<p>Developers may sometimes have apps that are not suitable for public distribution through the App Store. To release those apps, Apple provides several distribution options. There are benefits and drawbacks to each choice. Before we dive into Unlisted App Distribution, let&#8217;s briefly discuss other distribution methods and their pros and cons.</p>
<p>Options for Distribution:</p>
<ul>
<li>Ad Hoc</li>
<li>Enterprise</li>
<li>Testflight</li>
<li>Custom Apps</li>
<li>Unlisted Apps</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="ad-hoc">Ad Hoc</h2>
<p>Although Appcircle automates this <a href="https://docs.appcircle.io/distribute/apple-devices">process</a>, it&#8217;s important to note that only internal developer team members should use this distribution method. Because the limit of Ad Hoc distribution is 100 devices per year. You also need to add the UDID of mobile devices manually to register your users. Since iOS 16, Apple enforces to enable <a href="https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/enabling-developer-mode-on-a-device">Developer mode</a> to run apps signed with Ad Hoc provisioning profile.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4226" src="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-scaled.webp" alt="unlisted-app-distribution-on-the-app-store-development" width="660" height="436" srcset="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-scaled.webp 2560w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-300x198.webp 300w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-1030x681.webp 1030w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-768x508.webp 768w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-1536x1015.webp 1536w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-2048x1354.webp 2048w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-1500x992.webp 1500w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/unlisted_ss-705x466.webp 705w" sizes="(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px" /></p>
<p>Enabling Developer mode can be a complex process that may compromise security. Hence, it could lead some users to choose not to use it.</p>
<h2 id="enterprise">Enterprise</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://developer.apple.com/programs/enterprise/">Apple Developer Enterprise Program</a> allows companies to develop and distribute proprietary iOS apps within their organization, without the need for App Store approval. Yet, this program is highly restricted. Your organization must:</p>
<ul>
<li>The company must have at least 100 employees.</li>
<li>The organization must be a legal entity with a valid business license or other documentation proving its legal status.</li>
<li>The program solely aims the internal app distribution within the organization. Hence, it cannot be used to distribute apps to external customers or third-party organizations.</li>
<li class="public-DraftStyleDefault-unorderedListItem public-DraftStyleDefault-reset public-DraftStyleDefault-depth0 public-DraftStyleDefault-listLTR" data-block="true" data-editor="1heaa" data-offset-key="ado4l-0-0">
<div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="ado4l-0-0"><span class="hardreadability"><span data-offset-key="ado4l-0-0">The company must have systems in place to restrict internal-use app downloads to employee only</span></span><span data-offset-key="ado4l-1-0">. This protects membership credentials and assets from unauthorized access or distribution.</span></div>
</li>
<li>To participate, the organization must pass Apple&#8217;s verification interview and continuous evaluation process. This includes a review of the organization&#8217;s IT infrastructure and security protocols to ensure compliance with Apple&#8217;s requirements.</li>
<li>The company must be a legal entity and have a D-U-N-S number (a unique identification number for businesses) issued by Dun &amp; Bradstreet.</li>
</ul>
<p>Users also need to trust an Enterprise certificate to install the app.</p>
<h3 id="how-do-i-trust-an-enterprise-developer-">How do I trust an enterprise developer?</h3>
<ul>
<li>When you try to open an enterprise app that you installed manually, you may see a notification that the app developer is not trusted on your device. Dismissing the message will prevent opening the app.</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-4212" src="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise1.webp" alt="unlisted-app-distribution-on-the-app-store-enterprise1" width="280" height="497" srcset="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise1.webp 640w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise1-169x300.webp 169w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise1-580x1030.webp 580w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise1-397x705.webp 397w" sizes="(max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px" /></p>
<ul>
<li>To establish trust for the developer, go to Settings &gt; General &gt; Profiles or Profiles &amp; Device Management. Then, under the &#8220;Enterprise App&#8221; category, a profile for the app developer will be displayed.</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-4213" src="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise2.webp" alt="unlisted-app-distribution-on-the-app-store-enterprise2" width="280" height="497" srcset="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise2.webp 640w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise2-169x300.webp 169w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise2-580x1030.webp 580w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise2-397x705.webp 397w" sizes="(max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px" /></p>
<ul>
<li>Tap on the name of the developer profile to establish trust for the developer.</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-4214" src="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise3.webp" alt="unlisted-app-distribution-on-the-app-store-enterprise3" width="280" height="497" srcset="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise3.webp 640w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise3-169x300.webp 169w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise3-580x1030.webp 580w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/enterprise3-397x705.webp 397w" sizes="(max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px" /></p>
<p>If you have Enterprise certificate, <a href="https://appcircle.io/enterpriseappstore">Appcircles Enterprise Store</a> provides an app store to distribute your in-house apps with a customizable mobile storefront.</p>
