First, the Basics
iOS apps need to be approved by Apple before they can be downloaded onto just any device, and this approval only takes place after the app has completed testing, and is ready for distribution (sale or public download via the App Store).
However, we need to be able to test on real-world devices in order to reach that “tested and ready for release” state, so Apple provides a mechanism for a developer (that’s me) to “tune” their app for certain devices. In order to have the app work on your device, I need to create a provisioning profile that includes your device.
In order to have your device considered in my provisioning profile, you need to send me the device’s UDID. The easiest way to do this, is to download this free iTunes Store app, install it on your phone, and send me the email it generates. That email will include the UDID for the phone. You can delete the app after that.
Next, Get the App
Once I have created a provisioning profile with your app’s UDID, I will create a special file, with an extension of “.ipa”. These files will be made available in this directory.
Download the file, then open it in iTunes (on Mac or Windows). It will appear as an app in your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch apps. Sync this app onto your device, and you will see the app there.
Please remember that the app will ONLY work on a device that has had its UDID sent to me and included in the provisioning profile. If you have an iPhone and an iPad, but only sent me the UDID for the iPad, then this won’t work on your iPhone.
When’s the Android/Windows Mobile Version Coming Out?
How about “never”? Does “never” work for you?
The iOS development environment is TOTALLY different from the Android and Windows development environments. Companies that release on multiple platforms have multiple developers, or complex systems of managing simultaneous code bases. Testing is a nightmare, and the logistics are non-trivial.
Every time I count myself, I come up “1″.
If an aspiring Android or Windows Mobile developer feels like pitching in and helping out, I’ll be glad to help them. They won’t be able to re-use most of the code I’ve written, as it is in an Apple-only language, known as Objective-C.
