What is App Store account
An App Store account allows developers to publish and manage apps on the Apple App Store. It is required to submit and distribute apps on the iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS platforms.
Why you need an App Store account
An App Store account is necessary for the following reasons:
– To submit apps to the App Store for review and release. Without an account, you cannot publish apps.
– To manage your apps and app information in one centralized location. This includes updating app details, pricing, availability, screenshots and more.
– To access App Store Connect tools for tracking downloads, revenue, ratings and reviews. This data can help optimize your business strategy.
– To create and manage TestFlight beta testing distributions for collecting early feedback before launch.
– For issuing app updates to fix bugs, add features or keep your app compatible with the latest OS versions.
– For managing the availability and pricing of in-app purchases associated with your apps.
– For responding to customer reviews and handling other communications through App Store Connect.
– For accessing app sales reports, financial statements and tax documents. Developers get paid for app and in-app purchase revenue through their account.
– For managing app transfer if you sell your app or transfer it to another developer account.
So in short, the App Store account enables the full app publication and management process with Apple’s platforms. It is required for developers to have one.
Types of App Store accounts
There are two types of App Store accounts:
– Individual – This account type is for solo developers or small teams building apps independently. It costs $99 USD per year.
– Company/Organization – This account type is for businesses with dedicated development teams building and publishing apps. It costs $299 USD per year and can have multiple team members.
Apple currently only offers individual accounts for consumers. Company accounts are meant for commercial businesses publishing proprietary apps or developers working as part of an organization.
The main differences between the account types are:
– Number of apps allowed – Individuals get 100 app IDs compared to Company accounts which get 500.
– Team members – Individual accounts only support a single account holder while Company ones can have multiple team members for collaboration.
– Customer support – Company accounts get priority App Store support and dedicated advisors.
– Available programs – Company accounts have access to additional Apple Developer programs for enterprise and education distribution.
For freelancers and independent developers, an Individual account is recommended. Larger development firms should use a Company account. Consider scaling up to a Company account if your app catalog and team size starts growing significantly.
Creating an App Store account
Follow these steps to create your App Store developer account:
1. Go to the Apple Developer website (developer.apple.com) and click “Account” to get started.
2. Click “Start Your Enrollment” and sign in with your Apple ID or create a new Apple ID if needed. Use an email you can access.
3. Select the account type you want – either individual or company/organization.
4. Follow the prompts to complete the Apple Developer Agreement and select your program enrollment. Make the $99 or $299 membership fee payment.
5. Provide contact information including your address, phone number and website associated with the account.
6. Apple will verify your account information by phone or email. The verification process usually takes a few days.
7. Once verified and processed, you will get full access to App Store Connect to set up your developer profile, banking details, app information and more.
Ensure all your account details are accurate during setup. If you need to make changes later, you can edit the information in App Store Connect. Also be sure to record your Apple ID and password in a safe place you can reference later.
Managing your App Store account
Your App Store account gives you access to App Store Connect, a web-based portal for managing your apps. From App Store Connect you can:
– Create and modify app records along with info like pricing, icons, screenshots, release date and more.
– Submit your apps and app updates for review by Apple to get them published on the App Store.
– Create and manage TestFlight beta testing groups for testing your apps.
– View analytics for your apps including downloads, revenue, user engagement and ratings/reviews.
– Respond to customer reviews and feedback for your apps.
– Manage availability of in-app purchases associated with your apps.
– Issue promotional codes and view app sales reports.
– Manage access of team members if you have a Company account with multiple developers.
– View payments and financial statements related to your app sales proceeds.
– Transfer your apps if you sell them or move them to another account.
App Store Connect provides a central interface to control every aspect of your apps in the iOS and macOS ecosystems. It’s important to keep your account details like banking information and team access up-to-date.
Developer program enrollment
When you create an App Store account, you will need to enroll in either the Apple Developer Program as an individual or the Apple Developer Enterprise Program as a company.
The Apple Developer Program costs $99 per year and allows you to:
– Publish apps to the App Store for users to download. This includes free or paid apps.
– Use Apple services like TestFlight beta testing, Xcode, SDKs and more for building and testing your apps.
