Personal iPhone application without paying? - iphone

I want to develop a little iPhone application, just for my personal needs. I don't want to sell it or give it to anybody as it will not be useful to anybody.
Can I have this application on my iPod/iPhone, without having to pay/suscribe/be on the Apple store ?

You need to pay the $99 for the iPhone Developer Program in order to be able to install your application onto the iPhone/iPod.

You can, by Jailbreaking your iPhone and then installing the AppSync program from Cydia. Then you can either build your app as a release and drag it into iTunes and sync your phone or change some settings (look it up on google, putting Xcode project on jailbroken device) in the Xcode project settings and open the organizer window and click on the use for development button on the device's page.
Jailbreaking your device will void your warranty if Apple find out (ie if you go into a shop and ask them to fix your device if it ever breaks without clicking restore in itunes to unjailbreak it)
With the Spirit jailbreak, Jailbreaking is as simple as plugging in your phone and pressing jailbreak.
(and the US Government has said that Jailbreaking is legal: http://www.pcworld.com/article/201892/us_government_iphone_jailbreaking_is_fair_use.html)

You could write you program and test in the simulator with the free SDK.
When you are satisfied you could send the source code to a licensed developer, I'd suggest some friend, that can build an AdHoc version for you to run on your own device.
A little tricky and you need to let another developer see the code. This app will also only last a year or less as certificates and profiles are time limited.

Why don't you write it as a website that is iPhone friendly then go to the site in your phone's browser and save a link to the site? It will show up on your desktop similar to an app. To have a true "app" I am sure you have to pay apple.

No, you can not.

It depends on what your definition of "pay/subscribe/be on the Apple Store" is.
Yes, you have to pay a subscription to the Apple iPhone Developer programme to get access to a provisioning profile to enable you to put an app you have built onto your iPhone/iPod. This will cost you $99.
The dev tools (Xcode/Interface Builder) are all free, but without the dev programme subscription you will not be able to put your app onto a physical device, only the emulator.
But no, you do not need to distribute your app via the app store to deploy it to your own phone. However, if you do not distribute the app via the app store then it ultimately doesn't get digitally signed by Apple and when your provisioning profile expires you will not be able to run the app on your phone until you have renewed the provisioning profile.

Well you may be able to do it if you jailbreak your iPhone. I haven't tried it myself but I found this link.
You'll have to decide for yourself about the moral implications of by passing apple's security.

Related

Test Phonegap Build app on a friend's iPhone

I have created a mobile app using Phonegap Build (not just Phonegap...but Build). I have a Windows PC and do not use eclipse or xcode. I just write the Javascript and let Build do all the complex stuff for me.
I can easily test my app on an Android device by scanning the QR code that is displayed on the Build page after my app compiles....but how can I test on an iPhone or iPad? I can convince a family member to loan me one for a day, but I don't have a Mac (I could probably visit another friend to use one, briefly).
It would not be appropriate at this point to spend $99 on a developer certificate, even though this app may be submitted to the store eventually. If $99 is the only option, I would be grateful to anyone who makes this clear!
Or perhaps I just need to learn about TestFlight or Lesspainful? The descriptions are confusing me at present, but I will try harder if I hear some experts tell me that this is the right way to go!
It would be good to test on a real Apple device, as I haven't had much luck getting an emulator going...but perhaps the only answer to my dilemma is to tell me to stick with emulators. (In which case: is there a nice step-by-step tutorial for a complete beginner to install an iPhone emulator in Windows?).
Thank you.
If you want to test on a device, your app needs to be signed using your certificate. You'll also need a development provision profile that includes the device ID's of any devices you want to test on. In order to get those things, you need to join Apple's iOS developer program. This is true even if you're using the PhoneGap Build service; in order to build for a device, you need to upload your certificate and provision profile to PhoneGap Build. Look at PhoneGap Build's Building for iOS page for complete information. All this means that you'll need to pay the $99 fee to join the iOS Developer Program.
An alternative is to jailbreak your device (or, in this case, your friend's device). You can find instructions for that on the web if you're so inclined. However, I don't think you'll be able to build through PhoneGap Build in that case -- you'll need to build your app yourself with Xcode or possibly some other set of tools.
Just as an update for anyone else that ends up here. You can now use Adobe PhoneGap Developer App which allows you to run the Apps on devices without ID's, licenses etc. Here is a guide to getting started.
You would need to join the Apple Developer Program to be able to sign the build and create the .IPA to use TestFlight or other methods to get the build onto the device.
There are options for you to test on a device without that though - see App.io for an in-browser emulator.
Whether you go with that or TestFlight I've blogged about Getting mobile app builds to your customers which includes the pros and cons of the options and the steps you'd need to go through.
install iTune on your windows PC. Copy IPA file to application directory of iTune. When connecting device (iPhone,iPad or iPod), sync apps. Then you can test on real device.

