SwebApps is a simple, inexpensive way to build, track and update a native mobile application for your business or organization.
SwebApps allows you to create an iPhone and/or Android application online. Once your app is available for download via the iTunes Store or Android Market, you can update your content in real time (at any time) via swebapps.com.
SwebApps are installed on iOS and Android devices and run natively. Many of the functions available through our platform provide a better user experience than websites accessed via mobile browsers. Our SwebApps platform also relies on a content management system (CMS) that we’ve built and will maintain, leaving you without the technical hassle of maintaining your own mobile website.
A mobile app can provide a powerful connection between your buisness or organization and your clients, supporters, or audience. A mobile app extends the reach of your brand via a platform that is accessible to users wherever they are. For more tips on using a mobile app for your business, see our e-book.
The SwebApps platform is currently iOS and Android only. That means that apps built through SwebApps work on iPhones, iPod Touch devices, iPads, and most Android devices. Certain functions on the apps built through SwebApps require an internet or mobile data connection.
iOS apps built through SwebApps function on the iPad, displaying in their native size or 2x resolution. We are considering offering iPad-native apps through SwebApps in the future. At this time, we do not have specific expected dates for SwebApps on BlackBerry, Windows Phone, or other mobile platforms. If you are interested in developing an app specific to one of these platforms, please contact us for a custom estimate.
Many of our apps are available for free download on the iTunes store and Android Market. Keep in mind that the SwebApps platform is flexible: users upload or select their own background image, button images, and content. For sample screen shots of each feature, check out our features tour. For more examples of how our clients are using the SwebApps platform, check out our e-book.
Apple’s criteria for approval constantly evolve. In general, Apple approves of apps that use in-app features to create a more immersive user experience than websites as viewed from the iPhone. The best guide to Apple’s iPhone app policies is its iPhone Human Interface Guidelines.
We cannot guarantee that Apple will approve your app, just as we cannot be certain (assuming your content is intact and accessible) that they will reject it. (View our refund policy for rejected apps here). There are, however, a few things that our development team looks for as “red flags” in the testing process prior to submitting to Apple. These include:
To help increase your chances of Apple approval, we recommend:
View information on our refund policy here.
No. As long as Android apps meet the Android Content Guidelines they can be published without any approval process or Google review.
Building your app with SwebApps is quite simple. First, select a background image from our library or upload your own. Next, pick 6 or 8 buttons for your app and select a function for each button from our library of functions:
See our Features Tour for descriptions and screen shots of each feature
*Denotes advanced functions
After you’ve designed your app, you’ll have the opportunity to change each button’s function, image, or title if you’d like it to differ from our defaults. Finally, once you’re done customizing, simply upload your content and complete the app info (title, description, keywords, logo, etc.). If you are creating an iPhone app, you will need to create an iOS Developer Account here, provide us with your Apple ID and password, and then submit. It’s that easy!
Apple recently notified us of a policy change and is now requiring a unique iOS Developer Account for each individual or organization submitting apps to the App Store. Because of this, we will no longer be able to administer our clients' apps through the SwebApps Developer Account. Each customer must set up an iOS Developer Account, with a $99 annual fee paid directly to Apple. This change requires extra steps and additional work for our team to process, submit and update your app. We are absorbing this extra work and associated cost, and have elected not to pass on any of the cost to our customers. Our fees are not changing.
The good news is that creating an iOS Developer Account will allow all SwebApps customers to charge for their iPhone apps if they so choose. You will have access to Apple's app download information and analytics. Additionally, your organization/business name will be displayed in the App Store, rather than Sweb Development.
To set up your iOS Developer Account: First, you should register as an Apple Developer on Apple's website and fill out all necessary information about your company or organization. Then, send your username and password to support@swebapps.com or submit it through the checkout window at the end of the app building process. We will only access your account to upload your app. Once we've uploaded your app, you can change your password in order to ensure the security of your account.
We're very experienced at this, so please contact us if you need any help setting up your account.
No. Currently, Google does not require that each Android app be uploaded under a client's Developer Account. If you want to charge for your app, or want only your organization name to be displayed on the Android Market, you will need to register for an Android Developer Account here. Please contact us if you need any help setting up your account.
If you add AppTracker to your application for a $10 monthly fee, you’ll have access to analytic information such as the total number of app downloads and button usage within your app, across one or both platforms.
SwebApps allows you to easily update your content in real time. Log in to your account through our online CMS to change background and button design images or to edit, delete and add content.
The Client Sign Up feature (a free add-on) allows you to request your client’s email address and phone number when they launch your app. You can view the email addresses and phone numbers you’ve received via our online CMS system and download the results as an excel file for future reference.
Yes, you can upload your own images for use as button icons and backgrounds. Background images must be 320 (width) x 460 (height) pixels in PNG format. Button images must be 100 (width) x 80 (height) pixels in PNG format.
If you wish to offer your app for iOS, Apple’s review process requires that apps be fully-featured (i.e., no “coming soon” messages or obviously missing content) and loaded with a robust amount of content when they are reviewed. Add as much relevant content as you can before submitting your app via SwebApps. If your app is Android-only this is not a concern, though we encourage you to include as much content as possible to offer a great first impression to your users.
