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.

voltbuilderUpload

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

To start testing your app right away check out VoltBuilder!

VoltBuilder is a wrapper for Apache Cordova and Ionic Capacitor. We make it easy for you to build native executables (e.g., .apk, .aab, and .ipa) for Android and iOS from web apps. You can augment these executables with native code plugins to extend your app’s capabilities far beyond what is possible in Web Apps and PWAs.

Using VoltBuilder simplifies and speeds up your workflow while keeping things framework neutral. As a web service, there is nothing you need to install. We also keep everything up to date so you can focus on building to the latest standards, and make sure to keep you in the loop on things that might affect your build process.

The way VoltBuilder works is simple. Zip your project, upload it to VoltBuilder, and download your Android or iOS executable.

Getting Started With VoltBuilder

If you haven’t already, sign up and select the VoltBuilder plan that best fits your needs and budget. You can use the Free plan for limited testing, or get more builds by trying out our Indy or Pro plans with a 15 day free trial!

Then, check out our Docs Section to learn how to integrate VoltBuilder into your development process.

When you’re ready to upload your first project, watch our video tutorial (or read the tutorial in our docs). The Docs section has plenty of other helpful resources, like Migration Guides, sample projects, and tips to get you started! If you need extra help, stop by our Support Forum!