Publishing apps for Apple’s range of products are perhaps the most profitable venture in the app industry. So it’s no wonder why developers prefer to publish apps for the App Store. Having an Apple developer account is not as straight forward as Google’s procedure. But it’s not actually that complicated if you just understand beforehand what you should do and what is to expect from the process. No worries! Enrollment in the Apple Developer Program just goes like this:
Apple Developer Account Requirements
- Apple ID: Even if you do not intend to enroll in any of Apple’s developer programs, you still need an Apple ID in order to sign in and avail of free packages like Xcode Developer Tools and free device testing among others. A different Apple ID is a requirement for every program. If you want to enroll in multiple programs, especially in Apple Developer Enterprise Program and iOS Developer University Program, another Apple ID is necessary.
- Legal age: One has to be at least 18 years old in order to enter into legal agreements and contracts. Those who want to avail of free developer tools and device testing only need to be at least 13 years old.
- Individual Enrollment: If you are enrolling as a sole proprietor you need to provide your legal name, address and contact information among others.
For the enrollment of organizations in the Apple Developer Program, there are more specific requirements.
Organization Enrollment:
- A D-U-N-S Number: This is a unique nine-digit number assigned by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) and is used as a standard business identifier that can be used to verify the identity of your organization and its legal entity status. Companies (regardless of size) and educational institutions are required to have a D-U-N-S Number. This is in adherence to the legal terms and obligations of the Apple Developer Program agreements. It is optional for government organizations, though.
- Legal Entity Status. Your business should qualify as a legal entity in order to enter into legal contracts with Apple. Corporations, limited partnerships or limited liability companies (LLC) are all legal entities. DBAs (Doing Business As), Fictitious Businesses, Trade names and company branches, on the other hand, aren’t.
- Legal Binding Authority. You should have legal authority to enter your business into contracts and other legal agreements. You must either own or is the founder of the company. Executive team members and senior project leads can also have the same authority or any employee for that matter. This is as long as he/she has legal authorization to act on behalf of any of the aforementioned authorities.
You can’t progress in the enrollment process without these requirements. The same is true if you won’t qualify for any of the above-mentioned requirements.
Apple Developer Program Enrollment Process
- First, go to Apple’s Developer the main page. Scroll down to the Developer Program and click on the link Join the new Apple Developer Program.
- A screen will appear summarizing the enrolment process. Click Continue.
- Next, you will be prompted to sign in using an existing Apple ID or create a new Apple ID. If you opt to create a new Apple ID, you need to enter some basic personal information including your billing address.
- After sign in, state whether you are enrolling as an individual or as an organization. If you are enrolling as an organization, there are additional information requirements. This includes your business’s D-U-N-S Number as a form of verification.
- The next prompt will ask you to read and review the Apple Developer Agreement. You need to press “Agree” of course to move on to the next step.
- Next is the candid “Tell us about yourself” section. State your primary role and your experience in app development. Select an answer from the drop-down list. You will then be asked about what types of applications you develop and then to what other platforms you develop apps. After checking the right boxes press “Register”.
- Next, verify your login, password, and billing address.
- Continuing to the next step, select your developer program of choice. Select “iOS Developer Program” and then “Continue”.
- In the next step, review all the information that you inputted and selected. Select Continue to proceed to the next step.
- Review the Apple Developer License Agreement.
- Purchase the program membership by clicking or pressing “Buy Now”.
- Lastly, you need to verify your account through the email connected to your Apple ID. Follow the instructions on the verification email to activate your account.
What Next?
You can now log in to the Apple Developer Member Center and iTunes Connect using your new account login information. If after you log in, you will find the iOS Developer Program dock on the right-hand side of the page. You will immediately know if there were errors in your registration. A banner encouraging you to join the iOS Developer Program will appear instead of the developer options. Click on “Learn More”. There will be a walkthrough back to the registration process, right to where you left off.
