Using apps created with the iOS apprentice on the iPhone

Hi,

I am currently reading the iOS apprentice and having a really fun time learning how to program apps for the iPhone (I had no real CS background beforehand). The book is very well written and easy to follow, you guys did a really good job. I just finished completing the second section and created the Checklist app.

At this point I have a question regarding how to use the app on the iPhone on a regular basis. I think Checklist is a cool app that is pretty useful and I’d like to be able to use it and put it on my relatives’ phones. However, I only have a free Apple developper account. What I noticed is that when I connect my phone to Xcode and launch the app, then click the stop button on Xcode and unplug my phone, the app keeps working for about a week on the phone (I can terminate it and then launch it again) but then at some point it won’t launch anymore and I’ll have to reconnect the phone to Xcode to make it work again (the saved data is not erased though). I understand that apps need to be signed with a provisioning profile to be able to work on the iPhone, so I guess I would have to enroll in the paying developper program to be able to upload the app to iTunes Connect and then beta release it or put it on the App Store… Am I correct or are there other options to use personal apps created with Xcode, without enrolling in the program (it’s just that at this point I’m not sure I am gonna make that many apps, so $99 seems a bit expensive for just a few of them…) ?

This leads me to a second question : as I’d like to use a personal tweaked version of Checklist (I just think it’s more fun and cool to use your own version of the app rather than a similar one that already exists on the App store), would it be OK to upload it on the App Store or is it infringing on any copyright ? What should I do to make sure I am not doing anything wrong by submitting code that was actually essentially written by the Ray Wenderlich team ?

Thanks in advance !

Ed

As you’ve discovered, the developer certificate you get with the free developer account does expire after about a week. Since you need to have your apps signed in order for them to work on the iPhone, you will either need to re-sign the app every week or go for one of the paid developer accounts which lets you have a certificate with a longer expiry period. Those are your only legal options as far as I’m aware.

Do note though that if you want to distribute the app to a few known people, you don’t have to put the app on the App Store. Instead, you can use Ad-hoc distribution or use the TestFlight beta testing instead.

With the disclaimer that I am not a lawyer, this gets to be a bit of a tricky question I would think since there are many factors involved :slight_smile: Do you intend to sell the app or distribute it for free? How much in the way of changes will you be making? If you start with the base provided in the Checklists app and modify it substantially, I don’t think there should be an issue. But if you simply put a new coat of paint on the app (so to speak) and then sell it, there might be an issue. You would need to talk to somebody a bit more knowledgeable about the ins and outs of copyright law and also take a look at the copyright terms for the book and the sample projects.

But as I said above, if you simply want to distribute the app to a few relatives, you don’t even need to go with the App Store route - there are other options :slight_smile:

Thanks for the quick reply Fahim, I appreciate it!
I will look further into Test Flight and Ad hoc distribution then!

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