I have developed an enterprise app and its ready to use for my client.
My company bought an account and provides me with the credentials. So i created the ad-hoc distribution profile to distribute the app to my client's testing team during development using testflight.
But as i read somewhere, the account type iOS developer program can not distribute the app to any one,
If you want to distribute your app, you need to enroll for iOS developer [enterprise] program account. But that was not in my case, I was able to distribute my app to the client using the iOS developer program account.
I know, if you want to submit your app to the app store, you need to have an iOS developer program and,
iOS Developer Enterprise Program only allows you to distribute your applications to employees or members of your organization through Ad Hoc distribution.
Now my doubt is,
Is it really mandatory to submit our app to the apple for review to
ensure that our app is free of explicit OR else we can use it without
review? Why do we need an approval from apple when we are not
submitting to app store.
The client is telling they just want to get approval then they can sell it within In-House or B2B use.
Because my client asked me to submit our app to apple for just review, but do not want to put on app store. Once they approved, then they will distribute by using ad-hoc distribution profile.
Thanks.
You dont need to submit an enterprise app to the app store for review.
Your client's request is weird. It doesn't make sense. You can tell your client that Apple does not review enterprise apps.
Update:
your doubt:
Is it really mandatory to submit our app to the apple for review to
ensure that our app is free of explicit OR else we can use it without
review?
Answer: NO. Its not mandatory
Why do we need an approval from apple when we are not
submitting to app store.
Answer: You dont need an approval.
Now, there is a case where your client's request will fail for sure:
Assuming (for the sake of explanation) this app is a porn video viewer app, it'd never be approved by the Apple App Store reviewer. And if the enterprise build deploy is contingent upon AppStore approval, even that wouldn't happen (since the client is adamant)
Note: Enterprise accounts are not meant to circumvent Apple's pay wall. i.e., you should not distribute the app outside your organization.
Hope this answers your question. (if it didn't feel free to add a more specific question to the original post.)
3rd Update:
FYI Enterprise Developer account are not easy to obtain. If Apple Developer Center thinks your client is shady, they may have to manage with the regular developer account. The question you are asking has no credible sources for answers because no one would insist on doing something like this.
Is it really mandatory to submit our app to the apple for review to ensure that our app is free of explicit OR else we can use it without review? Why do we need an approval from apple when we are not submitting to app store. The client is telling they just want to get approval then they can sell it within In-House or B2B use.
You do not need approval, once you are enrolled on the enterprise scheme you will not need to get approval from apple for any applications created as an enterprise application.
However if you then want to sell it on the normal app market it will need to be done from a totally separate account and will need approving.
The enterprise license is a way of making sure that rogue apps do not start making the rounds as they do not need to be installed via itunes, they can just be hosted on a website and downloaded directly from there to the device.
I assume your client may be worried that you aren't going to provide a stable, malware free application and would like apple to authorise & test it first, even though it is not going on to the app store so they have peace of mind that if it's good enough for apple its good enough for them. Or that the MD once heard that Apple HAS to authorise it and they are just jumping through hoops for them.
Companies that are enrolled in the iOS Developer Enterprise Program (currently $299 / year) do not need to submit apps to Apple for approval or distribution. These companies can host and wirelessly distribute their in-house apps without Apple acting as gatekeeper.
If you are an external contractor who has been hired to code an app, you may need to hand the app over for them to sign with their Enterprise key so that they can then distribute in-house.
It would be (very) unusual for an Enterprise Program member to submit their app to Apple for review because it is unnecessary. And so far as I know there is no option to do this without setting up all the app details in iTunes Connect and pretending you were going to sell the app.
Update 1:
#Praveen-K: What doubt is there? If you want to have Apple "test & approve" your Enterprise app (a really bad idea) then you will need to:
Create a fake Apple store app
Fill in fake info in iTunes Connect
Provide an on-sell date a long way onto the future
Provide all the login info and access to your servers that the real app requires
Assist the Apple app approvers in accessing your own data to get approval
Then, after approval, delete the app from iTunes Connect and the App Store
If this does not answer your question then perhaps you need to make sure your question is very clear.
