I am about to sign an agreement to distribute a good amount of copies of my app to a company. They are using SOTI Mobicontrol for distribution.
Could anyone please explain what is needed from our end to make this smooth? First time I am doing this. I do have an LLC on my developer account. Do I need to upgrade to enterprise membership?
You can make a specific version available to that company as a B2B app. You can set a different price on the B2B app (free if they are paying your directly). The purchaser needs to nominate an AppleID that you will list against the B2B app in iTunesConnect. This AppleID can then “purchase” the app in the Enterprise volume purchase store and distribute it via their MDM.
The other option the client can just purchase “x”copies of your existing app through the volume purchase store. In this case payment would go through the App Store with Apple taking their cut.
Related
I have gone through this solution here. I am confused between B2B apps and enterprise apps. Does both are same? I am distributing my enterprise app using https(itms-services) link to other users.
So, how to do this with Apple Business manager? Does Apple Business manage has any store like AppStore where we have to upload the IPA file or anything else that I have to do?
Enterprise apps are signed using an enterprise program key and can be distributed directly to that enterprise's devices. There is no Apple review of enterprise apps.
B2B apps are submitted to App Store Connect using a corporate or company developer program membership. They are reviewed by Apple. They are ether made available for specific Apple IDs to "purchase" (they can be free, with payment made directly to the developer) using the Volume Purchase Program.
Apple Business Manager provides a portal where organisations can:
Perform Volume Purchase Program purchases (which may be regular App Store apps or B2B apps)
Enrol devices in the Apple Device Enrolment program to force association with an MDM "out of box".
Apple Business Manager is not involved in actually distributing apps.
An MDM can be used to distribute both Enterprise and B2B apps.
We use apple developer account for submit IOS application in appStore. we got this email from apple after 10 days :
We are unable to include your app, MY APPLICATION, on the App Store. Under the U.S. sanctions regulations, the App Store cannot host, distribute, or do business with apps or developers connected to certain U.S. embargoed countries.
This area of law is complex and constantly changing. If the existing restrictions shift, we encourage you to resubmit your app for inclusion on the App Store.
our company in Iran and apple reject our request for Political reason.
now we want to publish application with enterprise account, my question is with enterprise account we should have get appStore review? that means We will rejected.
Enterprise account mean it should be used within your company, the app signed by that will be able to install to any devices, as long as the user trust the account in device management, it cannot be use to publish on AppStore.
You can anyway, host it in your website and ask people to download from there and trust the company without needing approval from Apple
AppStore :
With AppStore account you need to distribute application through iTunes and it will go through iOS review guidelines and It should satisfy those guidelines.
Enterprise :
With Enterprise account you will still be able to work exactly like how you process for app development. But, Under enterprise account you will not be asked for application review.
Using Enterprise account you will be generating InHouse certificates and provisioning profiles and using it you can distribute your app within your organization and you will not get portal to download app like AppStore.
You need to create or expose link from there user can download app.
Your app .plist should be included with link or path where the .ipa is stored.
You can deploy your app at any time without apple review process.
A good advise for you (your company), establish a small branch outside Iran (where, there is no any kind of restriction) and register for developer account from new location.
OR
Your company can create Individual account by using trustable resource of organization living outside Iran (with citizenship of other county).
Enterprise account is for enterprise (in house) applications only. Enterprise account is useful, If you want to distribute your application to specific segment of users, to whom you can share IPA build directly using downloable source (server).
You can find official information about apple enterprise account from this link:
Apple Developer Enterprise Program
But if want to distribute your app for general public usage, which is not limited to specific segment of users, you should use/choose Individuals or Organisation (Non-Enterprise) Apple Developer Program
Here you can see difference between enterprise & developer account:
Choosing a Membership
Our requirement is to distribute iOS app for more than 1000+ users within the Organization.
My question : Can we make Distribution iPA using iOS Developer Provisioning Profile (As We have $99 Apple Account Not Enterprise Account) and share it with VPP and Apple MDM (Memory Device Management) or should i opt for Enterprise Apple account ?
