Filed under: Bad Apple, Developer, SDK
Provision profile expiration time: does it leave you wondering?
Back when the iPhone Developer Program was first announced, developer provisions (the 'permission slips' that allow developers to distribute pre-release builds of apps in progress) lasted one year. It seemed natural to have a one year expiration, as our developer memberships also lasted one year. Everything was all fine, developers created new provision profiles as they grew, and each lasted one year. However, sometime in May of this year, provision profiles seemed to start expiring after 90 days. At first, many thought this was linked to the expiration time of their iPhone developer memberships, which would decrease the time to use a provision.
However, it seems that it's been set that provisions are only going to last 90 days. Also, distribution provision profiles, which are needed to submit applications to the App Store or distribute applications via ad-hoc, now only last about six months instead of one year.
If your provisions are expiring, your iPhone will remind you to renew your provision, and will state when that provision will expire.
If this is the way it's going to be, we may have to live with it -- it's just something that I would like to stay consistent, rather than wondering every time I renew a provision whether Apple has swapped out its stopwatch again.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Quine said 2:38PM on 11-26-2009
I can't wait for some competitor's app store to start kicking the crap out of Apple's so they stop these disgusting anti-consumer tactics.
The app store policies are the reason I won't develop and iPhone app. I'm sticking to desktop apps, where I can distribute my app my way.
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ianlive said 3:37PM on 11-26-2009
I'm not dev yet I do sympathize with those who build for iPhone OS and find Apple restrictive and controlling. Yet I find it intereting that I see Apples logic in controlling iPhone app behaviour.
When I try a new application for OS X and it sucks, crashes or just underperforms I blame it on the app itself. If I were to buy an app from the App Store, especially as a new iPhone user, and it froze my iPhone or uploaded information I didn't approve of to the devs servers, I think that does "weaken" the appeal or appeared stabilty of the iPhone.
I know the two examples are simliar, yet I acknowledge the difference I feel
with these two examples. I wonder if other users, possibly new to the iPhone, feel the same and is the reasoning Apple has taken with their control.
Or maybe it has something to do with how many crappy apps there are on the app store, yet very few dev's crank out crappy applications for OS X.
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Magnus said 10:48PM on 11-26-2009
Ok, enough with the app store slander. I am starting to turn into fake fake Steve Jobs here with everyone piling onto the best thing since sliced bread.
I created an ad-hoc distribution profile a couple of minutes ago and that is good for a year (just renewed my app license). So the 6 month thing just ain't true. So clearly the fact checking is nonexisting.
Developer profiles expire earlier (as they should - they're only for betas anyway). If you need a profile that doesn't expire that soon - use an ad hoc profile.
/Steve
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mkvirt said 8:25AM on 11-27-2009
so, if the profile expires before the completion of the AppStore approval process (although everyone knows approvals are never delayed....) does the developer get a 'pass' or do we have to resubmit?
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mark said 9:31PM on 12-03-2009
Also, the expiration "reminders" are a PITA, because they show up daily for the week or so before expiration. When one pops up, you only get two dismissal options: "remind me" and "show me."
I need a third option: "OK." (i.e., "Don't remind me again.")
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