iOS Developing an App within an App for download

[oliver2799]

Hello,

I have a scenario for you.

Is it possible to create an app which has other apps embedded within it which are available for download. In a way, its like the app store.

You open your app. and there are a list of other apps for download. Is there a lot of coding for this or is it an easy process?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Read over Apple's rules. I don't have them on hand but I'm 99.99...% sure that they explicitly disallow this.

Perhaps you should explain why you want to do this. It wouldn't make any sense for you to distribute your apps in your own store rather than Apple's - you'd have a fraction of the total market and Apple would still be taking 30% of each sell if you use IAP (and they don't allow money to be collected in app via anyone else.) Developers wouldn't bother because if you're taking a cut, their cut will be even less than if they sold through Apple, plus again they'd have the tiny market issue.

 

[oliver2799]

basically ive created 3 apps myself. But instead of having 3 apps scattered over the app store i wanted them build into one

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

basically ive created 3 apps myself. But instead of having 3 apps scattered over the app store i wanted them build into one

Why? All that does is minimize your footprint on the App Store (meaning people are less likely to find any of your apps). You could have each of your apps include links to the App Store to download the other apps.

 

[oliver2799]

Honestly...I have an idea. Being a designer i dont really want to scream it across a forum haha but i just needed to know if this was at all possible. I might have to have a little discussion with someone on the apple team about it

 

[Sonnestah]

2.7 - Apps that download code in any way or form will be rejected
2.8 - Apps that install or launch other executable code will be rejected

The closest you can get to it is making an app like appbox(its got a few basic functions) and allow people to buy extra functionalities through in app purchase

 

[dejo]

I might have to have a little discussion with someone on the apple team about it

Do you have access to someone on the App Store Review Team? Are you able to get an app idea pre-approved (or something like that, conditional approval maybe)?

 

[truehybridx]

Couldnt you have an app (base app that has certain functions)
Then use in-app purchases to enable other features?

It just looks like you are after a complicated way to get all 3 apps into 1 when you can just combine all 3

 

[firewood]

I might have to have a little discussion with someone on the apple team about it

Good Luck. As major game developers have tried and failed at this discussion. Downloaded code isn't allowed in any App store apps (except for Javascript run inside a UIWebView).

Now you could include game code inside the app as submitted, and use IAP to enable stuff. But if it looks like an app store, Apple has been rejecting those.

 

[xArtx]

If you mean an app that can install another app with it's own icon and all...
Even if Apple signed the binaries and sent them back to you,
wouldn't installing them mean writing outside of your app's sandbox?
If an app could install another app, couldn't it also delete one?

 

[firewood]

If you mean an app that can install another app with it's own icon and all...

An iOS app can launch Safari to a web page asking the user to "clip" it.

If the user follows instructions (and only if), a web app will appear with its own icon and all. If the web app includes a complete manifest, then tapping the icon will run the web app even if the iOS device is off-line. A web app can also specify a custom icon and use local storage.

App store apps that allow the user to install web apps have been approved in the past. But YMMV.