Can I update an iOS Enterprise App in the background like an App Store app can?

Question

I have an iOS enterprise app that we are wirelessly distributing to our devices. Currently the app polls our server once a day to see if there is an app update. If there is, we try to install it by having the app call the following code:

        NSURL *installUrl = [NSURL URLWithString:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=%@", plistUrl]];
        [[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:installUrl];

This causes the app to prompt the user with an alert dialog to install the update. If they click install, the app closes and the update is downloaded and installed.

I am wondering if there is anything for enterprise apps for iOS 7 similar to the AppStore's automatic updates? I would like to be able to update our app without the user having to press an update button and be able to update at a time when the user won't have to wait for it to install.

Answer 1

The answers in these questions will give you a correct answer:

• Auto-updated iOS application for enterprise distribution
• Update In-House Apps -- iOS Enterprise Developer Program
• Updating iOS apps automatically with an MDM + Enterprise license

There is a solution for this though by Stephen McMahon, but I did not test it.

http://www.techhui.com/profiles/blogs/auto-updating-enterprise-or-ad-hoc-ios-applications

Answer 2

EDIT: I realise now that I misread the brief, the OP was asking for background automatic updates. Not possible for enterprise apps, but (relatively) easy to do upon first open. I'll leave this here as this was the info I came looking for when I found this question.

---

Here's what I did for my project. I exported the app in Enterprise mode against our In House Distribution certificate and uploaded the folder to public web space. Have your app check for updates (the method to use is an exercise for the developer) and when one is detected, open a web browser to a URL like the following:

itms-services://?action=download-manifest&url=https://www.yourcompany.com/path/to/manifest.plist

You'll see a screen not unlike the one below:

If you use Cordova/PhoneGap to develop your app, be sure to include an allow-navigation rule for these types of apps.