App Store Now Supports Unlisted Apps Discoverable Only With a Direct Link

[MacRumors]

Apple recently announced that the App Store now supports unlisted apps discoverable only with a direct link, as outlined on its developer website.

Developers with apps that aren't suited for public distribution can submit a request on Apple's website to distribute unlisted apps, which don't appear in any App Store categories, recommendations, charts, search results, or other listings. Unlisted apps can also be accessed through Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager.

Apple says apps for specific organizations, special events, research studies, or employee sales tools and resources are good candidates for unlisted distribution. Unlisted apps are supported in all countries where the App Store is available.

Developers can submit Apple's request form for both new and existing apps. If approved, the app's distribution method will change to "Unlisted App" and will apply to any future versions of the app. Unlisted apps are available to anyone who has access to the link, and if the app is already available on the App Store, its current link will remain the same.

Unlisted apps must be ready for final distribution, and requests for apps in a beta or pre-release state will be declined, according to Apple. In other words, unlisted distribution cannot be used for TestFlight-like purposes.

The news was brought to our attention by developer Steve Troughton-Smith.

Article Link: App Store Now Supports Unlisted Apps Discoverable Only With a Direct Link

 

[4743913]

good. lets get some secret emulators in there.

 

[mrWONERFUL]

good. lets get some secret emulators in there.

I SECOND THAT!!!

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

This reminded me of a VPN (private network) version of the App Store. Imagine being able to collect payments for a personal event via unlisted App- direct link.

 

[ouimetnick]

good. lets get some secret emulators in there.

Wishful thinking, those apps still have to go through the regular screening process.

 

[Realityck]

I was just thinking how overgrown the App Store already with thousands of so so apps that use ads all the time. That trying to find something particular valuable if you don't pick the right names to find what you are looking for is painful, this might be easier for serious developers to work with. Kinda trying to find that Rose amongst the weeds.

 

[shamino]

Makes sense to me. Apple has had unlisted links to their own apps (e.g links to old versions of macOS) for quite a long time. So now other developers can use the same mechanism, should they choose to do so.

 

[DFZD]

Now that you can disable App Store's discovery service benefits, there's virtually nothing that is stopping Apple from lowering it's developer commission for apps that don't need to be discovered on the App Store.

Spotify and Netflix users would greatly benefit from this move.

 

[LeadingHeat]

This is really cool for businesses to use. I think we could see some great use cases for this soon!

 

[Makosuke]

That's actually a pretty neat feature.

Among other things, it seems like a great way to distribute a semi-closed beta (I'm sure there's a fancy name I don't know for that) of an app that's finished enough to submit for review, but that you don't want to be fully public on the market yet.

 

[asdfjkl;]

Reminds me of Guerrilla Marketing. Essentially building interest by keeping access to "invite only" participants. It makes users feel "special" because they were "selected" to use the product (app).

For products in the right segment it works brilliantly.

 

[_Spinn_]

This is a great feature. I can definitely see this being useful for some developers.

 

[Cosmosent]

Need to see a Prime Example of it to know whether it has real value (vs the status quo).

IMO, Apple should have worked with some App Developer to provide that Prime Example on the day of the announcement (i.e., today) !

My best guess is that it would be a good fit for the drivers who work for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, etc.

 

[arlomedia]

Sweet! I filed a request for this years ago. I'm glad Apple finally listened to me. ?

Unfortunately in my case the need for it also went away years ago, but maybe I'll need it again for a future project.

 

[TriBruin]

This is a good change. There are a number of Apps that ONLY work when tied to a subscription (usually tied to Enterprise applications). Developers either have to put a single version on the public app store and have angry users post 1 star reviews when the app doesn't work when they download or create business specific app versions and tie them to individual customers.

 

[Philip_S]

Wishful thinking, those apps still have to go through the regular screening process.

And there was me hoping it would allow an un-nerfed version of Discord.

This is a good change. There are a number of Apps that ONLY work when tied to a subscription (usually tied to Enterprise applications). Developers either have to put a single version on the public app store and have angry users post 1 star reviews when the app doesn't work when they download or create business specific app versions and tie them to individual customers.

Yeah, or tools like the Bose headphones control app, which is useless without their headphones.

 

[dumastudetto]

This is an exciting innovation. It could really carve out new niche experiences that will only enhance our immersive 3D iPhone and iPad experiences.

 

[orthorim]

The better solution would be giving up on their obsession with control and allowing 3rd party app stores

As I mentioned in another thread, if they fully embraced this idea, rather than fighting it and eventually losing that fight - it would allow them to sell way more iPhones.

This is so stupid.

 

[Jessica Lares]

This will probably help them sell more iPads so people can learn to build the apps in Playgrounds.

 

[0924487]

Apple is not stupid recently .

 

[Idec50]

Very interesting to me as someone who develops webapps for internal business use.

 

[MacFan23]

Now that you can disable App Store's discovery service benefits, there's virtually nothing that is stopping Apple from lowering it's developer commission for apps that don't need to be discovered on the App Store.

Spotify and Netflix users would greatly benefit from this move.

How do users benefit in any way??

Right now a Spotify/Netflix user can get a new device, go to the App Store, search for Spotify/Netflix and tap get. Removing that would introduce more steps and confusion.

 

[InGen]

This is a great development. One could also hope that the restrictions on unlisted Apps could also be dropped and stretch out to whatever is legal in the location the App is released. There is a huge potential use case for Apps that fall between the realm of what is legally allowed & what Apple deems appropriate within their guidelines. However perhaps for Apps tailored for certain communities or groups that remain private and only used by those individuals, the plethora of guidelines that restrict an App’s functions are no longer needed, instead adopting legality-based restrictions only and not meddling too much with what the App does while it is kept private.

 

[Der Keyser]

Sure why not… That will create a new “black marked” for the rich and celebrities. Now they can use “invite only to a select group of people” to prey on the insecure and fame seeking fools out there

 

[DanTSX]

Sure why not… That will create a new “black marked” for the rich and celebrities. Now they can use “invite only to a select group of people” to prey on the insecure and fame seeking fools out there

I think that this is more about enterprise apps.

I also suspect that There are also probably some .gov/.mil apps that need this, and Apple is listening to their contacts that ask for backdoors, and other special exemptions.