Question

I developed a remote app where the user has to provide an ethernet ID for the target device.

For users who have two of these devices I would like to give the possibility to install the app twice, one for each device.

But they should not have to pay for the second one (eg just selling the same app with different package-names might not even be accepted by Apple, while on Android it is possible)

Designing the app in such a way that it works with two devices would make it quite complex to use.

Is there a good workable solution for this for iPhone and/or Android?

Many thanks

Answer 1

From an iPhone perspective, this wouldn’t be possible. Selling the app with different package names is a very poor solution for a number of reasons:

• As you say, it wouldn’t be accepted by the App Store (and would probably be eventually removed from the Android Market if it is just a duplicate app).
• You have no control over which version of the app people download, and then need to keep track of this, which is overly complex.
• 2 versions of the app would be acceptable if the user has 2 devices, but what if they have 3? What if they had 10?

To me, this would seem like an issue that would be solved by some sort of severside registration server which links up to some logic within the app in order to determine whether the user has made the necessary payment in order to use the app.

In other words — and if I am understanding the concept of your app correctly (more explanation would be needed for a more complete answer) — the user goes onto your site (or within the app) and creates an account, registering their Ethernet ID(s) and arranging any payment (or does this via in-app purchase). You could even charge on a per-device basis and have this built in to the app via in-app purchasing.

So the app itself would be free, but in order to use the app they would need an account which has been registered with you in order to ensure it is only being used by paid users.