– Distribute “Ad Hoc” builds of your app outside the App Store to up to 100 other devices for testing purposes.
– Get technical support, advanced app capabilities and Apple certification resources.
The Apple Developer Enterprise Program costs $299 per year with added benefits like:
– Internal corporate app distribution to employees within your business.
– Custom B2B app deployment options and developer tools.
– Ability to use Apple deployment programs like Device Enrollment, Developer ID and Managed App Config.
– Volume purchase of apps and priority support.
You need to enroll in one of these programs to maximize use of your developer account and access additional tools for your app development process.
Upgrading, downgrading or cancelling your account
Over time you may want to upgrade, downgrade or cancel your App Store developer account. Here is an overview of how that works:
**Upgrading account type**
You can upgrade from an Individual account to a Company account by contacting Apple Developer support and paying the difference in membership fees. Your apps and account details will transfer over.
**Downgrading account type**
Downgrading from a Company account to an Individual account means reverting to just one team member and fewer app IDs. You will need to transfer any extra apps to another account first. Contact Apple Developer support to downgrade.
**Cancelling account**
You can cancel a developer account at any time which will terminate your access to App Store Connect at the end of your current membership period. Make sure to export any reports beforehand you want to reference later.
Once cancelled, you will not be able to access your account or publish future updates to existing apps – they will eventually be removed from the App Store. Transfer your live apps to another account first if you want them to remain available for users to download.
Apple does not provide refunds for cancelled accounts, so be sure you want to close your account before doing so. You can reactivate the same account later by paying the annual fee again.
Pricing and payment for the account
There is an annual fee to enroll in the Apple Developer Program and access App Store Connect as outlined below:
– Individual account – $99 USD per year
– Company account – $299 USD per year
This membership fee provides you access to create and publish apps for one year before needing to renew. There are a few ways to pay the fee:
– Credit/debit card
– PayPal
– Promotional code (for discounts Apple may offer)
– Wire transfer (for Company accounts)
If you have an Individual account, the membership fee is an upfront annual cost billed yearly around the date when you first enrolled.
For Company accounts, you can choose to pay upfront annually or on a monthly installment plan at $29.99 USD per month.
Apple does not currently offer refunds or pro-rated amounts if you decide to cancel in the middle of your membership period. You maintain access until the renewal date when the fees are due again.
There are no other charges or fees beyond the initial enrollment/renewal fee to use your developer account and access App Store Connect capabilities. However, Apple does take a 30% commission on sales of paid apps and in-app purchases.
Transferring apps to a new account
If you want to transfer your live apps published on the App Store from one developer account to another, you can request account transfers for your apps. Here is an overview of how app transfers work:
– **Initiate request** – Log in to App Store Connect and go to the Apps section. Click the app you want to transfer, go to the App Information page, and click “Request Transfer App.”
– **Provide details** – Enter the email address or account number of the new account you want to transfer the app to.
– **New owner approves** – The receiving account holder must log in and approve the app transfer request.
– **Apple completes transfer** – Once approved, Apple will complete the account transfer process which typically takes a few days.
– **Update account** – The app will be removed from your originating account and now belong to the new developer account.
The new account owner will be able to publish updates for that app going forward. App transfers are useful when selling your app to another developer or company.
Important notes about transferring apps:
– You can only transfer whole apps, not individual app versions.
– In-app purchases are transferred along with the app.
– App names cannot be changed during transfer.
– Ratings, reviews and download history do not carry over to the new account.
– The app’s original App Store URL remains live even after transfer.
– Paid apps moved to a new account will have prices converted to the acquiring account’s local currency.
– You need the Admin role in App Store Connect to be able to request app transfers.
Follow Apple’s detailed instructions on their support site when you are ready to transfer your live apps to a new account holder.
Adding additional team members
For Individual accounts, you can only have a single account holder. But Company accounts support adding additional team members who can collaborate on apps under the same account.
To add team members in App Store Connect:
– Go to Users and Access, then select People.
– Click the + symbol to add a new user.
– Enter their name, email address and assign their access level/role.
