iOS Question iOS-App Deployment

[semar]

Hi there,
I've read some topics on this forum regarding the iOS Deployment pipeline and I have some question about.

My goal is to upload an iOS-App somewhere (own server ? B4i Server ? iTunes ? Diawi ? ) and let the users install it.

Do I understand right, that I need a provision file with all the UDIDs of the devices on where the App will be installed ? This is for me - and my customer - a no go, since we don't have any clue about the UDID of all the devices of the occasional customers. More, the installation process will be rather complex, because each customer should first send us the UDID of the device, then I should generate a new provision file with his UDID, and finally upload a new build with the new provision file. And this is required for all the users that want to install the App.

I've understand that the need of the UDIDs is no longer required when using an Apple Developer Enterprise Program (299 € / year) and In-House builds. Is this assumption right ?
Source:

if you are using a Development or Ad-hoc provisioning profile, devices' UDIDs must be added to the provisioning profile used to sign your app. In-house builds with an Enterprise Apple account don't require registering UDIDs

I wonder if I can achieve the same with my current normal Developer License (99 € / year) that I've enrolled, if I upload the iOS App on iTunes. Am I right ?

Since I've not yet deployed any App on iTunes, I need badly some clarification in order to follow the right path for my customer and for me as developer.

Any help will be greately appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Sergio

 

[Erel]

Do I understand right, that I need a provision file with all the UDIDs of the devices on where the App will be installed ?

Yes, and the maximum number of UDIDs is 100.

I've understand that the need of the UDIDs is no longer required when using an Apple Developer Enterprise Program (299 € / year) and In-House builds. Is this assumption right ?

Yes. Make sure to go over Apple terms. If I remember correctly you can only use it to distribute applications inside the organization (it is a legal limitation not technical).

I wonder if I can achieve the same with my current normal Developer License (99 € / year) that I've enrolled, if I upload the iOS App on iTunes. Am I right ?

Yes. This is the standard way to distribute your application. You can add a log-in page if you want to control who uses the app.

 

[semar]

Yes. This is the standard way to distribute your application. You can add a log-in page if you want to control who uses the app.

Sorry to be pedant, but does that mean that if I upload the iOS App on iTunes using my normal Developer License, the UDIDs of the target devices are no longer required ?

 

[Erel]

the UDIDs of the target devices are no longer required ?

Of course. Any one in the world with an iOS device can install your app.

 

[Arf]

Is there any way to distribute an iOS app without the app being on the iTunes store?
The method would have to work for non-jailbroken phones.

 

[nwhitfield]

Pretty much:

• As a corporate app, if you have a corporate developer ID
• From your own server, or the B4A OTA deployer, if you have the UUIDs of the (max 100) devices
• Via TestFlight (Apple's beta test system, which still requires their approval)
• Via HockeyApp (Microsoft's beta testing system, about which I don't know much detail)

If you're simply wanting the equivalent of the 'Allow installation from non App store sources" option in Android, you're out of luck, at least as far as non-jailbroken phones are concerned

 

[Erel]

TestFlight beta allows you to distribute your app by inviting the users (with their email address). I'm pretty sure that it is not a good idea to treat it as a distribution channel.

HockeyApp should be similar to B4i OTA deployer.