I'm developing Mac app for free.
In iOS , we need developer account to distribute for upload into iTunes Store.
In Mac application, Is that also need to mac developer account for free distribute.
Firefox distribute their app free , we can download that dmg file from their website , not in Mac app store.
Please let me know is that need?
You need a developer account to submit your application to any of Apple's online stores. The price you want to sell for is irrelevant (even if that price is $0).
You don't need one to distribute the program yourself.
iOS will not allow software to be installed except with the Apple online store. The exceptions are:
Web applications
Jailbroken iOS devices
OS X Lion and earlier has no restrictions on what software can be installed.
OS X Mountain Lion will have a user preference that can limit software install sources (including the strictest setting which limits it to the Apple App Store only).
Related
What is the purpose of Apple Development and Apple Distribution certificates for macOS application?
It is quite new types of certificates in addition to existing iOS/Mac Development/Distribution.
According to the documentation:
Apple Development — For macOS apps, use app services during development and testing.
Apple Distribution — For macOS apps, sign an app before distributing it through the Mac App Store.
https://help.apple.com/xcode/mac/current/#/dev154b28f09?sub=dev23755c6c6
What does it mean sign an app before distributing because for distributing it through the Mac App Store I have to use Mac App Distribution (the name is 3rd Party Mac Developer Application) and Mac Installer Distribution (the name is 3rd Party Mac Developer Installer).
Awesome but a bit outdated explanation: https://stackoverflow.com/a/29040068/1785926
I would like to send out beta versions of my Mac app (which solon Will be sand boxed) to testers. What's the best way to do that?
I can't use new Mac OS X server for this since I don't have an extra Mac to spare.
Normally for iOS I would use TestFlight. But how about Mac, can I use HockeyApp.com? I don't think I can upload sand boxed versions to HockeyApp, right?
You can use HockeyApp with sandboxed OS X apps. Just upload your .app.zip through the web UI or your .xcarchive with HockeyMac. HockeyApp detects the provisioning profile and asks testers do download it before the .app. You can collect the Mac UUID through HockeyApp too.
If you want to provide in-app updates, please follow this tutorial and make sure to use the Sparkle branch that supports sandboxing:
http://support.hockeyapp.net/kb/client-integration/hockeyapp-for-mac-os-x#beta-distribution
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I am newbie in Xcode and Mac. I can make programs working well on simulators but cant make dmg files . Somewhere I heard I need an Apple Developer account ( 99$) for that but I dont want to publish my file on App store. I just need to install it on 1 or 2 other Macs.
With Xcode 7 you are no longer required to have a developer account in order to test your apps on your Mac and/or iOS device:
Check it out here.
Please notice that this is the officially supported by Apple, but you'll have to use Xcode 7 or later and your iCloud account.
Before going on - You CAN develop iOS apps and deploy to device from Xcode without developer account, but as far as I know it can be done only on jailbroken devices.
Check this link for more info.
UPDATE
sorry, I thought you meant developing for mobile. check this video about Creation of .dmg files for more information.
ORIGINAL ANSWER
Have a look at the apple developers page to see the different account types. Specifically, the free account:
If you're not ready to join one of our developer programs, you can register as an Apple Developer for free. As a registered Apple Developer you gain access to development tools, resources and information to assist you in creating apps for iOS and OS X. Learn more
With the free account you could run your app on any mac OS as well as on an iPhone connected to the mac OS.
With the paid account you could install the app on any provisioning device and submit the app to the store.
If you are developing for the mac and you are not going to publish on mac app store, you do not need a developer account.
You do need an account for any of the following:
Install an app on an iOS device (even your own one for debugging)
Publish an app on any of the app stores (either iOS or Mac)
Edit: note that if you do not have an account, your Os X applications will be unsigned. They'll work, but each of your users will get a warning and will need to lower the security settings of his Mac in order to be able to run the application (or, at least, he'll have to approve each application specifically).
You need Developer account for developing and debugging application on device. Of course, there are several ways to do that without this account... Have a look:
http://www.alexwhittemore.com/developing-jailbroken-iphone-ios-401/
You don't need an Apple developer account to make apps, but if you want to put them on the App Store, gain access to developer beta release software and forums, then yes you do.
You can develop Mac applications without a membership, but if you want to develop iOS applications, you need a membership to run your app on any device.
If you want to run your iOS app in the iOS Simulator, though, you don't need a membership. You can install Xcode and the iOS Simulator on any Mac running 10.7 Lion or later.
Maybe you want to use the Simulator binaries on other Macs without having to compile the app on the other Macs, then you should have a look at that tool: https://github.com/landonf/simlaunch
Scenario
I want to release an app for Mac OS X, but not on the AppStore. The app runs on 10.6 - 10.8 and up.
Problem
Apple requires all apps for Mac OS X 10.8+ to be signed by the developer to get past Gatekeeper. And unless I tell each user to temporarily disable and re-enable gatekeeper just for my app, according to this document and the Mountain Lion change log... my app won't be allowed to run.
From the wording on Apple's website, it sounds like I'll have to pay the $99.00 a year for the certificate. However, I do not want to pay the $99 - I'm not publishing to the AppStore!
Question
Is there any way I can get around paying the $99 for distribution on 10.8+? I know my app will work on 10.6 and 10.7, but according to Apple it won't be allowed to run on 10.8 without the certificate. Is that true? How can I distribute on 10.8+ (preferably a DMG) without a $99 distribution certificate? Thanks in advance!
Edit #1
DMG files are not authenticated by Gatekepper, only the app itself is.
OS X Lion 10.7.5+ also has Gatekeeper * angry face *
Apple currently provides no way to get around Gatekeeper without paying the $99 / year membership fee. To me, this seems unfair because it squishes out the smaller developers (but that's a discussion for elsewhere).
For a rather cumbersome workaround, one can include a ReadMe or note on the download page for their software to explain to users that they need to right click your app and then click 'Open' and then click confirm to run it. I have also found through experimenting that Gatekeeper does not run security checks on DMG files or the installation of files, only the execution / running of Apps. So one could include some kind of note in their DMG installer that told the user exactly how to install and run the app.
Hopefully Apple will provide a workaround for developers (possibly a cheaper solution for a limited membership) that distribute freeware and open source software.
You don't need to purchase membership. Just get a code signing certificate from any agency and sign your app with it. Then it will bypass the Gatekeeper check. Gatekeeper only checks whether the app is from identified developer or not.
Regular distributions of Xcode are now available exclusively from the OS X App Store, but (like many, I expect) my App Store account and developer accounts use different Apple IDs. All my previous installations of Xcode have used my developer account, and I also wonder if there are critical parts of the Xcode configuration (e.g. provisioning profiles, etc.) that rely on Xcode having been installed using the developer Apple ID.
Are there any undesirable consequences to simply installing Xcode from the App Store using my personal account? Or, should I (can I, must I) log in to the App Store using my developer Apple ID instead?
You can use whatever Apple ID you want to download Xcode from the Mac App Store. There's nothing special about what it downloads. You'll need to log in to the developer portal though to download beta versions.
You can download Xcode (and lots of other stuff) from Apple's developer downloads website.
I very much doubt, therefore, that it matters whether you got it from the Mac App Store or not.