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I have two separate iOS apps, one is a client and one is a server. They need to be used together, either by itself is useless. Clients are free, server has a cost to use.

I know I can submit this as a single app, and maybe have the server functionality be unlocked with an In App Purchase.

But what if I want to submit this as two separate apps? What is the procedure to submit two related apps for Apple review? I can set the release date for each of them to a date in the future in case one gets approved and the other is rejected and needs rehabilitation. That way I can coordinate a single launch date for both of them once both have been approved.

Anyone with experience they would be willing to share?

Here is an example of why I might want to do this: Let's say my server app is very large in size because it has content, graphics, whatever. The server is used at a large gathering and many people want to join the fun as clients. They all need to download the client app over cellular data at the venue at that time. I want the related client app to have a small footprint.

iTech
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not about programming. [Why we're not customer support for your favorite company](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/255745/why-were-not-customer-support-for-your-favorite-company). – FelixSFD Apr 19 '17 at 19:07

2 Answers2

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They need to be used together, either by itself is useless.

This is the reason why you should make a single app with the server functionality locked as an In App Purchase. Think about it again.

  • People who download a free client version cannot use it anyway without buying another app. Not good.
  • People who download a free client version cannot easily upgrade it to the full version. Not good.
  • People who go through the hassle and install both apps have to somehow switch between them. They have one icon more on their home screen too.

If you can, ship a single app. Tell your users what's going on in the first-launch information view, letting them upgrade instantly.

Costique
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  • I agree with your reasoning, thank you. But what if I still want to ship two apps that work together; what are the mechanics of doing that at Apple? Here is an example of why I might want to do this: Let's say my server app is very large in size because it has content, graphics, whatever. The server is used at a large gathering and many people want to join the fun as clients. They all need to download the client app over cellular data at the venue at that time. I want the related client app to have a small footprint. – iTech Apr 05 '12 at 05:04
  • An important counter-question: does the server version have any UI of its own? I mean, if the server is useless without clients, doesn't it make sense to implement it as a web service on your server? That way you ship only thin clients. But then you also have to rethink your business model. Perhaps, clients can have unlockable access to certain features. Is this technically possible in your case? – Costique Apr 05 '12 at 05:20
  • Thank you for your reply. In this particular case the server needs to be an iPhone app. Here is a made up example of what I mean: The server iPhone app has lots of internal graphics and its user is running all over a location capturing photos with GPS/GLONASS coordinates. Client users are chasing the server user, attempting to locate where the photos were captured from. So I need two mobile apps, one has graphics and is large, the others are thin and just need to receive images. – iTech Apr 05 '12 at 05:30
  • Also, let's say there is a mode where I am using peer to peer communications between the server and its clients. Otherwise I could store the large graphics on a web service server so that it does not need to be kept in the iPhone server app and sent out from that app to the clients. The web service server could "insert" the graphics between the iPhone apps' communications. – iTech Apr 05 '12 at 05:32
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To get around the client server uselessness without the other, first submit a paid app that does both, then submit the free client, then submit the paid server, then, if sales and revenue trends so indicate this to be a revenue optimization, remove the combo app from sale.

hotpaw2
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    Thank you for this working solution. I would leave out the final step of submitting the paid server because it is a subset of functionality of the original paid app, and could be rejected as a duplicate app by Apple. Also the server person may want to go into client mode from time to time and play this game as a client, giving someone else a turn as the server. This is the answer, unless someone knows of an official procedure to submit app pairs for review at Apple. – iTech Apr 05 '12 at 13:44