My husband and I own a franchise and I do the IT support for the group. I was just talking to the master franchisee and he wants to get customer questionnaires done when we sign up new clients. I see all sorts of compliance issues there. I'm wading my way through Stobe's podcasts and he's always talking about quizzes and it made me think that we could probably make an app that would be on the franchisee's phone and while s/he is filling out the paperwork s/he could hand the phone over and get the client to do it on the spot. So, that's all fine, if we can get them to do it... but how do Apple and Google view apps that aren't really intended for the masses?

In the past, I had created a PRIVATE application, to control a modified router/firewall OS. It was and still is only distributed by a link on a page, not via Google Play. So the Android end of it is not a problem. The device would download it directly and install it. The device would have to allow it access for being installed from a download (local file) and not from Google Play, but that is easy enough, on my devices. The android app needs to be made exactly like it was going onto Google Play, just do not submit it to them and distribute the .apk as you need to ... directly, web download, etc.. I can not answer anything for the iOS side of it. That is best left to someone who knows more than I do, but from what I have read, it has to be from the app store. Hope it helps

Thanks Kevin. I need both bases covered so atleast the Android side is easy :)

On your self hosted control panel, for each app, there will be a "distribute over the air" tab, that you can use to distribute iOS apps to certain people. You just need the "udid" of that persons iOS device to send it to them.

maybe this will help: https://www.buzztouch.com/forum/thread.php?tid=C170BC9A655DAC18CF67787&command=isSearching&currentPage=1&topicTitle=over%20the%20air%20distribution&createdBy=&repliedBy=&minViews=-1&maxViews=-1&minReplies=-1&maxReplies=-1&forumCategory= also search the bt forum and google for "ios over the air distribution". I also just seen that the test flight site was back up.this is what I always used for sending my app to one device.There are alot of tuts of this on the forum and google as well.Im too tired to find them now.good luck https://www.testflightapp.com/

Or distribute a Custom B2B app? https://developer.apple.com/programs/volume/b2b/ Ed

No slight on BT, but 'just for that', I'd create a Google Doc form online and send them a web link; it's instantly iOS and Android compatible. And windows, blackberry, desktop, ubuntu, whatever. You can have the results in csv or what have you. Or if you don't want results kept online, a customURL that points to a form on your server would work as well, perhaps into your mySQL database, or just write to a file that appends. Coffeecup software makes a very nice (paid) and reasonably workable (free) form builder (that requires a server and php). I have the paid version; it's pretty slick. It allows very smooth 'contingent' questions, like 'if' you answer yes, different follow up questions could show. Just my two cents. Cheers! -- Smug

We'll probably kick off with a surveymonkey page through their phone's browser. Some of these guys will be working in pretty isolated places so the whole no-data thing becomes relevant again (but hey, we have paper). My users are also pretty unsophisticated and I suspect adding a bookmark will be a mission - an app that spoonfeeds them might be overkill to us but could just be what we need. Thanks Ed and CMCoffee - those links will be great and once you know the lingo it's so much easier to find info :)

Survey Monkey works slick in the Buzztouch customURL, especially if you have a paid account and can control what happens after the survey is done. Google docs works well too and have more free options, but I prefer how Survey Monkey works. I would make the app and just directly install it on to the devices you want it. If you have access to the devices, it is really easy to capture their UDID's for iOS.

Important thing to remember is that Apple have bought Testflight. Apparently their plans now are to give users not only 100 devices (UDID) to be able to beta test, but now you can 1000 users (multiple devices). But the catch is that they can only have that version for "testing" for 30 days before it becomes inactive. Having said that Apple hasn't enforced that yet, it will most likely be inforced with iOS 8 launch, which I believe will be around 9th September. So if you act quick you can install your custom application on their devices and go from there. But this is a temporary solution, if you don't mind creating a new version ( which still has to be approved by Apple) every month then you can do that. In your case it might be worth looking at the B2B Apple solution. Sarah, as I am in Perth, happy to have a chat on google hangout or something to knock about a solution for you. Just PM me. Regards Kristen

To get the User started, send them an SMS text message containing the URL of the Mobile App, Google Doc, Survey Monkey survey, etc. After that, it's all downhill. :-) A Mobile App with tabs and customURLs makes sense If Users need to - save profile info, - remember credentials, - get quick access to often used favorite surveys, - browse the past survey responses, - etc. -- Niraj

Is the franchise called Fast-teks by any chance?

LOL no, I had to google them to find out who they even were. Our business is the local franchise of roommatecabins.co.nz although I'm much happier on the end of a keyboard! I mostly freelance in backend web development but looking forward to getting some peace and quiet tomorrow to play with my test app!