I would like to have users be directed to a link which will immediately start downloading an app on an iOS device. I know you can register for Enterprise application or do limited ad-hoc distribution, but this is not the case here. The app I would like to link to is already on the app store. I would like to know if users can download the app directly without going through the app store.
Thanks in advance.
As mentioned above, you cannot provide a direct link to the application. There are ways of circumventing the app store, such as ad-hoc distribution and ADC's enterprise program. However, neither of these would provide the convenience you seek as potential users would have to install certificates generated by you before installing your application. Your best option would be to use the app store or possibly a web app.As David V mentioned, you can provide a direct link to your app in the app store!
Good luck,
-Alex
They will need to go through the App Store. You can provide them a link to your app in the App Store though.
In fact, even in jailbroken devices, you need to use a store. Apple seems not to have a auto-installing url scheme implemented.
Would be nice, though.
No. This is not possible on stock OS iOS devices
You can do that if your app is based on Safari (web app) instead of native (iOS).
I have just started to work as a freelance iPhone developer. Earlier I used to work under an organization so I dont know what exactly things are required for iPhone development. I have knowledge about the things but all things are scattered in my mind.
So I am having some questions regarding iPhone development .
Is it necessary for me to have a developer certificate before starting developing for iPhone?
If I am developing an application for some client , then is it necessary for the client to register as developer so as to post app to the app store? What If post the app using my developer certificate?
What I get in return after I pay 99$ to Apple to run the app on my phone?
My question may seem wierd but I am so much confused over all these things. Kindly bear with me.
Yes, if you want to test on the device and not just the simulator
If you post it using your developer certificate, it will go under your name/business.
If your talking about money, nothing, you get 70% of the profits made by your app. The 99$ is a membership fee not a security deposit. If your talking about benefits, the ability to run your app on device, ad distribution profiles, submitting to the app store, loads of WWDC content, ability to use iAds, and access to iOS beta's and developer forums.
1) No, but you can only use simulator. You need dev cert for tesing with an actual iPhone.
2) It's up to you and your client, it will only change the publisher name on iTunes. Note that each year, subscription has to be updated, otherwise the app is taken from AppStore automatically.
3) You can test your apps in actual devices. You can publish apps in App Store. And also have access to some developer resources.
I suggest you read developer.apple.com for all the details.
What are the ramifications of posting an iphone app on both Cydia and iTunes? Does Apple look fondly at that idea? An precedents?
The reason I ask is that I have a very interesting app which might have some parts disallowed by Apple. I still want (some) people to have access to those parts (call it value-added), so I wanted to release the unrated app on cydia. (No it's not porn)
In the SDK Agreement it specifically says that you won't add your application to another store, if you do, Apple can ban your itunesconnect account without warning.
Just prey they don't find your application on Cydia.
I guess you could do your application with a slightly different UI, and without the editor name, they would not have any proof to ban you.
One example that they're probably not enforcing this too strictly, can be found in the Siphon app.
Siphon is a popular, open source VoIP app, that the developer has been trying to get in the app store for forever. They haven't accepted the app, but the availability of the app in the official app-store was never mentioned, and they haven't banned his account either.
Simply put; what does my $99 get me, that I can't already get for free?
OK, OK, sounds like a dumb question, but the Apple site is not clear to me.
My hunch is that you get the ability to submit apps to the app store for your 99, but you could get everything else for free, but it's not clear to me hence the question.
After paying the $99 the main benefits are shown below:
Install your developed apps on your device without Jailbreaking
Submit and distribute paid and free apps to the Apple App Store
Access to coupon codes to distribute your paid app to reviewers (neat feature)
Distribute an internal app using ad-hoc distribution for up to 100 devices
Free additional marketing if your application is popular (generally not available to everyone)
Those are the main benefits, I don't think I have forgotten any of the key benefits.
You cannot actually run your program on a any iPhone/iPod touch, including the one you own, without paying the $99.
For $99 you can run your app on your actual device and you can sell your app.
We have an industrial app that currently runs on a very expensive ruggedized PDA.
Since most of the engineers we sell to have iPhones we are considering moving to the much nicer newer platform.
A couple of questions:
Is it possible to sell iPhone apps with out the app store? Apple taking a 40% cut of a 99c iFart app is one thing but this is a $3000 engineering calculation app. We have also heard of the hassles some people have had getting apps approved.
Can we sell an iPod touch (I understand selling an iPhone without a contract is trickier) with pre-packaged software.
ps. Sorry for the anonymous posting, the company is a little nervous about our relationship with the PDA maker.
There are basically three different official iPhone application distribution methods that I am aware of:
- App store
With this method anyone with an iPhone can have access to the application. You can distribute an unlimited number of applications like this. Apple gets a 30% cut. Of course Apple must approve your applicaion.
- Ad hoc
You can distribute applications using ad hoc without going through the app store, but you are limited to a maximum of 100 devices. With this method you can distribute you application from a web site, email, etc.
- Enterprise
The method is for internal distribution in companies with more than 500 employees. Apple does not provide any more public detail that I could find on this method.
