App distribution for iOS and Android with Updraft in 2023

In this blog post I'd like to explain what we've been up to in 2022, why it's been a bit quiet on the blog post front and what’s yet to come in 2023. 

We started developing Updraft in 2013 and since then we have continuously added new features and improved existing features. In 2022 we slowed down the pace in feature development a bit. Instead we spent a lot of time stabilizing the system, building solid foundations and renewing the infrastructure - if you know anything about kubernetes, scaling, security and infrastructure issues, you know what we went through😊. At the same time, we were busy redeveloping our native apps that can be used as an alternative to the app stores and pushed some exciting features to improve the possibilities for app distribution. 

Use Updraft as your Enterprise App Store 

We had already developed our own Updraft app distribution app for internal purposes in 2014. Back then, Updraft was only intended for our own app developments as a full-service software agency. We never thought that we would ever publicly publish the app as an alternative to the Apple Store or the Google Play Store.

About 1.5 years ago we decided that we could make another attempt at developing an iOS app. For a long time we expected that Apple would not allow an alternative to Testflight - nevertheless we wanted to give it a try. Especially because with the introduction of the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law with which the European Union wants to regulate large tech giants and their ecosystems more strictly, large companies are obliged to design their platforms in such a way that they can also be used by third-party providers. This has prompted us to attempt publishing Updraft as an enterprise app store in the Apple Store.

The DMA officially came into force in November 2022, but will not be applied until May 2023 and also has a transition period until March 6, 2024.

We developed the app and after about 10 attempts to publish it in the App Store, it was finally approved by Apple. The guidelines of Apple are quite hard but also very opaque and partly the reasons for the rejection in the review were very mysterious. Anyway, we are happy that the iOS app from Updraft is available for download. More detailed information about the Updraft app is available in our last blogpost. We are currently working on the Android app - it’s coming soon!

Companies using Updraft as an App Distribution Tool and Enterprise App Store

Last year numerous companies registered and used Updraft as an alternative to other app distribution tools - many thanks for that! We are thrilled for each and every registration!

While writing this blog post I'm itching to list some of the companies that are using Updraft. One thing I can tell you is that Updraft is seen and used in the market as a very good and safe alternative to the other app distribution tools - some billion dollar companies need our tool Updraft, who that is we are not going to reveal here today…😉

Updraft’s User Base is Growing

Even though we have added new features to Updraft over the years, it is still a relatively small tool. Still Updraft has managed to produce some quite exciting user and usage figures.

• Over 15'000 users and companies have registered to date

• In 2022 over 350'000 app versions were installed via Updraft

• In 2022 about 50'000 UDIDs were registered with our service "Get my UDID"

The latest Features

Even though we focused on improving the foundation and the stabilization of the system over the last year, we still managed to develop some brand new exciting features for our enterprise customers! These range from setting up your own custom storage with S3 or custom storage with Google Cloud, to custom SMTP, to automatic deletion of builds, to single sign on with Okta and Google. Go check them out if you’re already an enterprise customer and leave us your thoughts and feedbacks - we love hearing from our customers and improving Updraft according to your wishes😇

If you’re new to Updraft - follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter to stay up to date or even better: register for Updraft right away!