How do I deploy an iPhone application (without the App Store)?

Question

Please forgive the noob question.

I've been developing this little app (with Unity) for some time. The development profile expires every 90 days. That's life.

Now I want to take it to the 'next' level, which is 'actual deployment'. Here's the catch: I don't really want to sell this in the App Store. It's a very specific app for a very specific target audience (a particular company). It's not a game or anything anyone else would find fun or useful, it pertains only to this one company's business.

This is my first iPhone app, so I don't know, is there a different kind of cert or profile or something I should be using? Or can I 'publish' things without Apple needing to care? If it does have to go through Apple, is there a category of app like "not porn, not game, not harmful, just some utility, please let some people get it and use it"?

Answer 1

What you probably need is an Enterprise account for the business to which you're selling (you can sign up here: http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/). With an Enterprise account, you can distribute in-house apps over the air to members of the organization. That's the only officially-sanctioned way to get "permanent" apps onto a phone without the app store.

Answer 2

Hope this helps!! http://adeem.me/blog/2009/04/24/tutorial-list-guideline-for-building-ad-hoc-application-for-iphone/