Apple Developer Program

You need an Apple Developer Program membership to distribute apps through TestFlight and the App Store. Ruby Native uses your membership to sign builds and upload them to Apple.

#What you need before enrolling

  • An Apple ID. If you don't have one, create one at account.apple.com. You don't need a Mac or an iPhone to create an Apple ID.
  • Two-factor authentication enabled on your Apple ID. Apple requires this for developer accounts.

#Enroll

  1. Go to developer.apple.com/programs/enroll.
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  3. Follow the steps to complete enrollment. You'll need to agree to the Apple Developer Agreement and pay the $99/year fee.

Apple reviews enrollment applications before granting access. This typically takes 24 to 48 hours, though it can occasionally take longer. You'll receive an email when your account is ready.

#Individual vs. organization

Apple offers two enrollment types:

  • Individual ($99/year): the app is published under your personal name. Fastest to set up. No additional paperwork.
  • Organization ($99/year): the app is published under your company name. Requires a D-U-N-S number, which is free but can take a few days to obtain.

If you're a solo developer or just getting started, individual is fine. You can transfer apps to an organization account later.

#After enrollment

Once Apple approves your enrollment, you'll have access to:

Your next step is to set up your developer credentials so Ruby Native can build and upload on your behalf.