I recently attempted to enroll a small 1-person company in the Apple Developer Program, and the process turned into a surprisingly terrible journey. I expected a quick online sign-up and a $99 payment – instead I got weeks of identity checks and problem after problem.
Frustratingly, the whole thing started because I wanted to use Sign in with Apple. Apple forces you into the developer program just to enable it, and charges €99/year for the privilege. Google and Amazon both offer their equivalent login services for free, set up in minutes. I can’t see how this policy benefits Apple’s ecosystem.
So I needed:
- D-U-N-S verification: Apple required a D-U-N-S Number for the company – very uncommon in the EU. Applying took several days and even a manual phone confirmation with an outsourced D&B subsidiary.
- Document uploads: Apple support then asked me to upload multiple documents: government ID, employment verification (odd when it’s just me), and business registration papers. I ended up uploading these three separate times, via the app and a special link. Different support reps (always friendly, but sending template replies) didn’t seem to see the same history. When I rated a feedback survey low, I got a standardized response that didn’t engage with my points at all.
- Website scrutiny: After identity checks, Apple also reviewed my project website. They said it had “minimal content” and needed a proper support contact page before apps could be distributed. But I do have an issue tracker and contact info. What if you haven’t even launched yet?
- Region mismatch: The system couldn’t handle that my personal Apple ID is in one EU country while the company is in another. To pay Apple €99, I was told to switch my iPad’s region to match the developer account — which would break my Apple One subscription amongst other things. I wouldn't even use the iPad for development, so I thought I'll just switch to my MacBook.
- Device lock-in: I tried to continue on my MacBook with the developer Apple ID, but the system forces you to finish enrollment on the same device you started with. On the MacBook, I’d have to start from scratch and re-upload all documents. That’s not just bad UX, it’s inexplicable – especially for Apple.
3 weeks later, and I am still not enrolled.
I’m posting this because the experience felt utterly broken. I didn’t expect smooth sailing, but this was far beyond normal friction.
Questions:
- Have others run into the same issues with Apple’s developer enrollment, especially cross-region?
- Do you think these hurdles discourage indie developers?
- Do people at Apple consider this a great experience? Is this just bureaucracy, or is there a deeper rationale? Sometimes I wonder if the (often equally clumsy) EU regulations are actually a useful medicine here.
