Knorish App Builder: How to make your course available on an android or iOS app?

Launch your courses on your branded android or iOS apps with Knorish to offer the complete online learning experience to your learners. In this article, you’ll learn how to make your course available for users via deploying your own Android or iOS apps.

Table of contents

• Important notes
• Prerequisites checklist
• Details to be submitted for your Android/iOS App
• App Preview
• App theme personalization
• Request for getting Google Play Store or Apple App Store access
• Request for publishing the app under your account
• Important Considerations

Important notes

• The Google Play Store and Apple App Store have specific guidelines for app launches. It is essential to adhere to the provided instructions when submitting your app. Be sure to keep privacy policies, app reviewer credentials, and other checklist items intact and accessible throughout the lifespan of your Knorish mobile app.
• Before submitting your app details, please review them carefully as changes will not be possible once the app is live. Once you submit the app request, reach out to support@knorish.com for review and consideration. Google Play Store and Apple App Store require a one-time configuration for any new app going live. Any further updates in the app, whether for bug fixes or new features, will be automatically published to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
• If your Knorish plan has expired and you have a mobile app, you will need to resubmit the app request from the beginning. We recommend renewing your plan within the specified dunning period to avoid any disruptions.
• If Google or Apple decides to remove the app from their stores for any reason, we will not be able to republish it.
• At present, the release, updates, upgrades, and bug fixes for Knorish apps are completely automated through our build and release engines. This automation allows us to ensure a seamless and efficient process for all our users. Regrettably, modifying the app name, icon, logo, or changing the developer name necessitates app rebuilding. At this time, such alterations would pose a roadblock to the automation process, potentially disrupting the seamless functioning of our system.
• Power Annual plan users can request the publication of mobile apps on their own Google Play Store and Apple App Store accounts. Users on different plans have the option to acquire an add-on service to have their app released on their personal Google Play Store and Apple App Store accounts. If you already have an app built by another developer or team, we can assist in updating it to transform it into your Knorish mobile app. If you need assistance with this, please don't hesitate to reach out to Knorish support by sending an email to support@knorish.com.
• Due to the volume of app requests being handled, currently it takes about 30 - 45 days to take your app live after the above details are furnished in full.

Prerequisites checklist

• The website design and content should be completed and the site should be live. The app binary or metadata should not include placeholder screenshots or dummy text like lorem ipsum or coming soon. This leads to the apps being rejected by the play store or app store.
• Ensure that your privacy policy page is published and accessible. Remember that the privacy policy terms apply to both your website and mobile apps, so make sure to update the page accordingly. Your privacy policy should cover data security, cookies policy, user account deletion policy, and other relevant information. To learn how to publish your privacy policy page, here are the instructions: https://support.knorish.com/adding-a-privacy-policy 
• The logo icon should be uploaded under the 'App icon' and the logo in the app home screen section. Please upload a PNG icon. For an icon with the background color, select the appropriate background color on the dashboard as well. However, stay away from using any text on the logo, or else it may not look visually appealing.
• Assign an active/published course and bundle to any sample user email and then go to the user's tab > click on the user name > settings > set the user password. Enter the user's email and password on the app builder tab and click save. Refer to below screenshot.

Details to be submitted for your Android/iOS App

Only once the above prerequisites are met, please visit your Dashboard > Settings > App Builder > App settings (Android) & (Apple) as applicable in your subscription.

For an Android app, update the following information:

• App Name (30 characters)
• Email
• Privacy Policy Page URL
• Website URL
• App Short Description (80 characters):
• Description (4000 characters)
• Android/ iOS App Icons
• Splash screen and logo background color
• Android App Icon (consider using icon without text - PNG | 512*512 pixels | 1024KB max size)

For an iOS app, update the following information:

• Subtitle (30 characters)
• Promotional text (170 characters)
• Support URL
• Marketing URL
• iOS App Icon (consider using icon without text - PNG | 512*512 pixels | 1024KB max size)

Once everything is done, please send an email to support@knorish.com to process the app request.

App Preview

You can also switch to the App Preview tab under App Builder and catch a glimpse of how the app icon/logo appears on different screens i.e. on the device, splash and Home screen.

App theme personalization

You can customize the theme for your user’s delightful experience as per your brand colors. Read here how: https://support.knorish.com/user-theme 

Request for getting Google Play Store or Apple App Store access

The apps are launched and the architecture is maintained by Knorish. However, to get access to respond to reviews, update information and make changes to the content listed on the stores, we would require a gmail email id for Google Play Store account access and Apple ID enabled email for Apple App Store account access. If you'd like to make a request, please send an email to support@knorish.com.

Request for publishing the app under your account

If you are on the Power Annual Plan or have purchased an store publishing add-on, you can request the publication of mobile apps on your own Play Store (Android) and App Store (iOS) accounts, ensuring that they are listed under your brand name.

To publish apps under your own account, you need to purchase a DUNS number (available at https://www.dnb.co.in/) and pay the associated fees for either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store or both.

For iOS apps, you may be required to subscribe to the Apple Developer Program, which costs 99 USD per year. For more details, please refer to the documentation at https://developer.apple.com/support/enrollment/.

For the Google Play Store, you may be required to pay a one-time 25 USD fee.

If you'd like to make a request, please send an email to support@knorish.com.

Important Considerations

• To test the Android/iOS app, search for the "Knorish Academy App" on the Play Store/App Store and install it. You can use the credentials Email: AppReviewer@knorish.training, Password: hellodemo to experience the app.
• Your app will reflect the design of the above app, including your brand and logo. Currently, further customization options are not available. However, you can manage the content within the app and access real-time dynamic data.
• Slider images can be changed at any time (real-time basis); however, they should reflect the purpose of the app and not create confusion for users. Otherwise, the Play Store or App Store may reject the app.
• Changes to the app, including the name, brand icons, etc., require rebuilding the app, and such requests may incur a one-time applicable fee. The changes may take approximately 4-5 weeks to be released.
• In-app purchases are charged a 15 - 30% commission by the stores. Refer: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10281818?hl=en
• All published courses and bundles will be visible on Android apps (if selected to be displayed on the app). On the Android app, clicking the 'Learn More' button will launch a browser and direct learners to the specific course page, where users can purchase the product. However, the iOS app will be for content consumption only (new users cannot sign up) due to restrictions on launching external browsers, in-app purchases, and signup form fields. Additionally, iOS policies are complex to align with dynamic signup forms. We recommend downloading the iOS sample app 'Knorish Academy App' and giving it a try.
• The 'Learn More' buttons on the course and bundles tab will redirect to the respective course/bundle landing page. Hence, ensure the landing page of the course/bundle is created. Else, the 'Learn More' buttons will redirect the user(s) to the homepage.
• The browse-for-free option is currently available on the Android app only.
• If the user is logged into the Android app, clicking the 'Learn More' button will launch the browser and automatically log in the same user.
• If the app is suspended or blocked by the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for any reason, we will not be able to publish the app.