iOS Enterprise Distribution - Bypassing the Apple App Store

The Apple Developer Enterprise Program allows you to distribute your app without going through the Apple App Store. It’s massively beneficial for developers, providing an easier workflow and greater control while developing their apps.

The program allows you to bypass a lot of the usual barriers. Through it, you avoid the app approval process, and you don’t need to follow all the rules of the App Store. You’ll be able to update your app more quickly and save a lot of time and frustration, letting you spend more time working on your app. You’ll also gain more control over your app and will be allowed greater control over who is using it.

Some of the primary requirements for the program are:

• Your company needs to have over 100 employees.
• Only employees can have the app distributed to them.
• Acceptance by Apple into their Enterprise Program ($299/yr).

These are the main ones, but you can find the full list of requirements here.

Once you’re accepted, you’ll need an Enterprise Plan for VoltBuilder. You can contact us to get one here. Getting set up is easy, and we’ll ensure that the plan is suited to your unique needs.

How to make an Enterprise Build

Making an Enterprise build is just like a regular build. Make sure you have these lines in your voltbuilder.json file:

    "iosPackageType": "enterprise",
    "release": "release",

The build will return an ipa file, which you can then distribute to your users.

How to distribute an Enterprise Build

There are two ways to distribute an Enterprise build. You can host it on your own systems, or VoltBuilder can do the hosting for you.

If you choose to host it yourself, you will need to put it on a website, along with a plist file which will let Safari (on the device) know that it is a valid ipa and can be downloaded and installed on the device.

However, it’s easier to let VoltBuilder do the hosting since there won’t be any further steps afor you to deploy the app. You’ll simply give your users the URL or QR Code of the app that VoltBuilder returns with the build. Then they can install directly from the VoltBuilder servers as soon as the build is complete. The new build will have the same URL, so you don’t need to send a new link each time you build.

Screenshot with the QR code and URL to download. Sample only - will not work.

To enable hosting, add a hosting_id to your voltbuilder.json. You can read more information about hosting here.

What VoltBuilder Does

VoltBuilder converts your web projects into native Android and iOS apps. VoltBuilder is a wrapper for Apache Cordova and Ionic Capacitor, so you can add native features to your apps via Cordova and Capacitor plugins.

VoltBuilder's Key features:

• Produces native executables — for easy testing & app store publishing.
• Publish in minutes — VoltBuilder uploads directly to Google Play and the Apple App Store.
• Easily generate certificates — VoltSigner makes Android and iOS certificates. No Mac needed!
• Nothing to install — just head to the Uploads page to get building.
• Nothing to store — we don't keep your passwords, certs, or code in our cloud.
• Always up-to-date — we install and maintain the latest SDKs and tooling so you don't have to.

How to Use VoltBuilder

It's as simple as Upload, Download, Run. Done.

1. Zip your web project.
2. Upload it to our platform.
3. Download the native app or let us deploy it to stores.
4. Run it instantly via QR code or direct link for testing.

Ready to Build?

Skip the native-dev hassle. Sign up and start your first build today!