**Note1 - Dont want to use Adhoc Provisioning Profile as it require all devices registered in apple account and we have 1000+ Apple Devices.
**Note2 - Already gone through other related post but dint find the steps to disbtribute the iOS using VPP , all post suggest to use Enterprise Distribution (Our requirement is to use VPP since Our business customer have already have VPP )
**Note3 - We have developed an iOS app , not want to share purchased app through VPP .
Kindly Suggest any reference which guides me to deploy App through VPP.
If the one organisation is both the developer and the consumer of the app, then an enterprise program membership is a possible approach. With an enterprise membership you can:
Develop apps
Sign those apps for private distribution
Distribute those apps, without going through the Apple approval process
Distribute those apps via a private app store/intranet/MDM system etc.
If you want to provide apps to one or more enterprise customers that are independent of the developer then an individual membership and B2B distribution is the correct approach. The steps are outlined here but in summary:
You develop your app as you normally would
You create an entry for that app in iTunes connect, specifying Available privately as a custom B2B app in the Pricing and availability section
You can also specify the price tier that applies to this app. You can select the free tier and arrange payment directly with the customer if you prefer.
Nominate an AppleID associated with the VPP customer you are going to supply to
Submit the app for Apple approval as per usual
2019 addendum
It is now possible for an organisation to provide B2B apps to themselves. The advantage of B2B apps is that they never expire and don't require periodic provisioning profile validation and refresh. The disadvantage is that there is still a review process, so if you are doing things that won't pass review you can have an issue. The review process also introduces some release delay.
I have a b2b app, which uses VOIP flag to stay always connected.
The best way might be to implement APNS support in app. But I dont want to change server side, so im looking for alternates.
Possible alternates are
1. B2b Apps
I can publish my app as b2b
While submitting I dont see b2b app option (probably because tax info is missing)
My App is free, but for my customer to download my app has to purchase Volume purchase program. my custom will have to pay?
2. Enterprise Account
How to distribute app through enterprise account ?
Do I need to have my customer's UDID?
Please suggest the best possible way to distribute my app.
You yourself cannot get an Enterprise account (or rather, SHOULD not, if it's not your organization running the app). Your client/the company needs to register for it.
With an Enterprise account, you can distribute apps without the UDID. An Enterprise Distribution Provisioning Profile allows the app to be installed on an arbitrary number of devices, just like an App Store Distribution Provisioning Profile. However, Apps signed with an Enterprise Distribution Provisioning Profile cannot be distributed on the App Store, and vice versa.
Note that registering for an Enterprise account is a bit more of a PITA than the regular developer account. For specific requirements, see: https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/
Edit:
It doesn't have to be paid, it can be free, but your customer will have to be part of the Volume Purchase Program. Apple's site: "You can offer custom apps for free or at any price tier you select. Once you identify your customers and release date, you’re all set." - source: https://developer.apple.com/programs/volume/b2b/
If the app is only for your customer, the best thing you can do is tell them they have to buy an enterprise account.
Then you build the app with their account and host the .ipa on a web server only they can access.
I am creating an App for a music ensemble. This ensemble wants to give away the visitors who attend the concert this app. On the other day this app could be in the appStore as an App with a certain price.
Should this be done with changing its price on a daily basis? Or is there a more practicle way for it?
Which kind of account I should advice the ensemble to take?
Or should I bring it to the app store as an Ad Hoc App? Or Custom B2B App Distribution?
Or should they do it via in-House distribution?
a developer or Enterprise programm?
Definitely not the enterprise program. The enterprise license allows you to build and deploy iOS apps on devices owned by the enterprise or by the employees of the enterprise. Distributing apps to general customers would be a license violation.
There are two ways to solve your problem using a standard license:
1) Publish a paid app on the app store. If the number of customers who attend the concert is less, give away app store promo codes to them, sell the app to the rest of the customers.
2) Publish a free app on the app store. Have some kind of login mechanism. Give away user ids and passwords to customers who attend the concert. Have an in-app purchase for all others, to get full functionality.