Category: App Distribution

The Apple Volume Purchase Program allows for apps to be deployed privately (not via the Public App Store), whereby your user will request a unique to code to download the app.

Creating an Apple Volume Purchase Program account is free. To complete the enrolment, you will need:

• Your company’s DUNS number
• Your company’s VAT number
• An email address not already associated with an Apple ID

To enrol as an Apple Business Manager, go to https://business.apple.com/#enrollment

Follow the instructions, and complete each of the fields:

 

The work email address will be used to create a new Apple ID. You will be asked to verify your email and set up the Apple ID details before returning to the enrolment process:

 

 

Now complete the rest of the steps, to provide a verification contact (someone else in your business to verify your application) and the details of your business, including DUNS and VAT numbers.

On the ‘Institution Details’ screen, you will need to enter your DUNS number. If you aren’t sure what your DUNS number is, you can look it up here.

After you submit your application, it may take up to 24 hours for Apple to get in touch with your verification contact, and another 24 hours to process your application.

Once your application has been successful, you will be able to sign in to your Apple VPP account at https://deploy.apple.com

After your app is built, you can request redeemable unique codes from within your account, for your app. Simply download the spreadsheet of unique codes, and send it to us:

            

 

 

 

When you send us your spreadsheet of unique codes, we will load this in to our SMS system, so that your users can request and redeem a unique code to download the app.

Creating a Google Play Developer Account

To create a Google Play Developer Account, for your app to be published on the Google Play Store, visit https://play.google.com/apps/publish

Sign up as a new developer using a Google email account, and pay the £25 one-off fee to Google.

After you have created your account, you’ll need to invite TheAppBuilder so that we can publish your app.

 

Adding TheAppBuilder to your Google Play Developer Account

To publish your Android app on your behalf, we’ll need access to your Google Play Developer Account.

While signed in to our account on the Google Developer Console, click ‘Settings’ and the on ‘Users and Permissions’

 

            

 

Now click on ‘Invite New User’. On the next screen, enter developer@theappbuilder.com  and choose ‘Release Manager’ as the role, then click on ‘Send Invitation’:

 

 

We’ll receive your invitation and publish the app on your behalf.

Once you have created your Apple Developer Program account for the public app store, you will need to invite us to your account team, so that we can deploy and manage the app on your behalf.

First, sign in to your Apple Developer Account at https://developer.apple.com, then click on ‘People’:

Now click on the blue ‘Invite People’ button:

In the ‘Invite as Admin’ field, enter developer@docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.thrive.app then click on the blue ‘Invite’ button at the bottom of the screen:

Part one is now complete, but you still need to separately invite us to your iTunes Connect account! Go back to your account overview screen, and this time click on iTunes Connect:

On the next screen, click on the icon for ‘Users and Roles’:

 

Now click on the + icon beside ‘Users’:

And complete the fields as per the below screenshot, with developer@docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.docs.thrive.app in the email field:

Now click ‘Next’. On the next screen, tick the boxes labelled ‘App Manager’, ‘Sales’ and ‘Reports’:

Click ‘Next’. Now on the next screen, leave all the notifications settings as they are, and click ‘Save’.

That’s it! We will receive invitations to your Apple Developer Account and iTunes Connect Account to manage and deploy the app on your behalf.

• Jump to Apple (iOS) Distribution Options
• Jump to Android Distribution Options

TheAppBuilder provide iOS and Android native apps in parallel with a Web app for all modern browsers. To assist with the promotion of your apps TheAppBuilder provide a branded app download web page. (Click for example)

This page ensures that you can promote a single link to all your employees irrespective of what device they are choosing to use.

However you will be required to choose the subsequent distribution method of the apps.

Apple Distribution Options

Enterprise Download

In this option the app user downloads the app to their device directly from the branded download page provided by TheAppBuilder.  This is available for those with corporate or personal mobile devices, however they must be employees or members of the organisation.

To distribute apps in this manner requires your organisation to be registered on the Apple Developer Enterprise Program.  Registration with Apple on this program can take up to a week provided you have all the required information available. Following registration, Apple enforce a 2 week period before you are permitted to publish your first app.  Thereafter there are no time restrictions or approval periods for publishing apps.

There is a signing process for iOS apps which associates your app with your Apple Developer Enterprise Program membership. You will be required to either provide TheAppBuilder Dev Team with access to your Apple Account via the team access function, or have a team member in your organisation who has experience of creating and signing enterprise apps.

Apps distributed in this manner can also be distributed in parallel via an MDM. It is common for enterprises to distribute apps via MDM to users with corporate mobile devices and via Enterprise Download to those using personal devices.

