Apple App Store (iOS)
New in February 2022
Some iPhone and iPad apps, like Appazur’s school district and school communication apps, aren’t intended for use outside of a particular community, so they don’t really need to be discoverable in the App Store. While it is handy to be able to find a particular app by searching the App Store, some customers may prefer that their app not be publicly listed. For example, Appazur™ provides some school districts with apps intended for use only by their staff.
As of February 2022, Apple now offers an Unlisted App Distribution option. In this case, your app will be discoverable only with a direct link. Unlisted apps don’t appear in any App Store categories, recommendations, charts, search results, or other listings. Apple has intended this option for apps designed for for specific organizations, special events, or research studies, or apps used as employee resources or sales tools.
If applicable, unlisted apps may also be accessed through Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager. While Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager already allowed distribution of custom apps, those options do not serve student, parent, or staff-owned devices.
Unlisted apps are available to anyone who has access to the link, so the secure account sign in that Appazur provides is still required.
If this option interests you, just let us know and we’ll take care of it for you. Conveniently, if your app is already available on the App Store, its current link will remain the same, so your App Store button will still work:
Read more about the Apple Developer Program.
Google Play (Android)
Theoretically, Google doesn’t place any restrictions on how Android apps are distributed. However, they do not currently have an option that is equivalent to Apple’s Unlisted App Distribution. The only option below that we recommend is Private App.
Options:
- Private App:
- Applicable only for Google Workspace staff/student users.
- Hosted Outside of Google Play:
- This would work, but users would have to navigate warnings about an “Untrusted” source.
- Closed Testing:
- Users could install the app using a Google Play link, if they agreed to be a “tester” when prompted.
