Distribute App in House

Question

The company I work for is coming near to completion of an iOS app for internal use only amongst employees. I have done some research and found that in house deployment would be most suitable for our use. However there are some things that from my research I am not clear on and would like to hear from people who have deployed apps using this method.

If we deploy an app in house does it still need submitting to Apple or does this method overcome this problem? Are there any additional requirements? I have looked through the Apple website on this and understand that the app needs to be hosted on a secure server and about the need of the accompanying XML file. Does my company need to sign up to this "iOS Developer Enterprise Program" before we can distribute in house? What limitations are there if any over publishing to the app store?

Thank You for your time to anyone who responds.

Answer 1

If we deploy an app in house does it still need submitting to Apple or does this method overcome this problem?

No it does not require submitting to Apple.

Are there any additional requirements?

Yes, you need an Enterprise developer account. Require your own server to host the apps and need to implement method of distribution. You can also opt for 3rd party MDM services who manage the entire server part for you. But there is a cost involved.

What limitations are there if any over publishing to the app store?

In house signed apps install on any devices without having to add the UDID. Downside to this is illegal distribution of your app, hence the need for secured server or authenticated downloading. Also the enterprise account expires after one year, the apps need to be distributed again with the renewed in-house provisioning.

You can go through Distributing Enterprise Apps for iOS Devices for In-house distribution.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Enterprise Program has no limit of devices you can test (deploy) your apps on. Normal Developers Program has a limit of 100 devices.

Say you will only have less then 100 devices in your company you can go with the normal Program otherwise you will need the Enterprise Program.

I highly recommend https://testflightapp.com/ for what you plan.

You can invite the employees by sending an email to them. They register at https://testflightapp.com/ and can download the app onto their devices. They get notifications for updates through email, too. You just need to upload your ipas to https://testflightapp.com/ for that.

Answer 3

Apple does not have to approve 'in-house' applications. Have a look at this guide on the apple developer site. You will however need an Enterprise Development Account, this is an additional cost.

That document explains your options for distributing your enterprise app. Finally as for limitations, since it doesnt require apple approval you can essentially do what ever you want and not have to worry about passing apples approval process.

We actually have several in-house applications that are hosted on a internal web server, then users go to the website and download the apps they need.

Answer 4

The Public App Store is not the only option to Distribute your App.(Futhermore, Apple doesn't accept in-house apps).

I’ve identified 5 options that you should know about app distribution.

1) The Public App Store

2) iOS Developer Enterprise Program

3) Custom B2B Apps Program

4) Ad Hoc Distribution (intended for Testing)

5) iOS Beta Testing Service: TestFlight

First of all look at Testflight!

TestFlight is a free over-the-air platform used to distribute beta and internal iOS applications to team members. Developers can manage testing and receive feedback from their team with TestFlight’s Dashboard. TestFlight makes use of your iOS Enterprise License or Developer License to create Enterprise and Ad Hoc provisioned apps.

I hope this will help you! read more about app development.

Answer 5

You will need to sign up for an iOS Developer Enterprise Program account in order to properly sign your application's .ipa. I have been using buildcannon to distribute my application which so far has been working well.