How to create the accounts you need to publish iOS apps

The App Store is a world of opportunities at your disposal, but before you publish your first app, you need to create the necessary accounts, which can be confusing and complicated. In order for the process to be as simple and quick as possible, we have created a step-by-step guide to help you create the accounts you need so that your app can be available in the App Store.

To publish your application, you will need three accounts: Apple Developer, Apple Developer Program and iTunes Connect. Although the process may be somewhat complex and require additional data to be collected, it essentially amounts to 3 steps:

1. Create an Apple ID

To start, access the Apple Developer website (https://developer.apple.com/) and select “Account“ from the menu. You will see that in order to have an Apple Developer account, you first need to have an Apple ID to access the service.

You can immediately proceed to the creation of a new Apple ID through the “Create Apple ID“ button, or you can use an existing Apple ID- if you have an iPhone or iPad, most likely you already have an ID. However, we recommend creating a distinct Apple ID for professional purposes instead of using your existing personal ID.

2. Create your Apple Developer account

Having the ID in your possession, you can proceed by logging in with the credentials you have just created.

To create your account, you must consent to the Apple Developer Agreement, which you can also download through this link. Normally, we always recommend reading the agreement carefully due to its legal status.

Once you agree to the terms and conditions explained, your Apple Developer account will be created!

3. Sign up for the Apple Developer Program

When you first access your Apple Developer account, you'll see that you have a “Join the Apple Developer Program“ option. You'll need to join this program to publish you iOS application, as it is through this service that Apple brings your application to consumers around the world. To join, you can follow the link https://developer.apple.com/programs/enroll/ to begin your registration. Please note that, at the time of the creation of this article, participation in the Apple Developer Program requires a subscription of $99 a year.

The first step of the registration process in the Apple Developer Program will be to define whether you are making your registration individually, that is, as a single person or entity, or as an organization. To register as an organization, you will need your organization to have the status of legal entity and to have a D-U-N-s® Number, an identifier of your organization that is provided by Dun & Bradstreet. If you don't have a D-U-N-s® Number, you can place the order on the Dun & Bradstreet website– take into account that the order may take between 5 and 30 working days. If you already have a D-U-N-S® Number, you can consult it on the Apple Developer Program website or on the Dun & Bradstreet website.

After selecting whether it's an individual registration or as an organization, you should fill in a form and consent again to a new legal agreement (which you can consult here). One you've finished the completion, agree to the terms and conditions and proceed, you will be presented with the cost of subscription for the first year, even having the possibility to select automatic renewal. From there you will have to log back in with your Apple ID and you can proceed with payment.

As soon as you complete the payment, your registration is done! It will take some time for Apple to process your entry, but briefly you’ll receive two e-mails: an e-mail to confirm your enrollment in the Apple Developer Program, and another to inform that you have been created an account for iTunes Connect, the portal through which you can make the submission of the app.

After this third step, you now have access to all the accounts you require to place your app for iOS in the App Store! The process of publishing the app itself requires some more technical knowledge, but we’re available to help on this side. The most important thing is that you can now finally make your mobile applications available anywhere in the world and for any iOS user!

If you also want to create an account to publish Android applications, you can consult our guide here. And, of course, if you're looking for a team to develop your application, contact us!