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.
Related
I have made an Ionic Framework 4 app and have tested on my laptop and own phone using localhost but now want to get a few users to test it on their devices. I don't want to put it on any app stores as it's for my uni final project so isn't good enough for that. From what I have read there is no way to test on iOS devices without uploading to the App Store, but I have read testing on Android is easier.
Please could you advise me on how to go about deploying the app for users to test?
Thanks!
I can see some discussion in the comments above about just sideloading this.
That's a good, simple option, but it does require your testers to reduce their security settings to allow loading of apps from non-Google sources.
This depends on your users if this is a responsible thing to ask them. If you are dealing with technically minded people this is ok, but if it's for casual users you need to be sure that you revert this setting afterwards, otherwise they could fall prey to a phishing scam in the future because of what you have asked them to do.
If you do choose to do it via the Google Play app store then you have options for distributing to a select group of people without ever putting it live in the public app store.
Its a $25 lifetime fee to join the app store. Then you can release on the internal testing track for up to 100 users. You just invite them via email, they enroll in your testing channel, and then they can install it safely via the app store.
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.
Team,
I would like to know how to set up appstore for its enterprise program, with only iOS applications. To be more clear on my question, I run a business and I have applications created for my business which will be used only by customers to whom I give privileges. I don't want to put these business apps into apple's app store, where anyone can browse and install the application.
Is it possible to maintain a store for my business alone where only those who I provide access to, can be able to browse and install the applications?.
Yes you can.
Thats what companies with products like Afaria and Appearean to name a few do.
In a word: no. You can't deliver apps publicly (outside your own enterprise) to non-jailbroken phones, except via the app-store.
Maybe TestFlight comes close to what you think?
The target device(s) get a link with which they get to your TestFlight site. When they visit it the first time, they'll have to register their device via a profile and then get a testflight app from which they can download your app as often as they want.
Con: No payment possible.
cheers
Finn
Looking for the same thing and found this https://developer.apple.com/programs/volume/b2b/. Its for Business 2 business distriubtion
You might be interested in the iOS Developer Enterprise Program, although it doesn't fit your description exactly.
You can't.
Deployment of iOS apps to any non-employee's stock OS devices, on 100 or more devices, or for a longer duration than past your Ad Hoc Distribution certificate expiration date, requires submitting your App to the iOS App store, and distributing it from there if approved by Apple. This is true for all individual, company or enterprise developers.
For employees of D&B rated corporations, or for fewer than 100 devices for only some number of months, there are other options.
I am developing custom iPad applications for clients. So far I know that you cannot distribute the same app to more than 100 iOS devices. Although I have read that this method of deploying applications is meant for "beta testing" and that I have to renew the profile every three months.
I was wondering, is there a workaround to this issue? I simply cannot be updating deployment profiles to every one of my clients I'm deploying a custom app to.
Can someone provide me with some information/advice?
Your options are somewhat limited for a custom app. These are really the best options you have for your clients. With proper security and authentication the app store could a decent solution.
Deploy App to the app store
Deploy an enterprise application (Recommended, Requires Dun & Bradstreet Number)
Require that the app is for use on jailbroken devices
Enterprise deployment may solve this problem for you, but to the best of my knowledge Apple will not approve you until you have a large number of employees (500+).
The three month expiration of profiles is only for development profiles. If you produce an Ad Hoc build, these profiles are good for one year.
Update August 2011: Apple now allows iOS developers to write custom apps for businesses. Your customer needs to enroll in the Volume Purchase Program, but presumably after that you can make apps available only to them and not to the general public through the App Store. (Disclaimer: I have not yet done this myself.)
More information on Apple's page about the Volume Purchase Program.
There are different types of developer program that you can be enrolled on. For this you would need the iOS Developer Enterprise Program
I'm going to develop an iPhone app, and want to make sure what I want to do is possible, and will be approved by Apple.
I'm going to create an app that will be fully branded on per submission basis. I want to have one app per customer (our customers are companies) with their logo, skin, etc.
This apps will be downloaded and installed by the employees of each one of our customers.
In other words, we would use the same base code (logic doesn't change), but will brand it for each customer. Something similar to what Magento (http://www.magentocommerce.com/product/mobile) does, they created an Ecommerce mobile app, and they brand it to their customer, but the app logic remains the same.
Would Apple consider this as duplicate apps? what is the best way to do it?
Thanks in advance.
I would have said "no problem" until I read:
This apps will be downloaded and
installed by the employees of each one
of our customers
It sounds like what your creating is (a set of) private applications, which are intended to be targeted only to specific users - i.e. employees of the company.
Apple has a separate "enterprise" development program geared towards this - allowing developers to deploy programs for their own company - and do it outside of the App Store.
If your program is very specific towards the companies, Apple may make you do this - rather than putting the Apps up for general consumption on the App store.
See here for more details:
http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/
Also:
If your application is really intended for a wider audience, and your could in-fact sell/distribute it a such - you could "skin" the app dynamically. For example, on first-time launch, when you "register" with some "service" - based upon your email address it could download the appropriate skinning graphics.
I can say I know of several companies built on this strategy. The code doesn't change one iota from app to app, only images and names change and they continue to bring in revenue.
EDIT: Note this is against apple policy and if they find out they have been known to ban accounts. They consider it spamming and prefer that you sell one app that provides in app purchases. Directly from their feedback on a particular group of app submissions:
Thank you for submitting your
Photography apps to the App Store.
We've completed the review of your
apps, however, we are unable to post
them to the App Store because they
provide the same feature set and
simply vary the content. Apps that
replicate functionality with different
content create clutter in the App
Store, hindering users' ability to
find apps, and do not comply with the
App Store Review Guidelines
https://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval/guidelines.html:
2.20 Developers 'spamming' the App Store with many versions of
similar apps will be removed from the
iOS Developer Program
You can now use Apple's Volume Purchase Program to release differently branded versions of the same app to different customers. The app can be free or paid. Each customer must have a DUNS number (Dun & Bradstreet). See the FAQ for details.