Best way to distribute an iOS app without using the App store
**The scenario:**
My company develops an iOS app for company A. Only employees of company A use this app and it must not appear in the Apple app store. Customer A pays us for developing the app, but the app itself is free. 

**The problem:**
How do we distribute the app and updates to the employees (>100, ad-hoc not an option) of company A?

**How the perfect solution should look like:**
Like distribution through the app store: Company A doesn't need to do anything and the users can acquire/update the app easily and quickly.


**Notes**
Customer A wants to do as little as possible. They also don't really care about costs.




**My ideas so far, please let me know what you think about them (and feel free to add your own)**

 1. My company applies for the iOS Enterprise Developer program (EDP) and puts the app on our own, login-protected website. Customer A doesn't need to do anything and its employees can simply download the app from the website. 

 2. Like 1., but customer A applies for the iOS EDP 


The first method would be perfect, but according to [this thread][1] it might be dangerous. Though I highly doubt Apple would press legal charges (Free app, relatively low number of users, companies located outside the USA), I really don't want to take that risk.

Therefore, I'm currently favoring the second method. It might be some effort for Customer A, but it's still convenient for the users and it doesn't violate the EULA as far as I can tell.

However, I still hope to find a method which doesn't force our customers through a relatively complicated application process (especially since most of them don't have a DUNS number). 




 
  


  [1]: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8323840/ios-enterprise-developer-program-how-would-apple-tell-random-customers-from-emp
Best way to distribute an iOS app without using the App store
===

**The scenario:**
My company develops an iOS app for company A. Only employees of company A use this app and it must not appear in the Apple app store. Customer A pays us for developing the app, but the app itself is free. 

**The problem:**
How do we distribute the app and updates to the employees (>100, ad-hoc not an option) of company A?

**How the perfect solution should look like:**
Like distribution through the app store: Company A doesn't need to do anything and the users can acquire/update the app easily and quickly.


**Notes**
Customer A wants to do as little as possible. They also don't really care about costs.




**My ideas so far, please let me know what you think about them (and feel free to add your own)**

 1. My company applies for the iOS Enterprise Developer program (EDP) and puts the app on our own, login-protected website. Customer A doesn't need to do anything and its employees can simply download the app from the website. 

 2. Like 1., but customer A applies for the iOS EDP 


The first method would be perfect, but according to [this thread][1] it might be dangerous. Though I highly doubt Apple would press legal charges (Free app, relatively low number of users, companies located outside the USA), I really don't want to take that risk.

Therefore, I'm currently favoring the second method. It might be some effort for Customer A, but it's still convenient for the users and it doesn't violate the EULA as far as I can tell.

However, I still hope to find a method which doesn't force our customers through a relatively complicated application process (especially since most of them don't have a DUNS number). 




 
  


  [1]: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8323840/ios-enterprise-developer-program-how-would-apple-tell-random-customers-from-emp