Scenarios for Agencies

Question

We've subscribed to DPS as an agency with a view to providing the service to a number of clients. So far all our clients have been happy to0 publish under our name. However, I'd like to get  clarification on some possible scenarios that I imagine may happen. Ideally someone from Adobe will be able to answer, but if anyone else has some advice I'd be grateful:
Scenario 1
We build a single folio app for a client. They love it, everyone's delighted and they now want to expand it into a multi-folio app.
Is it possible to update/replace a single folio app with a multi-folio version and have readers download it?
Scenario 2
A client wants us to make an app but they want to use their own Apple Dist & Dev certs. Is this easily done, or is DPS in someway tied to our certs?
Scenario 3
We build a multi-folio app for a client using all our own subscritpion details. Later on, the client decides to bring the app development in-house. Is it possible to transfer "ownership" of an app to another party?
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Some answers to the 4 questions in this thread:
1. Is it possible to update/replace a single folio app with a multi-folio version and have readers download it?
Yes, you can start to build a single folio app and then 'upgrade' it to a multi-folio app. In Viewer Builder, you would create a new app and select Multi-Folio. For the AdobeID for Title, you would put in the credentials, where your folio is stored in the Folio Producer (also called the Application Account). This will tell the viewer where to find the corresponding folios. Make sure the first folio (that was used for the single edition) is published as 'Public' and 'Free / Retail' depending on your scenario.  In the final step where you select the mobile provisioning files, you select the same files as you have done for your Single Edition. In the application list, you will see two applications, one is the old Single Folio application, the other is the Multi-Folio. Viewer Builder will automatically determine the correct marketing version based on the platform (iPad) and bundleID. You can install the app on your device and test. You will see that the first folio is downloable. (there is no way to include the folio directly into the Multi-Folio application). If everything works, submit your app to iTunesConnect. After approval, the current users will be prompted to update their single edition app and can then download the first folio againl
2. A client wants us to make an app but they want to use their own Apple Dist & Dev certs.  Is this easily done, or is DPS in someway tied to our certs?
Yes, you can do this and this is also the suggested route. DPS is not tied to your own certificates. In another post I wrote: "I think it is a good practice to publish apps that you create for your customers with their corresponding certificates. Any 'agency' that is considering starting with DPS, I give the same advice. Tell the customer to get an Apple developer account and then let the agency handle all the logistics. Another reason to do this: if you would sign the app with your own developer account, the customer would be stuck when you terminate your business. They cannot update the app on the app store, because they don't have access to the certificates. If you would sign the app with the customer certificates, they always can continue business."
3. Is it possible to transfer "ownership" of an app to another party?
When you talk about signing and certificates, you have to be very carefull. (see also comment above about terminating business). An app is tied to a signature and that belongs to a company. It is not possible to replace an existing app in iTunes with a new app that is signed with a different entity. The only way to do is to have the app removed from the app store and publish a new application (using a different bundleID / certificates). This means that all the current users won't get an upgrade notification.
From a DPS perspective, the content of an app is stored in the account of the Agency and the usage rights of that account are for the agency only. For migration, the customer has to request his own DPS account and ask the agency to 'migrate the content' to his own account. This can be done in two ways:
Share the from the current (agency) account to the new (customer) account and use the Folio Producer Web Editor to copy the articles. Currenlty this would be a very time consuming and click-heavy process
Upload the content from the original INDD files into the new (customer) account - preferred route
Consequences:
A new app has to be created within the customer DPS account. If this was originally signed with the customer signatures and provisioning profiles, It can replace their existing (agency) created app. (Make sure that the marketing version has higher than the marketing verion of the previous app).
Because the content has been migrated / recreated, a user has to redownload his folios to new app.
4. What kind of group workflow would you have to setup to avoid the issue of InDesign file locations changing for the folio?
Make sure that your links (overlays) are stored in a folder that is 'below' your INDD file. In this way you can move one folder, containing the INDD files and the links around. When you try to update a specific article on a different workstation, it will tell that the files cannot be found. A workaround is to click on the Article and you will see the orientations (horizontal / vertical). If you 'add' the current InDesign Document, it will automatically replace the existing orientation.
I hope this information is usefull
With kind regards,
Klaasjan Tukker