I know the official answer is 'Yes, they have to do it every single time' ... but anybody have an unofficial workaround?
I make small programming tools for myself all of the time. One of the reasons I don't dabble as much in iOS is for this very restriction. I want to use extensions and apps that I can make for myself on a whim without any of the extra inconveniences when you don't put the entire application through a store. Not everything I make is even relevant in the app store, yet I still have to deal with the inconveniences of it not acting the same when I make something simple for myself.