones for example.
AFAIK, you cannot restrict the intended users when distributing through the AppStore.
What you can do is apply for an iOS Developer Enterprise Program, though you'd be installing the app directly to the devices (requires physical presence of the devices).
You could also use a service like TestFlight, though their terms probably just allow deployment for testing purposes.
What I'd go for is getting the app to the AppStore anyway, as long as your app doesn't include confidential content. You could advise in the description not to install the app unless they're your company's clients.

iOS development and client control-- What are my legal and best options? [closed]

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I work for a company that would like to create an app that we can distribute to our customers. We manufacture industrial equipment and we would like to provide an iPhone/iPad app to our customers that can interact with their equipment.
The problem is that we would prefer that the app not be downloaded from the App Store. We would like for this application to be available for our customers free-of-charge and would also like for them to have the ability to download and install the application on as many devices as they desire. However, we do not want non-customers (ahem, competitors) to be able to download and use our application.
What options are available? We have considered allowing the app to be available through the app store but in that case the app would be locked until the user entered an application key. This would keep the app free to download and it would give us the ability to control who could use our software. I'm not sure, however, if that is allowable by the Apple TOS.
The Enterprise license sounds like a potential option. If it is, what are the specific steps necessary for installing an iOS app on an Apple device if not through the App Store? I'm also not sure if it would break the TOS to distribute our app for this purpose under the Enterprise license. Is that the case?
What options do I have? Please realize, I don't own a Mac and I've never even attempted to write or distribute an iOS application-- I'm 100% new to all of this. Thanks for you help.
EDIT
Thank you all for the wonderful responses that I have so far received. Half of the questions that I have stem from the fact that I can't find the actual TOS agreement that I would have to sign if I became a standard or enterprise developer. (Yes, I've googled it.) Does anyone have a link to such documents?
If you want to distribute your app outside the App Store, you need to get an iOS Developer Entreprise license ($299/year). You're going to need a Dun & Bradstreet (D-U-N-S) number to enroll and can only deploy to 500 (registered) devices.
Edit: Another option would be to demand the user some authentication (such as user/pass) to use the app (think Facebook or Twitter). You could provide your clients with the credentials to ensure only a certain users have access to the app.
I think #ibeitia's answer is the best one, but here's an additional option: put the app on the app store, but make it all-but-useless without a login to your server.
For example, the Google+ app is useless unless you have a Google account.
You'd have to give a login to Apple so they can vet it, and of course I can't guarantee they'll allow it, but it's an option I'd consider.
(If you do go down that route, send an email to Apple's approval team asking for clarification before you start development!)
I work for a company that would like to create an app that we can
distribute to our customers.
From http://developer.apple.com/support/ios/enterprise.html (bold is mine)
I am a developer who wants to create an in house app for my client.
Can I join the iOS Developer Enterprise Program to do that?
The iOS Developer Enterprise Program should be used to develop and
distribute proprietary in-house applications to your own employees
within your own company. As such, your company would not qualify for
direct Program enrollment in this situation. We would suggest that
your client apply for enrollment in the Program, and, once enrolled in
the Program, your client may add the appropriate developers from your
company to their iOS Development Team.
The Enterprise Developer program doesn't allow you to sell your app to your customers. It's the customer, not you, who should enroll in the program.
I think your best bet will be to use Apple's B 2 B program:
http://www.apple.com/business/vpp/
This will allow you to have apps in Apple's business app store (not the ordinary app store), and control who gets the apps. You'd provide the redemption codes to your customers.
btw, I can confirm that providing an app with a login to make it useful would be okay with Apple - I've done it before.
Well your options are really limited.
You could go with the enterprise license but this is still limited to 500 device which still need to be register with the some how. (never had to work with the enterprise license).
But could you not make your app available in the appstore foor free but only make it work with you equipment. Thus make the app search for the equipment (via bonjour of wifi) and only work when it finds the device. This will make getting the accepted a bit harder but will work. There are some IP camera manager that work that way.
If your competitors really want your app they will get it one way or an other.
Just be sure you release an app before the competitors, do that way your company has the advantage.

Publish my App without going through the App store?

I have an App just for our clients, this app is based on a web system. Clients have their private authorization to login the App.
The quantity of clients is depend on the sales of the web system.
I'm not sure this private app can passed by app review, and how can I deploy this app to our client's iphone.
Sorry for my poor English, I do need help for this question, the date of selling the product is getting closer and closer. HELP PLEASE!!
See Distributing Enterprise Apps for iOS 4 Devices.
I'm sorry, but without jailbreaking (For a definition, see this wikipedia article) the recipient iPhone, you cannot get an unapproved app onto an iPhone.
Since the app is still in development, you can easily test the app on a iPhone using the iOS Development tools, however this is only a limited method of distribution: it would likely be unsuitable for general resale of an app to the public.
Finally, if an App cannot get through Apple's guidelines and approval process, they probably don't want it on their iPhones. This could be because it is illegal, has damaging content or their just being a bit monopolising.