Thursday, November 14, 2024

Unable to enroll to an Apple Developer Account

Understanding my problem requires some context, so bear with me as I describe it

I have been trying to enroll into the Apple Developer Program for about 2 years with the purpose of distributing my VPN app, which required me to have an organizational account. Back when I started to prepare to develop my app, I realized, that entitlements needed for it were only available for premium account holders: https://developer.apple.com/help/account/reference/supported-capabilities-ios. I was 15 years old, and since I couldn’t enroll into a premium Apple Developer Program myself, I’ve used my parent’s ID to pass verification. This allowed me to develop and test my app successfully among a small group of internal testers. I was doing development from an Apple ID registered using email on domain, not my personal Apple ID. However, when it came to distributing on the AppStore, I hit a roadblock as VPN apps cannot be distributed from individual accounts, and required me to establish an LLC. I waited until I was 18 years old and established a company under my name in Georgia, hoping to use it to verify my account.

The actual problem:

When I am trying to change the membership option from individual to organization on my Apple ID registered using the email on domain, Apple ghosts me while the page displays “We will get back to you in 2 business days”. Here’s what I tried, in order:

  1. Tried to contact Apple Support by email, 2 times, unsuccessful.
  2. Contacted Apple Support Ireland by phone
    1. First time: they told me that they can’t enroll me as an organization, as my parent whose account it technically is, is not an employee in my company. However, they are able to change my legal details and then enroll
    2. Second time: they told me I must bring my parent with me as they need to confirm their identity
    3. Third time: they told my parent that it is not possible to transfer an individual account from one person to another, which is false. However, they suggested deleting my on-domain Apple ID, waiting 30 days, and then creating a new one. I cannot accept this since I would not be able to sign or use my apps, and all apps signed by this on-domain Apple ID would be instantly revoked from other people’s devices until I am able to re-enroll
  3. Tried enrolling my personal Apple ID. It got instantly banned from the Apple Developer Program as soon as I entered the same organization details.

So what do I do now? Do I have any other way of reaching Apple and asking them to correct my legal details? Am I breaking written or unwritten rules? I would be glad to hear from everyone if you have any ideas, solutions or similar experiences! Thank you!

Related Articles

Latest Articles