<h2 id="testflight">TestFlight</h2>
<p><a href="https://developer.apple.com/testflight/">TestFlight</a> is Apple&#8217;s own testing distribution system. It supports the unreleased or beta version of the app. Developers must also manage the users and manually add the user&#8217;s email to AppStore Connect. You can invite up to 10,000 testers using just their email address or by sharing a public link. Builds expire after 90 days and each build needs a revision by Apple. You may easily submit your builds to TestFlight via <a href="https://docs.appcircle.io/store-submit/apple-app-store">Appcircle</a>.<img class="aligncenter wp-image-4255 size-full" src="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-scaled.webp" alt="unlisted-app-distribution-on-the-app-store-try-now-banner" width="2560" height="822" srcset="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-scaled.webp 2560w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-300x96.webp 300w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-1030x331.webp 1030w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-768x247.webp 768w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-1536x493.webp 1536w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-2048x658.webp 2048w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-1500x482.webp 1500w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/try-now-7-705x226.webp 705w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<h2 id="custom-apps">Custom Apps</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s also possible to make your app available to certain companies or educational institutions via <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-business-manager/intro-to-apple-business-manager-axmd344cdd9d/web">Apple Business Manager</a> or <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-school-manager/welcome/web">Apple School Manager</a>. This program provides a private and secure method to distribute the apps to specific partners, clients, and franchisees, or even internal employees. Custom apps can be offered for free or at any price tier, and the organization can identify who can download the app and set a release date in App Store Connect</p>
<p><img class="alignnone wp-image-4215" src="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-scaled.webp" alt="unlisted-app-distribution-on-the-app-store-custom-apps" width="756" height="343" srcset="https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-scaled.webp 2560w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-300x136.webp 300w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-1030x467.webp 1030w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-768x349.webp 768w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-1536x697.webp 1536w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-2048x929.webp 2048w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-1500x681.webp 1500w, https://ac.appcircle.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/customapps-705x320.webp 705w" sizes="(max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px" /></p>
<p>Distributing custom apps through MDM solutions can be complex and may require a dedicated IT team to manage. Hence, This option is not suitable for every organization.</p>
<h2 id="unlisted-apps">Unlisted Apps</h2>
<p><a href="https://developer.apple.com/support/unlisted-app-distribution/">Apple Unlisted App Distribution</a> allows you to release applications to limited audiences. To access Unlisted Apps, users must use a direct link because these apps are not discoverable through search in the App Store. Unlisted Apps don’t appear in any App Store categories, charts, recommendations, search results, or other listings. However, once a user opens a link, they will see the same App Store experience. They can download the app the same way they download other App Store apps. On the other hand, users do not need to enable Developer Mode or trust Enterprise certificate. Developers must add authentication/authorization flows inside the app to prevent unauthorized users.</p>
<h2 id="how-do-i-submit-an-unlisted-app-">How do I submit an Unlisted App?</h2>
<p>Apple&#8217;s Unlisted apps feature allows developers to distribute apps that are not available to the general public on the App Store. This feature can be useful for companies that want to distribute internal-use apps or beta versions of apps to a limited group of users. To submit an unlisted app, developers must follow a few steps</p>
<ul>
<li>Your app must be already on the App Store or submitted to App Review.</li>
<li>Add a note in the Review Notes section of your submission to indicate unlisted distribution.</li>
<li>Since you don&#8217;t want this app to be available to the public, set everything to &#8220;Manual Release&#8221;. After the review process, <a href="https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/unlisted-app/">submit a request</a> for unlisted app distribution.</li>
<li><strong>Account Owner </strong>must submit this form. If you fill this form before the review or by any user other than <strong>Account Owner</strong>, your request results in declining.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="3-limitations-of-unlisted-apps">3 Limitations of Unlisted Apps</h2>
<ul>
<li>You need to create a new record on App Store Connect if you&#8217;re releasing your app via Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager.</li>
<li>If Apple approves your request, you will not make your app public again.</li>
<li>Unlisted apps are considered hidden but not private. Anybody who has access to the link will be able to download the app.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Overall, unlisted apps offer a way for developers to create custom apps for a specific group of users while still maintaining control over the app distribution process. The review process for unlisted apps is similar to that of apps submitted to the App Store, but the review criteria may be different as the intention of unlisted apps is not public distribution. Apple may also take into consideration the intended audience and purpose of the app when reviewing unlisted apps. While unlisted apps do go through a review process and can only be downloaded through the App Store, they provide a way for developers to create and distribute custom apps more efficiently and effectively.</p>


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