Within 3 business days of receiving payment for your submitted app, we will build and test your app. If you purchase an iPhone app, you will need to send us the username and password for your iOS Developer Account. Once all concerns are addressed, we prepare the app for the App Store and/or Android Market. Apple takes up to 2 weeks to review your app. Once Apple approves the app, it becomes available for download via the App Store within 24 hours. Android apps are available within 24 hours of submitting to the Android Market.
For our SwebApps Basic package, we charge a one-time, flat development fee of $399 for iPhone or Android, $499 for iPhone and Android and then $29 (one platform) or $39 (both platforms) per month for hosting. We require that you pay for hosting for at least six months. This price includes submitting your app to the Android Market (under our Android Developer Account account or your own) and to Apple (under your iOS Developer Account) for review and distribution through the iTunes app store.
For additional pricing information, please see our pricing page.
The functionalities available through our SwebApps Basic and SwebApps Pro platforms are identical. SwebApps Pro apps feature custom design elements developed by our in-house designers based on your brand and feedback. These custom elements include:
For pricing information and examples of SwebApps Pro apps, please see our pricing page.
If you're interested in adding a feature not currently available through SwebApps, we can often provide a cost and time estimate to develop the feature as a custom SwebApps button. In many cases, however, adding custom features requires developing an entirely custom app. For quotes and custom feature inquiries please contact us directly.
SwebApps apps created for iPhone must be uploaded to your own iOS Developer Account, which will enable you to set any price you choose for the app. If you wish to charge for an Android app, you'll need to create an Android Developer Account. Once your app is available in the iTunes store and/or Android Market, any revenues from the sale of your app will be split between you and Apple and/or Google without any involvement from SwebApps.
Our hosting fees are $29 per month for one platform or $39 per month for two platforms. Hosting fees are per-application, not per-account. A 10% discount is offered to those who pay for an entire year of hosting in advance.
$10/month (a flat rate for one or two platforms). No contract required—add or cancel at any time.
Yes, all non-profit organizations may build an app for FREE on one platform! Please note that while we waive our SwebApps Basic $399 development fee, you’ll still be charged the monthly hosting fee (6 month minimum commitment) and a $100 development fee if you choose to add a second platform. Limit one free app per organization.
We require that any organization requesting the non-profit discount prove their non-profit status. For US non-profits, we verify based on Tax ID number. For international organizations, please send documentation verifying your non-profit status to support@swebapps.com. We will verify and approve international non-profits on a case-by-case basis.
All apps built through the SwebApps platform rely upon media and data stored on cloud servers. Hosting on cloud servers allows our apps to be updated in real time, without re-submitting updates to Apple and requiring users to download an update. With our approach, you can be confident that your users will always see the most up-to-date content every time they launch your app. Hosting app files in the cloud also allows you to change background and button designs without submitting an update to Apple.
No. Apps developed through the SwebApps platform are built to interface with our content management system (CMS) and cloud servers to ensure that up-to-date content is available to your users. For that reason, we require use of our hosting.
Once your app is live in the iTunes store and/or Android Market, you can make as many changes to the content or design as you want at no cost through our online CMS system. If you would like to change the function of any of your app’s buttons (changing a website button to a photo gallery button, for example), that requires partially re-developing your app and submitting the update to Apple and/or Google. Because of the development time required for that type of change, we charge a $100 fee for any changes to button functions.
All iOS apps built through the SwebApps platform must be approved by Apple before appearing in the iTunes app store. SwebApps does not and cannot guarantee that Apple will approve your app. However:
For iOS apps, we support all video formats listed in Apple’s official guidelines:
H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.
Video files must be under 10 MB; files streamed within the app (such as video RSS feeds) must be no longer than 10 minutes in length.
For Android apps, .mp4 files are supported but .m4v files are not supported.
Please note: the SwebApps video gallery is compatible with iPhone OS 3.2 and above.
We support the following audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV.
Audio files must be under 10 MB.
Image uploads are restricted to .png files. Image dimensions must be no larger than 310(width) x 390(height) pixels. Each image file must be under 1 MB.
We support live mp3 streaming. For information on audio streams for iOS apps, please refer to Apple's HTTP Live Streaming Protocol.
We support the RSS feed associated with podcasts. We recommend using FeedBurner to create podcast RSS feeds.
All URLs must be fully qualified (include http://).
We currently support RSS 0.92, RSS 2.0, and Atom feeds. Our system parses the RSS feed title and description (or content=encoded) tags.We recommend using FeedBurner to create RSS feeds.
Must have a minimum of 10 digits (example: 1 + area code + seven digit number) and may include the use of a leading '+' character.
We recommend the use of a Facebook Fan Page in conjunction with Facebook User Names. For more information, visit Facebook.com/username.
100 (width) x 80 (height) pixels in .png format. Note: You may use transparency in your button image in order to create non-rectangular images or the impression of an aspect ratio which differs from the standard.
320 (width) x 460 pixels (height) in .png format
Note: You may use transparency in your background image that will allow the background color to shine through.
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