Related
I am unable to upload my app to app store. The app is meant for a particular client and it manages a particular occasion of theirs. There are quite a few features. It gets rejected with the message- 'Minimum functionality. This app is meant for a small set of users'. Apple asks me to use the ad hoc method of distribution. However that is not a feasible option as I can't have access to all the UDIDs of the users. How can I distribute the app to the end users? Please help me out.
That’s what the Enterprise Developer Program is for. With that you can sign In-House apps so that they can be installed on any device. You’re just not allowed to distribute such apps to the general public. According to the rules your client will have to subscribe to that program.
my doubt is this: I developed and published an app on the AppStore (with auto-renwable in-app purchase).
A company would like to sell my app to its customers and they ask me if it is possible to have it without going through the store.
I thought about the IPA file, downloadable and installable directly from an external site.
is there any way to do it? Preventing expiration messages .. In short, install it completely.
Without jailbreak possibly
You can distribute your app without Apple Store. You will need to enroll for Enterprise Account for this. But you can not use in-app purchase which Apple provides. You will need to use other payment gateways.
Also, the enterprise account certificates have 3 years of validity.
More info: https://developer.apple.com/programs/enterprise/
I have a requirement from a client who would like to distribute my app available in the App Store via. Apple Business Program to their employees. Of course, there will be some client-specific customizations added to the app but those will not take effect in a non-MDM environment. So it should be safe enough to distribute the app in the general app store. However, I would like to understand the possibilities of distributing an app (without having to maintain 2 different code base] through general App Store AND as a custom B2B app.
I have been going through some documentation from Apple about signing the paid app agreement.
Paid App Agreement Info
Custom Apps
It says:
Once this contract is requested, you can’t undo this action or revert to the Developer Program License Agreement for free apps
Does this mean that once I sign the agreement, I can't update my free app in the general store?
Other Questions:
Can there be free apps and custom apps submitted under the same iTunes Connect account?
Is code signing requirement different for a custom B2B app than app store app. Ex: different kind of distribution certificate?
If code-signing requirement is not different, can the same binary (same bundle id/version number) be uploaded under different iTunes Connect account – one as a free app and the other as a custom app?
The section you have quoted refers to the legal agreement you have signed. Once you have signed the Paid App agreement, you can't "unsign" it and revert to the Free App agreement.
It does not refer to the types of apps you can distribute. You can distribute both free and paid apps under the Paid App agreement.
In answer to your other questions:
Yes
No, custom apps are signed for App Store distribution, are still uploaded to App Store Connect and are still reviewed by Apple
No. In App Store Connect you will have two apps (one custom, one free) so they will have different Bundle IDs at least, even if all other code is identical. You will need to upload different builds.
If your custom app is absolutely identical to the one you are proposing to offer as a custom app, then you may not even need a custom app; the company can use Apple Business Manager and their MDM to obtain your free app and push it to their users. You do, however, need to consider what would happen if some other organisation distributed your app via an MDM; would your customisation "activate" and would that cause a problem?
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
I have made an app for doctors only for education purpose only. because of copyright issues I don't want the app to be on the app store. So I am planning to host the app on the my website with authentication. I have distributed app this way to the clients before and I know the difference between apple enterprise program vs developer account. I came across the issue that you can not deploy app to your end user via this method because it is violating app store terms and condition. After reading many forums I came to know that b2b program can be the solution. I know that b2b app store you still have to go with app store standard procedure So my questions are,
1) If your app is free, will it still violate app store terms and condition.?
2) What is the flow for b2b program once you submit your app to apple.?
3) Is b2b also violating the terms and condition for my scenario.?
Note - I know already how to get enterprise account or apply for b2b program. I have an organization to deal with this. I also know that the enterprise program only allows you to distribute the application file among employees with registered devices in your company, not to anybody else. :)
Thanks.
1) Free apps are still held to the same approval standards of paid apps.
The best way is an iOS enterprise account. Once you have an enterprise account, you can host signed Apps on your own website and your clients can download them directly to devices using OTA distribution. There is no Apple review for distributing apps this way.
Note that enterprise accounts are meant for distributing apps in an organization and not publicly. I think as long as you limit distribution to a specific group (not publicly) then you will not violate license agreements. Read the actual agreement to make sure it fits your needs.
Check out this question for details of how to setup OTA distribution:
IOS Enterprise Distribution Through OTA