It was an eventful year, with a lot of changes and unexpected developments. The last week of 2017, Apple announced some major news. At the insistence of small business advocates, Apple amended the new guideline that banned templated apps from the App Store. We are happy to inform you that all small businesses will once again be able to publish affordable apps in the Apple App Store through app generation services like BizAPPBiz. A huge thank you to industry partners and supporters who fought alongside us for this outcome.
What does this mean for you?
This exciting news does come with certain changes to Apple’s Terms & Conditions. Small businesses can publish apps provided that they are submitted directly by the provider of the app’s content using their own Apple Developer Account. For instance, if the app is for Joe’s Pizza, the Apple Developer Account should also be under Joe’s Pizza.
Each small business will have to set up their own developer account. When an app is submitted, Apple reviewers will now check that the developer account matches the app, making sure it is a one-to-one correlation. If the app and the developer account do not match, Apple will reject the app.
HERE are step-by-step instructions on how to set up a unique developer account for your app.
Apple also announced that Apple Developer membership is now available at no cost for eligible organizations, including nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions, and government entities based in the United States.
What does the future hold?
As a company, this is our time to show Apple that we can create truly unique apps with the BizAPPBiz platform. We will be working directly with businesses to ensure they are using our app building software to its fullest potential.
We still fully believe that Progressive Web Apps are the future of mobile, but small businesses now have more options than ever to connect with their customers through mobile. They are able to choose the most appropriate platform for their mobile app, whether that’s the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and/or the web. We are excited for the growth opportunities that mobile-first strategies will bring small businesses in 2018.