iOS Over the Air / Web App Distribution with Enterprise Program - “in house”?

Question

From what I understand, with my $299/yr iOS Developer Enterprise Program, I can distribute an "in-house" app to an unlimited number of users for beta testing/etc without keeping track of specific device UDID's.

My question is: Is there a way (a "hack" or ordinary procedure) to go about distributing my apps via the web (or just not the AppStore) to the PUBLIC, still to an unlimited number of users? I've seen a lot of seemingly conflicting information around here, but according to user namsral at this Stack post it is possible. And is it true that you can distribute to > 100 users with an ordinary iOS Developer account?

Also, how strict is Apple on keeping Enterprise-distributed apps regulated for "in-house" purposes only?

If anyone has experience with any of these points, I'd be very grateful to hear it. Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes, with a $300 enterprise agreement you can (technically) put the app on the big wide 'Net for everyone to download.

In the provisioning portal, there's an explicit difference between "ad-hoc" and "inhouse" profiles. The latter is not available without an enterprise agreement.

This might violate the agreement though. Read the fine print; IANAL.

To get an enterprise agreement, you'll need to submit a proof of corporate identity - a Duns&Bradstreet number, and some paperwork like a business license.

There's no way Apple could limit your distribution to your corporate devices, as there's no way to formalize such a notion.

The confusion stems from the fact that the "ad-hoc" distribution model, which the non-enterprise customers can use, only allows distributing to up to 100 devices, and those need to be explicitly enabled in the provisioning profile at build time. This is perfect for beta testing, but not for general distribution; that's the whole point of the extra fee.

Answer 2

You can't install an ad hoc distribution unless your device is added to the provisioning that the app belongs to. If you try to install the app you have just sent the link from any other device not included in the provisioning (like mine, for example), you will download, but won't be able to install it

Answer 3

I can't recommend TestFlightApp.com enough.