It doesn't sound like any of these methods meet your criteria unless you have fewer than 100 customers and don't plan to exceed that number. It sounds like from the question your customers are not internal to your company.
I would advise contacting Apple. They might be able to work out some kind of custom distribution deal.
Enterprise developer program allows in house distribution, avoiding the appstore. It's $299 vs $99 and doesn't include AppStore distribution.
For companies with 500 or more employees who are creating proprietary in-house applications for iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple also has a B2B Program, which sound like you are aiming for. It allows you to sell your apps directly to other businesses. You can find out more here: https://developer.apple.com/programs/volume/b2b/
Spotify has a free app you can download, but to use it you have to have a Premium account. So you don't have to sell your app for $3000 to go thru the app store.
You can give the app for free in Appstore, but it will require an online activation. The online activation will cost 3000$. If apple would not accept the app, you can try to create a very limited version (without activation) and get it accepted in appstore. Then release un update for it, which will enable online activation system.
It's a pity - the iPhone/iPod touch could make a really nice platform for automation/interface stuff.
I was working on an embedded industrial platform recently - a 16bit micro, 64K memory, a serial port and a 120x128 2 grey level screen for $1000/unit and $10,000 for the appalling OS/devkit.
I can't see how apple could possibly care if you purchase iPod touches, jailbroke them, installed your app and sold them to customers.
For a $3k app, the $220 for an iPod Touch is less than 10% of the sales price.
Testflight. Google it. Basically you get an account with testflight. Put your app on testflight. You send your customer an email and they click it on their iphone. It sends testflight an email with your customers device ID. Testflight sends you an email saying "a New customer requested your app" and their device ID. You add their device ID to your provisioning chain and rebuild your App. Upload it to testflight, they get a notification that it's ready, and they can install it. Somewhere in there be sure to get your money :)
Native app, no. However, you can create it as a Web App that's specialized for the iPhone, in which case you circumvent the app store altogether.
You could consider a HTML5 app on Safari which offers many of the features of an app like offline access, local storage, canvas for rich graphics etc. No distribution issues and no commission. Depends what you need - access to camera, compass I think is not possible. (Also: works on Android)
Edit:
Here's a great intro -
http://sixrevisions.com/web-development/html5-iphone-app/
How to Make an HTML5 iPhone App
Build a version of Tetris that is "for the most part, it’s going to be a pitch-perfect imitation"
Full Screen
Offline Cache
Persistent storage
If your app is pretty expensive, you probably have few customers and they receive personal support, so what you could do is the following:
Have each customer get their own Apple developer license ($99/year). Your support can talk them through the process, or you can probably do it for them. Give them a discount/credit for the $99 they pay to Apple.
Compile your apps logic into a library, and make a thin shell that loads code from the library.
Give the customer the XCode project for this shell, and the binaries for your code :-). Write a little OS X app that triggers the download of XCode, the compilation, and installation, so they can "compile" and deploy "the app they are developing" (a.k.a. your app) to their devices. Or, do it as a service for them.
Don't forget to get your lawyers involved. I'm sure there are ways to look at it in which this is legal, and interpretations in which this violates some license. There is probably a way to make this waterproof, e.g. by calling your customers "developers" and yourself "consultants" in the contract or something. Helping a customer compile their app is not prohibited :-)
If you do this, deployment is not going to be so smooth as if you go the official way, but you'll save a lot of money. For a $3000 app, instead of 30% you'll give Apple 3.33%. I haven't done this, and I don't know anybody who has, and can't even recommend it, but I also can't see why it wouldn't work. So it might be worth a try.
I wish. Short answer, no.
There is some kind of a hack, whereby you isntall your app in a ad hoc manner, but you can only have 100 devices. Painful road if you ask me.
The way to do this would be to give the app for free in iOs store.
But charge $3000 for an activation code or subscription fee purchased from your website.
You will need to give the free app some basic functionality of some kind, however. Apple won't approve the app if it doesn't do anything without the activation code.
If it was me I would do one of the follow:
1) Submit it to Apple and sell it for free. They then enter a license code bought from you to access the full feature set. Include a welcome page, about us, contact page for unlicensed functionality. As Apple won't approve it if it does nothing.
2) Get the companies you're selling to to open an Enterprise account with Apple. Then you build the IPA and sign it using their credentials and send them the IPA.
Good luck.
This article summarizes all the answers to this question and discusses Apple's B2B, iOS developer enterprise program, adhoc distribution and testflight.
http://mobiledan.net/2012/03/02/5-options-for-distributing-ios-apps-to-a-limited-audience-legally/
All of the solutions (except the test-oriented solutions, which are limited), however, force you to get Apple's approval before publishing and updating. This process can take time and can leave your users stranded when you have a critical bug that needs a quick update.
If this is a deal breaker for you, you might want to try developing the app for Android, which also has advantages and drawbacks, but in your specific case, gives you more flexibility.
In Android, you can email an APK file, a user clicks it, and the app gets installed on the device.
In iOS, every devices that is not a member of the "enterprise program", "b2b" program or is provisioned for testing, cannot install the app.
You have to jailbreak the iPhone to put an app on it not from the app store.