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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.

Alex Markman
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    I'm going through the same thing right now and it sounds to me like the B2B App Store is the best solution for you. You can set the app to free in the B2B store but I haven't gotten to the distribution phase of the project yet so I couldn't tell you the flow. One of the reasons you wouldn't want to do enterprise distribution besides that it violates terms is that from my understanding a device can only have one enterprise certificate on it. So organizations that have their own certificate would not be able to download and use yours to run the app. – Brandon Campbell Jul 10 '13 at 18:25
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    Unfortunately there are not that many details on internet about B2B App Store. – Alex Markman Jul 10 '13 at 18:30
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    Yes it is ridiculous. Actually ended up just talking to Apple Developer Support for half an hour about it at one point. If I remember I'll document the process and post it somewhere whenever we get around to deploying. – Brandon Campbell Jul 10 '13 at 18:38
  • Thanks, http://undefinedvalue.com/2012/07/12/distributing-custom-ios-b2b-app can be useful. – Alex Markman Jul 10 '13 at 19:00
  • @AlexI am facing the same problem, can you please tell me the correct way that how can i publish my app with >3000 employees using IOS Enterprise program? Thanks – Anand Gautam Jan 09 '14 at 17:35
  • @APG here is the link for "B2B" App store http://www.apple.com/business/vpp/ which is may be annoying for you and your employees. I personally don't recommend it. optionally just submit it to the app store :). – Alex Markman Jan 09 '14 at 22:40

1 Answers1

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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

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Justin Meiners
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  • I guess the enterprise account is limited to organization in house app only (max 500) and the doctors are not the part of my organization. They can even distribute is to other doctors or physicians. So in a way it is going to be a public app. – Alex Markman Jul 10 '13 at 18:16
  • @AlexMarkman I have never seen a limit to the number of apps that can be distributed through OTA. You cannot publicly distribute an app without going through an Apple App Store and approval of some sort, or having all of your clients jailbreak. – Justin Meiners Jul 10 '13 at 18:20
  • your comment matches my problem. :) for enterprise account I guess they removed the limit but it used to be there. – Alex Markman Jul 10 '13 at 18:27
  • @AlexMarkman - What if you created an organization of "Evaluating Doctors/ Beta Testing Doctors"? Not sure what the terms specify. Does it need to be a legal entity LLC/ Non Profit in the US/ Abroad under law? Can it be an organization like a local Bowling group? – Alex S Jun 01 '16 at 04:13
  • @AlexS I believe the enterprise registration process requires verification of your business information including tax info. Unlike the basic developer account, there is no option to register as an individual. – Justin Meiners Jun 01 '16 at 18:22