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.
Related
Can I create a company portfolio kind of an app for Apple App Store. I want to create this app as a representation of my company. Like it will contain contents regarding what other apps we have created, a contact page and all the other stuff which a normal Company Website contains.
Plus as far as In-House App Program is concerned, my understanding is that those apps are only viewable to the limited number of users who are chosen. I want to create an app that would display my company's portfolio to any one who comes on App Store and write the name of my company.
Will apple approve this kind of app?
Thanks
If they follow their own guidelines for reviewing, they won't approve it. However, interpretation is obviously flexible or else a lot of existing apps wouldn't be there.
Quote:
2.12 Apps that are not very useful, unique, are simply web sites bundled as Apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
2.13 Apps that are primarily marketing materials or advertisements will be rejected
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.
I have developed five apps with name of five different football teams. Which shows event schedule of respective team. Apple rejected all of them and giving reason
"Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program"
Now, I have seen following Apps are almost same and available on AppStore
http://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/brookwood-medical-center/id434593012?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/doctors-hospital-of-manteca/id430928072?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/doctors-medical-center-modesto/id447790452?mt=8
Now what is developer spamming? Anybody can explain it?
It is not a technical question, but it is probably related to your code, so :
I think Apple rejects your applications for that reason when you use the same code base (or a close code base) for multiple applications, presented as different apps.
they must be thinking your are creating the same app under different names to gain more visibility in the store.
You should contact them and try to explain your case, or change your apps code and UI significantly enough to prove them these apps are different.
Create one football app and allow the user to buy teams as in app purchases.
Let the user have one team included in the price of the app.
Now, I have seen following Apps are almost same and available on AppStore
This is a common mistake. You can not use the existence of apps in the iOS App Store as any sort of precedent. These apps may have been accepted by accident, or under a previous interpretation of Apple's rules, which will not apply to your submissions.
Go by the current interpretation of the App store guidelines.
Maybe sell your apps to the respective teams so that you won't be submitting multiple apps, or running into any trademark licensing problems.
"Developer spamming" as explained by App Store Review Guidelines:
Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps
will be removed from the iOS Developer Program
We are developing an enterprise application and I looked at the following options:
1. Putting on itunes.
Cannot do this since our application is to be used only by our clients with a login and passwrod.
You cannot have login based app in itunes:
http://appreview.tumblr.com/post/952395621/cannot-be-intended-for-a-limited-audience
2. Using iOS Developer Enterprise
Cannot do this as :
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.
Our client cannot add us.
3. Adhoc distribution.
This is only for 100 beta testers.
So are there any other options if I want our client to donwload our app.
Provide some minimal functionality to all users that does not require any proprietary data, but have the app download all proprietary data and enable proprietary features only after your enterprise customer logs in. Then submit it to the App store.
There are plenty of examples in the app store. Banking apps: they might advertise the bank, have maps to the nearest branch, perhaps include a calculator of some sort, but of course don't allow any actual banking features or download any account information until after a customer logs in. Security apps: provide a public weather web cam view to everybody, but a security cam view only to people who buy their expensive $100K security camera system.
The example private golf course app could have included public information on the club, the current weather, map info on local restaurants, and maybe who to contact to apply for the $10M membership, but then added private club info (calendar, roster) only to paid members after log in.
Make sure to create a test account with dummy (non-proprietary) data and give it to Apple.
You can absolutely have a login based app. I have helped someone submit one that got approved that sounds very similar to the one you are describing. Also, think about the Netflix app for example, login based, limited to Netflix users (although this is probably not as limited as you are talking about).
Your solution is clearly "Using iOS Developer Enterprise"...
Can you be more explicit about the "Our client cannot add us." ?
You can get your client to sign up to the iOS enterprise agreement so that they can install it on their phones, and you are simply a team member for them. That also shifts the liability for the app onto them, should anything go wrong.
I have some questions that I think some one here can help me ...
I have published 5 apps in AppStore that brings news to the users, for different countries. One app per country, because no one want's to read the news of other countrys. Now, I have submitted 3 more apps to publish and Apple reject it, because they say that I need to use "In App Purchase" because the apps are similar ...
I have seen many similar apps published by the same user .. so, my question is, how can I publish many similar apps without "In App Purchase"?
I have used the same "bundle Id" for all of my apps .. Is it wrong? I need the create one bundle Id per app to get this work and the ok by Apple?
Thanks you very much and sorry for my limited english!!
Since Apple released the App Store Review Guidelines, one of them is that developers should not "spam" the app store with multiple versions of the same app with minor changes.
What Apple wants from you right now is to merge all your apps into one. Put all the news sources in one app, and let the user decide which to read. You can write code to disable and/or hide other news sources that the user doesn't want to see.
Or, as Apple said, if you want to charge for each individual news source, then use In-App purchase to control access to each news source.
If you are charging, I won't get into the legality of charging people to read news that you don't own - I'm sure you've considered that.
Source: App Store Review Guidelines
2.20 Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program
At least you need to create unique bundle ID's for each application you distribute through the App Store.
It is possible that Apple still determines that the apps are identical even if they use different bundle ID's. In that case you might be able to get them approved by limiting the distribution countries in the store setup.
Maybe you should follow Apple's advice.
I know plenty of people who like to keep informed about news of other countries.
Such as people who have migrated and people who are on holiday?
Something to consider maybe.