App Store Submission for Multi-User Application

Question

The app that I am trying to submit is for a field sales system that is already running on Android devices, and which we are now trying to make available to Apple users. It is a cloud based application, and users synchronize data stored on their devices with data stored on a web server. The application is sold to companies rather than individuals. Each company has many users, all of whom synchronize with the same database on the server.

We maintain our own web server and provide a hosting service, and companies can also host their own servers:

• For the hosting service, companies pay a monthly or annual fee, which depends on the number of users they have.
• For companies that prefer to host their own servers, the app is licensed by device. Companies pay registration and upgrade fees for each device, and each user has to enter a registration key.

I understand that we are not allowed to mention the Android platform anywhere in our app. I also understand that we have to allow all subscriptions, registrations and upgrades to be paid through in-app purchases. But I have a number of questions:

1. I am happy for us to offer only a limited service to Apple customers, if it makes it easier for the app to be accepted. Would Apple be happy with this arrangement?
2. Most companies prefer to have just one administrator for their whole system, and to have him make all the purchasing arrangements. Is Apple OK with this?
3. Is it possible to make multiple in-app purchases of a single product (e.g. purchase 50 licenses)?
4. Is the use of registration keys an issue?

Answer 1

1) I think that as long as your clients are aware that the iOS flavour of your app/service was limited in some manner (tell them the rest is work in progress) then I cannot foresee any issue with this. You may still consider ringing Apple Developer Support and run it past them, but your chances of getting a non-vague answer from them directly are still high - they'll probably say it depends on the reviewer when you go to submit the app.

2) Sounds fine, and not uncommon in the enterprise app world. See 3) for more details.

3) You can utilise the VPP (Volume Purchase Program) to achieve this, but it's only available in the US at time of writing. See the link below for further information:

http://www.apple.com/business/vpp/

I think that another way you could consider app distribution and which would let you bypass Apple (to a degree) is to sign up for an enterprise developers' account. This will let you build the usual development & distribution builds of your app, but a distribution build can take two forms: limited to devices by their UDID (100 limit still in effect) or not at all. If the latter, you could self-host the generated .ipa app file, which is perfectly viable.

4) Registration keys for the app? (to unlock "premium" content or as the method of app activation?)

Hope this was of some help, best of luck!