Specific platform requirements
Different operating systems impose specific requirements for deploying, installing, or using applications on the appropriate mobile devices.
- Android
- The mobile device must be configured for installation from unknown
sources. The corresponding toggle can be found in the Android Settings.
See User Opt-in for apps from unknown sources for
details.
In Application Center, applications have an internal and a commercial version number. The internal version number is used to distinguish which version is newer while the commercial version is only used as an informative display string. For Android applications, the internal version is the android:versionCode from the application manifest, and it must be an integer.
- iOS
- All applications that are managed through Application Center must
be packaged for "Ad Hoc Distribution". With an iOS developer
account, you can share your application with up to 100 iOS devices.
With an iOS enterprise account, you can share your in-house application
with an unlimited number of iOS devices. See iOS Developer Program and iOS Enterprise Program for details.
In Application Center, applications have an internal and a commercial version number. The internal version number is used to distinguish which version is newer while the commercial version is used only as an informative display string. For iOS applications, the internal version is the CFBundleVersion from the application manifest Info.plist. The version number must have the following format: a, or a.b, or a.b.c, where a, b, c are non-negative integers, and a is not 0.
- BlackBerry
- Applications must be signed with a signing key for "BlackBerry
OS 7 and earlier", which can be obtained by BlackBerry. Unsigned
applications cannot access the full BlackBerry API of the device.
Therefore, only very simple applications do not require this signing
process. See BlackBerry Keys Order Form for details.
In Application Center, applications have only one version number. The version number is used to distinguish which version is newer. For BlackBerry apps, the version is the Midlet-version in the .jad file and must have the following format: a, or a.b, or a.b.c, where a, b, c is a sequence of digits.
- Windows Phone 8
- Applications are not installed from the Windows Store, but from Application Center,
which acts as what Microsoft documentation
calls a Company Hub. See Company app distribution for Windows Phone for details.
To use a company hub, you must register a company account with Microsoft and sign all applications, including the Application Center client, with the company certificate. Only signed applications can be managed through Application Center.
You must enroll all mobile devices through an application enrollment token that is associated with your company account.
Application Center helps you to enroll devices through facilities to distribute the application enrollment token. See Application enrollment tokens in Windows Phone 8 for details.Application Center supports the distribution of applications as Windows Phone application package (.xap) files for Microsoft Windows Phone 8.0 and Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1. With Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft introduced a new universal format as app package (.appx) files for Windows Phone. Currently, Application Center does not support the distribution of app package (.appx) files for Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1, but is limited to Windows Phone application package (.xap) files only.
In Application Center, applications have only one version number. The version number is used to distinguish which version is newer. For Windows Phone 8 applications, the version number is in the Version field in the WMAppManifest.xml file. This version number must have the following format: a.b.c.d where a, b, c, d are non-negative integers.
- Windows 8
- The Application Center mobile
client is provided as a normal desktop executable file (.exe).
Use this file to install Windows Store
applications, which are packaged as .appx files,
on the device.
Installing an .appx file on your device without using Windows Store is called sideloading an app. To sideload an app, you must comply with the prerequisites in Prepare to Sideload Apps. The Windows 8.1 update simplifies the prerequisites for sideloading. For more information, see Sideloading Store Apps to Windows 8.1 Devices.
Files of type .exe cannot be executed on ARM-based tablets, so Application Center does not support Windows RT; only Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 are supported.
The device user needs administrator rights on the device to execute the Application Center client.
Application Center does not provide any predefined way of distributing the mobile client.
In Application Center, applications have only one version number. The version number is used to distinguish which version is newer. For Windows 8 applications, the version number is in the Version field in the AppxManifest.xml file. This version number must have the following format: a.b.c.d, where a, b, c, d are non-negative integers.