We are often asked how our clients can distribute enterprise and B2B apps – so I thought I would let you know the options available for iPhone apps.
A
pple’s iOS Developer Enterprise Program enables you to distribute the apps with your own app store – you can then email and sms the link to the users. To open an account, you need to prove to Apple you are a business, and the process can take a few weeks.
However, if you only need to send an app to a few dozen users acting as beta testers, we can do this very quickly for you, saving you the time and cost of setting up an Enterprise account. With this setup though, the apps expire in 45 days, as this is designed for testing purposes only.
If the app is for multiple customers, you can create a free or paid app on the App Store that requires a customer login to access the app. This then allows you to restrict the app for use by specific customers only. Most subscription or paid service apps use this approach because it exposes the app to everyone, helping to advertise the app, but keeping access restricted to registered customers.
Additionally, Apple has recently launched the Volume Purchasing model to support B2B apps. However, the program is currently only available in the US and has several restrictions within the process.
If you are interested in creating a B2B app, then as part of our consultative approach, we can help guide you through these options and setup the required accounts.
