Will Apple make the App Store (more) business-friendly?
With hundreds of thousands of available apps, Apple’s App Store is the core dispensary for software applications across all its computing platforms. The store already has multiple ways in which it can support enterprise users, but there is work to do.
What Apple does provide is good
Apple offers a lot already.
- The Apple Developer Enterprise Program lets large organizations build their own apps internally and then deploy them privately to employees.
- Apple Business Manger lets developers distribute apps to specific clients or internally; organizations can then manage app distribution internally using MDM or special redemption codes.
- Apple has TestFlight and its own MDM system, Apple Business Essentials, which can also be used to manage app distribution remotely across Apple devices.
- Apple also has its Apps and Books Program in which enterprise and education customers can purchase bulk quantities of items for workforces.
The problem is that not every app developer wants to make their apps available via any of these business-focused schemes. They may be selling perfectly great apps with premium features that can be unlocked by subscription, but Apple Business Manager doesn’t support subscription payments. They may also be offering apps with useful features that must be unlocked through in-app purchase.