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

VoltBuilder is a wrapper for Apache Cordova and Ionic Capacitor that makes it easy to build native executables (.apk, .aab, and .ipa) for Android and iOS from web apps. You can augment these executables with native code plugins, extending their capabilities far beyond what is possible in Web Apps and PWAs.

The way VoltBuilder works is simple. Zip your project, upload it to VoltBuilder, and it will create a downloadable executable for Android or iOS.

VoltBuilder simplifies and speeds up the workflow while keeping things framework neutral: it doesn’t restrict the use of any frameworks. As a web service, there is nothing to install, and we’ll ensure that everything stays up to date to keep you building to the latest standards.

How to Get Started

Head to our Plan Page to sign up and get started, or check out our Docs Section for more information. You can use the Free plan for limited testing or sign up for a trial of the Indy or Pro plans. The first 15 days are free, so you can see how it fits into your development flow before committing!

When you’re starting out, be sure to check out our tutorial document or video tutorial for help with your first build. Our docs section also has additional resources such as Migration Guides, sample projects, and tips to help you get started! If you need any additional help, feel free to check out our forum.