Enroll as an Individual or Organization?
The first thing to ask yourself is if you are enrolling in the Apple Developer Program (a.k.a. creating a developer account) as an individual or an organization. If you are part of a registered business or team, then we recommend you opt for an ORGANIZATION account, as this will give you access to additional features and benefits that are specific to organizations. If you are a single person, startup that is not yet a registered business, or registered as a Sole Proprietorship / Single-Person Company then you should enroll as an INDIVIDUAL.
Enrolling as an Individual
In general, it is easy to enroll as an individual. However, there are some important considerations you should note:
Your name will be listed in your app's details on the App Store.
You will not be able to share Developer Resources with other users / Apple IDs.
You cannot add Team Members (other users) to your developer account.
You will need to share your Apple ID login credentials with Viewcastle, therefore you should NOT use any existing personal or primary Apple IDs. Instead create a new Apple ID that you are comfortable with sharing the credentials for.
You MUST enroll as an organization if your app's content is about finances, healthcare, or other highly regulated fields per Apple's guidelines with the exception of content that is largely educational.
Enrolling as an Organization
Enrolling as an organization will require additional details to get started. Below are some important considerations you should note along with the pre-requisites you'll need to have ready:
Your company/brand will be listed in your app's details on the App Store.
You can share Developer Resources with other users / Apple IDs.
You can add Team Members (other users) by invite.
You won't need to share any credentials with Viewcastle and instead can invite us as a team member.
You MUST enroll as an organization if your app's content is about finances, healthcare, or other highly regulated fields per Apple's guidelines with the exception of content that is largely educational.
Prerequisites
To enroll as an organization, you'll need the following:
D-U-N-S Number: (DUNS Number) This allows Apple to confirm your legal entity's status. If you don't have one, you can apply easily here.
Legal Entity Name / Status: Your organization must be legally registered in order to enter into contracts with Apple, and your company name must correspond with your Tax ID. If your organization is not legally registered, you should take steps towards achieving a legal status before enrolling in the Apple Developer Program.
Legal Binding Authority: As the person enrolling, you must have the legal authority to sign and bind your organization into legal agreements. If you are not sure about this, you should seek to obtain authorization from those higher up within your business.
Steps to Enroll in the Apple Developer Program
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to setup your developer account.
Step 1 - Create an Apple ID
You need to have an Apple ID before you can make a developer account. It's possible you already have a personal Apple ID that you use with your personal Apple devices. We recommend that you instead use an Apple ID that is tied to your professional / work email. If you already have a work-related Apple ID, you can skip ahead to Step 2, otherwise follow the steps below to create one:
Go to developer.apple.com and click on "Account" in the top right.
Next to "Don't have an Apple ID?" click on "Create yours now"
Fill out the form and be sure to remember to use your professional / work email.
Follow any additional prompts and accept the terms and conditions.
Answer any security questions, and you're done making an Apple ID.
Step 2 - Create Your Developer Account
Go to developer.apple.com and click on "Account" in the top right.
Sign in with the Apple ID you intend to use for your developer account.
Once you've done this, you have successfully created your developer account. At this point, you have a free developer account. The next step will be to enroll in the Apple Developer Program so that you can publish apps on the App Store.
Step 3 - Enroll in the Apple Developer Program
Once signed into your developer account, click on "Join Apple Developer Program"
Click "Enroll" and then "Start Enrollment"
Select the entity type. See the section Enroll as an Individual or Organization? above for how to chose the right entity type. Choosing the incorrect entity type will cause a delay in Viewcastle getting your app published.
For Individual entity types:
Accept the agreement
Purchase membership
Enrollment is now complete
For Organization entity types:
Enter your company information
Submit the application
You might be prompted to sign an agreement and/or purchase the membership now or after the approval.
Wait for Approval: You will receive an email from Apple confirming that your enrollment is approved. You may also receive requests for additional information or if there are any other issues.
Step 3 - Invite Viewcastle to App Store Connect
If you created an INDIVIDUAL account, you will need to instead send your Viewcastle account representative your email and password used to sign into the Apple ID that you used to create your developer account. Otherwise, for ORGANIZATION accounts please do the following:
After your enrollment is approved, go to App Store Connect and login with the same Apple ID you used to create your developer account.
Click "Users & Access" and then the "Add" (+) button
Fill out the "New User" form using the following information:
First Name: Viewcastle
Last Name: Apps
Email: apps@viewcastle.com
Roles:
Check "Admin" which will automatically check all the other roles
Additional Resources:
Ensure the following resources are checked:
Access to Reports
Access to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
Access to Cloud Managed Distribution Certificate
Access to Cloud Managed Developer ID Certificate
Create Apps
Once you've filled out the above information, click the "Invite" button to finish inviting Viewcastle.
Step 4 - Set-Up In-App Purchases
If you plan on monetizing your Viewcastle content, then in addition to setting up Stripe (which is done in your Viewcastle admin portal), you must also setup Apple's In-App Purchase service. Apple requires apps that offer users paid content to optionally offer users the ability to purchase the content using their own personal Apple ID's. Therefore, you need to do the following:
Sign Paid Apps Agreement
While signed into App Store Connect, click the "Business" button
You should see your organization listed, click on your company's name
Under the "Agreements" table, find the row for the Paid Applications Agreement type.
Under the "Action" column, click "View Terms" and accept the terms of the agreement.
Add Bank Account
Under "Bank Accounts", click the "Add Bank Account" button
Follow the on-screen instructions, then click Add. You will need your bank account's Country/Region, Currency, Account Type, Routing Number, and Account Number.
Add Tax Information
Under "Tax Forms" click on "Add Tax Info" next to the U.S. Form W-9 tax form. If you do not see the tax form, then click the "+" button to add it to your list of tax forms.
If your business is located our of Brazil, Mexico, or Taiwan then you must also click the "+" button in order to add an additional tax form for your country.
Fill out your tax information accurately
When you're done, click "Submit" in the top right
Your Tax Form status should now be "Active" and your Bank Account and Paid Applications Agreement statuses may still be "Processing"
Wait for Active Statuses
Now you must wait for all statuses to become "Active". This may take a few minutes because in order for your Bank Account to activate you must have your Tax Form(s) submitted, and in order for the Paid Applications Agreement to activate the Bank Account and Tax Form(s) must both be active.
Once all your statuses become active, you have successfully completed setting up your Apple Developer Account! 🎉
Maintaining Your Account and Compliance
Apple Developer Program Membership
Apple requires an annual fee to keep your developer account active. If your account is not renewed, your apps are removed from the App Store and this could greatly impact your business. We recommend enrolling in auto-renewal or setup reminders in order to keep your account in good standing.
Agreements and New Compliance Notices
Overtime, Apple adds new terms to their agreements and you'll need to regularly check for these changes and ensure renewal of your agreements. These changes typical appear in a yellow or red, highly noticeable, banner across the top of every page within your developer account or App Store Connect. When you see a notice like this, follow the instructions or links in order to complete and maintain good standing.
Additionally you'll want to check for any action items listed under your developer account's business page. You can get to this page by signing into App Store Connect with your Apple ID and clicking "Business."