Believe it or not, Apple allowed it and helped Facebook to implement in its own mobile applications the possibility of installing applications without using the App Store. Mini App Store dialog is an API offered by Apple to all developers, allowing them to implement advertisements in their own applications that allow the installation of applications from the App Store, without opening the App Store application. Basically, users see the ad, they have an install button, they press it and the application is automatically installed on their devices.
Facebook and Apple grew closer today as mobile app install ads in Facebook for iOS 6 now allow users to download apps from the App Store via pop-up instead of interrupting users and forcing them to leave Facebook. By implementing Apple's App Store pop-up API, Facebook could get developers to buy more of its ads since the clicks they pay for are more likely to turn into actual downloads. Now Facebook is using the mini App Store dialog to boost the value of its recently launched mobile app install ads. These let developers pay to show an image, description, and install button for one of their apps within the Facebook news feed.
This API has been available for developers for over 2 months, Facebook is the biggest developer that implements it in their own applications and it is beneficial both for users and for those who buy advertising. Users get rid of the obligation to open the App Store application for installations, advertisers have the certainty that a click on the Install button leads to the installation of the application and everyone makes money from this. Although probably few developers had the courage to implement this API in applications, I assume that in the future we will see more and more applications that use it.