There are three roles you can assign to members on your App Store Connect team:
– **Admin** – Has full access to manage apps, create new accounts, add/remove users and enable all account capabilities.
– **App Manager** – Can create and manage apps but not make account changes.
– **Developer** – Can only access assigned apps but cannot edit account details or add new apps.
– **Marketer** – Has read-only access to analytics, limited app access and no editing ability.
Admins should be limited since they control overall account access. App Manager is a common role for members actively building and maintaining different apps.
You can assign granular permissions to restrict specific account capabilities per user. Team members can be removed at any time. There are no limits on Company team size, but Apple recommends keeping it under 25.
Two-factor authentication requirements
For added security, Apple requires App Store Connect users to set up two-factor authentication. This means needing to enter both your password and a six-digit verification code to log in.
To set up two-factor authentication:
1. Enable two-factor for your Apple ID at appleid.apple.com first if you haven’t already.
2. Download and install an authentication app like Google Authenticator or Authy to generate verification codes on your device.
3. In App Store Connect, go to Settings then My Profile.
4. Click Manage next to Two-Factor Authentication.
5. Select Authentication App and scan the QR code shown using your app.
Once enabled, you will need both your password and current six-digit code from the authentication app to log in to App Store Connect or make changes. This prevents unauthorized account access.
All team members you add to your developer account in App Store Connect will also need to enable two-factor login for security purposes. Be sure to keep your authentication app on your device to generate verification codes whenever you need to sign in. Otherwise you could get locked out of your account.
Tax and banking information
Any app sales proceeds you earn will be deposited into your bank account on file with Apple. To receive payments, you will need to provide valid tax and banking details.
This information should be entered from App Store Connect:
**Tax information**
– Go to Users and Access > Tax and Banking Information.
– Select the country your tax information applies to.
– Enter your tax ID number and any other required details.
**Banking information**
– From Tax and Banking, select Financial Reports.
– Choose your payment currency.
– Enter your bank account information including routing and account numbers.
Apple Payments will review your provided tax and banking information to approve it. This is required to receive any earnings from your app sales or in-app purchases. Keep these details up to date if anything changes.
You can view your financial statements and earnings reports in App Store Connect once your account is approved. Royalties from app sales are paid out monthly.
Membership renewal
App Store developer accounts need to be renewed every year to maintain active status. Your renewal date is based on when you initially enrolled.
Around your renewal date each year, Apple will charge the annual membership fee (either $99 for Individual or $299 for Company) to keep your account valid for another year.
You will receive reminders as your renewal date approaches. If you don’t want to continue with your account, make sure to cancel it ahead of time so it is not automatically renewed and billed.
Before your membership expires:
– Download any financial reports you want for your records.
– Transfer any live apps to a new account if you don’t want them removed from sale.
Once successfully renewed, you will be able to seamlessly continue using App Store Connect without any account interruption or changes. Multiyear memberships are not currently offered – renewals must be done annually.
Account termination
If you decide to close your App Store developer account, here is an overview of what will happen:
– Your access to App Store Connect will end once the current membership period expires.
– You will no longer be able to submit apps or updates to the App Store.
– Any apps still available for sale will eventually be removed from the App Store unless you transfer them to another account.
– User ratings, reviews and download history for your apps will no longer be accessible.
– You cannot reclaim the original app names or URLs if deleted after account termination.
– Any remaining app sale proceeds will still be paid out to your bank account on file.
– You cannot receive a refund for any unused portion of your paid membership period.
Essentially, terminating your account cuts off your ability to develop, publish or maintain apps under that account going forward. Make sure you download any important financial or app data for your records before the account closes.
You can enroll in a new account with Apple at any time later on but it will be treated as a brand new relationship with none of your previous apps or data carried over. Think carefully before closing your developer account if you ever want to publish those apps again in the future.
Conclusion
Having an App Store developer account is mandatory for publishing iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS apps. The account provides the portal to submit apps, manage listings, user engagement, pricing, entitlements and more.
Keeping your account information current and renewing your annual membership fee ensures you can continuously update and maintain apps for users to enjoy. App Store accounts give developers the essential tools to build a business on Apple’s industry-leading platforms. Managing it properly lets you maximize your development potential.