Updates: A drawback of the Apple Developer Enterprise Program method is that when an app update is made all users must re-download the app file.

• Timeline to distribute first app: 3 weeks
• Timeline for subsequent apps: 1 day
• Registrations Cost: £249 per year for Apple Developer Enterprise Program

Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Apps can be distributed to your employees via an MDM solution. This often takes the format of an internal app store or automatic installation of apps on company owned devices. Depending on the configuration of your MDM you can distribute to corporate or personal mobile devices belonging to employees or members of your organisation.

Apps distributed in this manner can also be distributed in parallel via Enterprise Download, Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) or the public App Store. It is common for enterprises to distribute apps via MDM to users with corporate mobile devices and via Enterprise Download to those using personal devices.

Registration for this option can be either on the Apple Developer Program or the Apple Developer Enterprise Program. Where the app is MDM only or MDM+Enterprise Download the registration required is on the Apple Developer Enterprise Program. Where the app is distributed via MDM + either VPP or public store the registration required is on the Apple Developer Program.

Registration with Apple on either program can take up to a week provided you have all the required information available. Following registration, Apple enforce a 2 week period before you are permitted to publish your first app.

There is a signing process for iOS apps which associates your app with your Apple Developer Enterprise Program or Apple Developer Program membership. Read more about the signing process here.

• Timeline to distribute first app: 3 weeks
• Timeline for subsequent apps: 1 day if MDM only or Enterprise Download, 2 weeks if VPP or Public App Store.
• Registrations Cost: £0

Apple Volume Purchasing Program (VPP)

Using the Apple Volume Purchasing Program apps are downloaded via a private section of the Apple App Store.  Users access this private store by typing in a unique promo code or clicking on a unique url.  These are unique to each user and are distributed by the employer.  It is possible to distribute to both employees and external stakeholders on either corporate or personal devices.

To distribute apps in this manner requires your organisation to be registered on the Apple Deployment Program.  Registration with Apple on this program can takes about an hour provided you have all the required information available. You are required to have a DUNS number. Following registration, you must enroll on the Apple Volume Purchase Program which take just a few minutes.

When you publish an app there is an approval process with Apple which can take up to 2 weeks.

• Timeline to distribute first app: 2-3 weeks
• Timeline for subsequent apps: 1-2 weeks
• Registrations Cost: £0 per year

Public App Store

User downloads the app via the app store on their device. They can search for the app or be sent a link to it.  Employees and external stakeholders can both download the app on either corporate or personally owned devices.

To distribute apps in this manner requires your organisation to be registered on the Apple Developer Program.  Registration with Apple on this program can take up to a week provided you have all the required information available.

When you publish an app there is an approval process with Apple which can take up to 2 weeks.

• Timeline to distribute first app: 2-3 weeks
• Timeline for subsequent apps: 1-2 weeks
• Registrations Cost: £79 per year

Android Distribution

Enterprise Download

In this option the app user downloads the app to their device directly from the branded download page provided by TheAppBuilder.  This is available for employees or external stakeholders on corporate or personal mobile devices.

There is no registration with Google required and there is no signing process for your IT dept to undertake.

Apps distributed in this manner can also be distributed in parallel via an MDM. It is common for enterprises to distribute apps via MDM to users with corporate mobile devices and via Enterprise Download to those using personal devices.

Updates: A drawback of this method is that when an app update is made all users must re-download the app file.

• Timeline to distribute first app: 1 day
• Timeline for subsequent apps: 1 day
• Registratons Cost:£0

Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Apps can be distributed to your employees via an MDM solution. This often takes the format of an internal app store or automatic installation of apps on company owned devices. Depending on the configuration of your MDM you can distribute to corporate or personal mobile devices belonging to employees or members of your organisation.

Apps distributed in this manner can also be distributed in parallel via Enterprise Download or the public App Store. It is common for enterprises to distribute apps via MDM to users with corporate mobile devices and via Enterprise Download to those using personal devices.

Unless the app is being distributed via the Play Store in parallel as MDM there is no registration or signing process required.

• Timeline to distribute first app: 1 day
• Timeline for subsequent apps: 1 day
• Registrations Cost:  £0

Play Store

User downloads the app via the Play Store on their device. They can search for the app or be sent a link to it.  Employees and external stakeholders can both download the app on either corporate or personally owned devices.

To distribute apps in this manner requires your organisation to be registered on the Google Play Developer Console. Registration take 1 day.

When you publish an app there is an approval process which takes up to 1 day.

• Timeline to distribute first app: 2 days
• Timeline for subsequent apps: 1 day
• Registrations Cost: $25 one off for Google Registration