Is there any way of getting an app published for iphone/ipad without going through apple/itunes and paying the high cost of becoming a developer? I created a free Android app for my clinic so clients can contact us easier as well as hopefully get free stuff. There is some other stuff including who to contact in case of emergencies and hopefully in the future be able to view their pets vaccine history. As I mentioned it is a free app and most likely the only app that I will make so paying the cost to become a developer is not really worth it to me. Has anyone found a work-around? Why can't it be like Google Play? :-) Like I said, I think I know the answer but just wanted to get confirmation. Thanks everyone for past and future help Howard

The only way to publish an app for iphone/ipad is to have an Apple developer licence. If you know somebody who has one, you could develop in buzztouch, give them the project and perhaps they could publish it for you?. Otherwise, the only other option I can think of is a web site optimised for mobile devices. Well, that seems to be what Apple suggest to me when they reject my apps... Alan

You could package up your app in such a way that users who have a jailbroken phone could install it. But, it first requires your users to jailbreak their phones (which Apple hates), and it bypasses the iTunes market (which Apple hates). I personally think all that is asking way too much of your customers. One approach you might investigate is creating a web app for your business. That way users navigate to a URL using their mobile browser, and the site looks and feels like an actual app. It can't take advantage of any native iOS functions like a normal app can, but for what you're looking to provide your users, it can probably handle 99% of it (based on what I've seen in your Android app). Mark

It's really not a very "high cost" to become a developer! It's only 27 cents a day for a year, with a little work and a little luck you could hopefully brake even? Might need to save up for a while? Totally worth it through ;) Best of luck. David buzztouchmods.com

@Mrdavid, yea well if you do look at it that way, it is pretty inexpensive. The problem is I don't think I will create more apps, especially apps for sale. I will see what response the Android App has and see if I it generates any $'s to put towards the license. Plus, not sure if my app will even get approved by Apple. Probably does need more work and it really is directed to a small group of people (my clients). I have to see. Thanks for all the responses. It really shouldn't be this difficult, but I am sure that is the feeling from most.

Gotcha - I know what you mean. Look into something like testflightapp.com? I think that can distribute it to your clients, but not sure. Cheers, David. buzztouchmods.com

Just my two cents, but the iPhone market is the most important today. While you may not make the $99 back on the App Store, you will make it back and more with customer good will. The most affluent customers have iphones. Plus, your time to make the app is a lot more than $99. You could do a web app as well with a redirect from your main web site. But a lot of users don't get web apps.

Hi Susan, Thanks for the reply. I must go research the topic a little more. For some reason I thought it was like $2-300.00 a year. So its only 99 dollars? Is that ever year? If you don't renew it every year can you still update it? Most likely going to see how the response to the android app is and see if people start requesting the apple version. Plus there are a few more features that I would like to add, but have not found the way to do so yet. Thanks again, Howard

It's $99/yr, every year for as long as you want you app to keep working. Mark

Oh wow, they really got you by the "apples". Sorry couldn't resist. So even if it is approved and live, if you don't pay the 100/yr they take it down. Does it in-active the users that already have it?