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P
P Steven
Known Participant
December 14, 2012
Question

Distribute small number of iPad only app to company employees

  • December 14, 2012
  • 1 reply
  • 672 views

I am running through the requirements of an app for a client and one of the questions I have relates to how the app will be distributed.

Initially the app will only be used by a small number of employees (most likely to be only 3 or 4 users).

I do not think it makes sense to release this app via the app store and therefore wondered what the alternatives are. I know there is ad-hoc distribution but believe this is only for testing and also the app expires.

I also read about enterprise developer accounts but this appears to be something my client would require and my client is not a developer. Perhaps it is possible for my client to register for an enterprise developer account and then add me as a developer? I am assuming that the Flash AIR apps are suitable for enterprise distribution.

Any advice on how best to distribute this app much appreciated. Perhaps there is a simpler way to distribute this?

This topic has been closed for replies.

1 reply

Colin Holgate
Colin Holgate
Inspiring
December 14, 2012

Ad Hoc provisioning does expire, but it's many months later. Can't remember for sure if it's 3, 6, or 12, but it's quite a while. Could you build into the contract that you would provide an update to the app now and then? That would refresh the period.

Another option would be to have the client get an iPhone developer account, which you could use when you build the app. The only real advantage would be that the app would last a year, and would expire if the client doesn't renew their developer license.

That aside, you'll find people will recommend TestFlightApp.com as a way to distribute the app. I tend not to use them, there are complications to their system (your users would have to register with them, install a special provisioning file). The technique that TestFlightApp uses is to post a file and a manifest of the app. If you have a server, or even DropBox, that you can place those files, you could use BetaBuilder to do the same job. That's what I use. It's in the Mac App Store, for $2:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/betabuilder-for-ios-apps/id415348946?mt=12

P
P StevenAuthor
Known Participant
December 14, 2012

Thanks Colin - I appreciate you answering all my questions.

I was under the impression that Apple only allowed Ah Hoc to be used for testing purposes. If this is not the case, I believe it is either 9 or 12 months (could be wrong though). This would seem a great solution to me but may be difficult explaining to the client that the app I will build them will expire after X months.

If the client registered a developer account in their name, surely they would still create an ad hoc build and therefore be limited by the same expiration issue?

I do use testFlightApp.com for distributing apps to my testers (friends and family) and I agress it can be annoying but I can't complain as it is free and has served me well on occasions.

So apart from via the app store and ad-hoc, is the only other alternative the enterprise solution?

I will check out BetaBuilder - I had not heard of that one before.

Colin Holgate
Colin Holgate
Inspiring
December 14, 2012

Jailbreaking is the only permanent solution I've heard of, but I've never tried that. Or, use Android instead of iPad. Then it would last 25 years.

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