How to create an iPhone app with multiple brands?

Question

I am going to develop an application for the iPhone and want to make sure what I want to do and will be approved by Apple.

I am going to create an application that will be fully branded based on submission. I want to have one application for each client (our clients are companies) with their logo, skin, etc. These applications will be downloaded and installed by the staff of each of our customers. In other words, we will use the same basic code (the logic does not change), but will label it for each client. Something similar to what Magento does (http://www.magentocommerce.com/product/mobile), they created a mobile e-commerce application and they label it for their client, but the application logic remains the same.

Will Apple see this as duplicate apps? What is the best way to do this?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I can say that I know several companies built on this strategy. The code does not change any application from application to application, only images and names change, and they continue to generate revenue.

EDIT: Please note that this is against Apple policy, and if they find out that they are known to ban accounts. They consider this to be spam and prefer to sell one application, which is provided when purchasing applications. Directly from their feedback on a specific application group:

Thank you for submitting the Photo App to the App Store.

We have finished reviewing your applications, however we cannot send messages to them in the App Store, because they provide the same set of functions and just change the content. Applications that replicate functionality through various content creates a mess in the application. Keep that prevents you from finding applications and not following the recommendations for checking applications in the App Store https://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval/guidelines.html :

2.20 Developers 'spamming' the App Store with many versions of similar apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program 

Answer 2

I would say “no problem” until I read:

These applications will be downloaded and installed by the employees of each of our customers.

It seems that your creation (set) of private applications that are intended for use only by specific users, that is, employees of the company.

Apple has a separate enterprise development program focused on this, which allows developers to deploy programs for their own company and do it outside the App Store.

If your program is very company specific, Apple may force you to do this - instead of putting apps for general consumption in the app store.

See here for more details:

http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/

also:

If your application is really intended for a wider audience, and in fact you can sell / distribute it in this way - you could "drop" the application dynamically. For example, at the first launch, when you “register” with some “service” - based on your email address, it can download the corresponding skin graphics.

Answer 3

Now you can use Apple ’s volume purchase program to release different branded versions of the same application for different customers. The application may be free or paid. Each client must have a DUNS number (Dun and Bradstreet). See the FAQ for more details.