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Just curious, from an API point of view and in general, besides not having to go through iTunes app approval process is there any other advantages (or even disadvantages) over a regular app for the normal app store?

meds
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  • I'd say a disadvantage is not being able to inject your app into a market viewed by several hundred million users. – Mick MacCallum May 04 '12 at 01:49
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    @MDT That is assuredly something I don't want when making a custom app tailored to the needs of a specific client. – meds May 04 '12 at 01:53

2 Answers2

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The public apis exposed to standard license holders are exactly the same as those available for enterprise license holders. In my opinion the advantages of enterprise license would be:

  1. You are free to use even the undocumented apis if you want. Since the apps never go through iTunes store, there is no way Apple can interfere in their distribution.

  2. No need to adhere to HIG guidelines for the same reason as above (although we always try to follow them for apparent reasons).

  3. Since enterprise in-house distribution allows deployment on any iDevice, the testing of apps is also not limited to 100 devices registered on the provisioning portal.

Disadvantages would be:

  1. You can't use features like in-app purchase, iAds etc.(although there is no requirement of such features in enterprise apps).

  2. The enterprise in-house distribution certificate expires in one year. That means rebuilding and redeployment of all the apps again with a new certificate(every year again and again).

To summarize, I would say that I definitely don't agree with MDT's comment. Enterprise apps are not meant for general public, so there is no need of market visibility for them. Consider an enterprise app which shows dashboard of sales data. The use would be relevant to internal users of the enterprise only and imagine what would happen if it is available on the app store.

Matthew Frederick
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Vin
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  • Just to confirm, enterprise apps do not require the iDevice they will be installed on to have a special certificate or profile? – meds May 04 '12 at 03:23
  • Certificate and profiles are must. Although apps built with in-house distribution profile, can be installed on any device. – Vin May 04 '12 at 03:57
  • So what you're saying is for example if I write an app for the CIA with the enterprise certificate and some other people who aren't a part of the CIA get a copy of the .app/ipa file they can install it on their own iDevices without needing to do anything special to the device? – meds May 04 '12 at 03:59
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    Yes!! That's why it's the responsibility of the enterprise to ensure that the apps should be deployed on the devices of their employees only(that also forms a part of the terms of use of an enterprise license). – Vin May 04 '12 at 04:04
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Marco Arment seems to think so; http://www.marco.org/2012/01/06/autorenewable-subscription-restrictions

To summarize the article, he spent some time trying to make instapaper paid for by an auto renewable subscription, but then was turned down from the app store because that wasn't the intended use (even though it makes perfect sense for his business model).

evanmcdonnal
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