Bespoke iPhone Application Deployment

I am making an iPhone app for a company but I don't want it to be available for download to everybody (like apps in the app store) What is the best way to ensure only set users can download the app?
I was thinking maybe of having some website where users login and can click on a link to download and install the app, but I was told this is not possible. You can only download on the app store...
What you are looking for is called "iOS Enterprise Distribution". See http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/
The only alternative to iPhone Enterprise distribution (which has its own set of rules and requirements) is to allow download from the app store but require a login in the app to use. Much like HBO-Go. You can't use HBO Go on the iPad unless you have an account with a certain cable provider which has an agreement with HBO. For example, I get HBO at home but can't use the HBO app because my cable company doesn't have an agreement in place for me to use the app so while I can download it I can't do anything with it.
Without knowing your reasons for blocking app downloads I'm not sure if this is a viable solution for you.

Starting iPhone development

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.

Can I test my iPad app on someone else's iPad?

I'm developing an iPad app, and want to test it on a friend's iPad. Before I buy the $99 developer account, I just want to make sure that this will work.
Does my friend's device have to use my apple ID in order to install the provisioning profile? Is there anything that would change about his iPad (besides the ability to install my app, of course)?
Thanks!
With the $99 developer package, you can install your app on up to 100 test devices, and they don't need to use your Apple ID.
All that changes on the iPad is that there's an additional section within settings that lists the provisioning profile(s) present on the device. However, you might want to get your friend to do a backup (via iTunes) before you borrow it, if only in case it falls off the edge of a table or something. :-)
maybe this could help, http://testflightapp.com/ Free OTA installation...
Before I buy the $99 developer account, I just want to make sure that this will work
You don't have the developer account? If so, you won't be able to test apps on the device, no matter who that device belongs to

Can I put my own app on just my iphone?

I want to create an iphone app for personal use.
Can I just put it on my phone and use it or do I have to go through the iphone store process to get it on my phone?
Thanks.
As long as you have a valid developer certificate to sign the app and you have a development provisioning profile and your device is registered as a test device. For that you need to be registered as an iPhone Developer Program member.
In other words, you have to pay Apple $99 to be able to put your own app on your own phone.
Yes, you can run your own apps on your phone. You need a paid iPhone developer account though.
Purchase a developer account for $99 from Apple. Create a developer provisioning file and build to your device. The annoyance will be the provisioning file is good for a limited time, requiring you to update it periodically and rebuild.
To run an app on an un-jailbroken iDevice, it needs to be signed. Registered developers get personal signing keys (and also have to register the device) which lets them test their apps. They also can do ad-hoc distribution, meaning compiling and signing an app so that other people can use it without being registered. This is limited in the number of users who can use it though.
Enterprise developers can sign apps for internal distribution, sorta like unlimited ad-hoc, but that program is expensive and unnecessary for what most people do.
As pointed out by others here, you can sign up as a developer to temporarily install apps on your device for testing purposes, but you would constantly need to renew your phone's installed provisioning profile to keep using it over time.
The only way to permanently put your own application on an un-jailbroken phone is to publish it to the app-store and download it through iTunes. Of course, Apple would need to accept the app so you would need to face the same regulations as other apps sold via iTunes, and your app would be public to everyone.