Apple requires app publishers (hey—that’s you!) to enroll in the Apple Developer Program. Subsplash will manage your app, but your app needs to live on your developer account. Click here for an intro video.
Instructions
Complete the steps below to sign up for an Apple developer account.
If your app is only available within The Church App, you don’t need to sign up for any developer accounts.
Get your Apple ID
Get your Apple ID
Apple ID is an authentication method used by Apple for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other Apple devices. The most common use of an Apple ID is the email address you use to sign in to Apple services, like iTunes, iCloud, etc. You will need an Apple ID associated with your organization before you can proceed in the process of acquiring your Apple Developer account. Apple also requires that all Apple IDs have set up two-factor authentication.
If you already have an Apple ID for your organization (with two-factor authentication enabled), you may skip this step.
If you do run into any issues acquiring your Apple ID, please first contact Apple directly for support. You can request a callback or submit questions by email.
How to get your D-U-N-S number
How to get your D-U-N-S number
A DUNS number is a unique ID provided by Dun & Bradstreet, used to verify the legal status of organizations. Apple and Google require you to have a DUNS number to verify your organization in order to sign up for developer accounts.
Check to see if you already have a DUNS number
A lot of organizations already have a DUNS number without knowing it. To check and see if you already have a DUNS number, please use the DUNS Number Lookup.
When you go to the link above to search for your DUNS number, we recommend starting by just searching for your Business Name, State, & Country. This will help you cast a wide net in case your address or phone number has changed.
Warning: if you do already have a DUNS number, please confirm that the address, name of the organization, and phone number that are associated with the DUNS number are all correct. When you sign-up for Developer accounts, you must enter the information exactly how it is shown with your DUNS number.
Information required to Request/Update a DUNS number
If you need to update any information for your DUNS number (for example, if the address is no longer correct) or you need to create a new DUNS number because you don’t have one, please follow the instructions below.
You will need at least two legal documents to complete this process. The documents must match the Correct Legal Business Name at the Current Physical Address. (See examples of accepted documents below)
Examples of Accepted Documents
Create New DUNS
Secretary of State Articles of Incorporation
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Confirmation Letter
Employer Identification Number (EIN) Confirmation Letter
DBA / Assumed Name Certificate Filing
Lease Agreement
Utility Bill
*Do Not Include personal information such as Driver’s License, Passport, Social Security, Banking Statements, etc.
Update or Correct DUNS
Business Name Update:
Secretary of State Articles of Incorporation
Registration Amendment Document
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Confirmation Letter
Employer Identification Number (EIN) Confirmation Letter
DBA / Assumed Name Certificate Filing
Merger / Acquisition Agreement
Purchase Order Representing Asset / Liability Exchange
Address Update:
Utility Bill
Lease Agreement
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Confirmation Letter
Employer Identification Number (EIN) Confirmation Letter
Invoice from a third party showing current Business Name and Address
Ownership Update:
Probate document authorizing ownership of the business
Operating Agreement
Merger / Acquisition Agreement
Partnership Agreement
Purchase Agreement
Requesting a new DUNS number/Update existing DUNS number
Once you have the necessary documentation, fill out the DUNS Request Form, and upload your documents to either create a new DUNS number or update your existing DUNS number.
Please use this form above, rather than the main DUNS website, since this form is built specifically for Developer Account customers.
Enter your email address on the first screen that appears
Select “Developer Program”
Select “Create New DUNS” or “Update or Correct DUNS” depending on your situation
Running into Legal Entity Error?
A very common issue that clients experience when enrolling in the Apple Developer program is a Legal Entity error. This error is caused due to a bug with Dun and Bradstreet and Apple’s databases that prevents Apple from validating the DUNS number. If you run into this error, you may see a screen such as the one below:
The good news is that this is a common issue and easy to resolve. Simply navigate to the following form: https://support.dnb.com/?CUST=APPLEDEV
Enter your email address
Select “Developer Program”
Select “Error Message”
Fill out the information on that form (you can disregard Request ID)
At least two forms of accepted legal documentation
For description, copy and paste the following text:
“I am trying to enroll in the Apple Developer program however when I enter my Legal Entity Name and DUNS number, I am receiving an error that my organization could not be verified as a legal entity. I have confirmed that my DUNS number and Legal Entity Name are both entered correctly. Please advise”.
From here, D&B will reach out in a few days to resolve this issue and provide a timeframe for when you can continue your Apple Developer account enrollment
If you run into any issues or receive error messages concerning the DUNS number at any time:
If you are new to Subsplash and in the Onboarding process, schedule a call with your dedicated Onboarding Specialist.
Schedule a Developer Account support call with any of our support team.
Contact Dun & Bradstreet or call them directly at (866) 584-0283
Enroll in the Apple Developer Program
Enroll in the Apple Developer Program
Now that you've acquired your Apple ID and D-U-N-S Number, you can enroll in Apple's Developer Program! Follow the steps below to enroll in the Apple Developer Program.
Note! If you run into any issues while submitting this application, please contact Apple directly by clicking here and choosing Membership & Account > Program Enrollment.
Getting Started
Once you receive your D-U-N-S number you can enroll in the Apple Developer Program by clicking here. Just click Start Your Enrollment on the bottom of the page to begin.
You may also be asked to sign in via two-factor authentication. Here is Apple’s official support article on setting that up if you are having trouble.
There are a few things to keep in mind as you fill out the enrollment form:
On the first page, you will fill out your personal information. You can input your organization's address for the address fields. When finished, continue to the next step.
On the next page when it asks for your organization's entity type, you want to enroll as an organization by selecting Non-Profit Organization or just a regular Organization entity type if you aren't a nonprofit. It is crucial that you select this and DO NOT select Individual as your entity type, as Subsplash will not be able to manage your app.
If you've already set up your account as an Individual account, you can still switch it over to an Organization account. Click here to learn more!
On this page, input your Legal Entity Name as found in the DUNS email that was sent to you with your DUNS number, as well as your DUNS Number. Click Continue.
If you receive an error that "your organization could not be verified" please follow this article to send a ticket to Dun & Bradstreet to fix the issue.
On the next page you will fill out the legal information for your organization.
When asked if you have the authority to sign legal agreements or if you have been given authority to do so, you will want to provide the contact information for the person that can verify that you are allowed to sign legal agreements. In some cases, this could be you, the head pastor, or someone else above you in the organization.
For Verification Contact > Email and Organization Information > Your Work Email they require an email address that uses your organization name as the domain name. Example johnthompson@subsplash.com (currently emails ending in @outlook.com, @icloud.com and @mail.com also work). If you enter an email ending in @gmail.com, @hotmail.com or @yahoo.com, the system will not accept it.
The person listed as the verification contact will receive a phone call to verify you have legal authority.
Applying for a Fee Waiver
If you’re planning on applying for a Fee Waiver, you’ll want to make sure to fill out the “Tax ID/National ID” information (It is not optional if you want a fee waiver) and select “Yes, I would like to request a fee waiver” for the Fee Waiver section at the bottom of the page.
To learn more about the fee waivers and eligibility, please go here.
What now?
After you review the information and submit your registration, you will receive an email notifying you that your enrollment is being processed:
Within the next 3 days Apple will either call or email the person listed as the verification contact. Please do not screen unknown numbers during this time, and check the Apple ID email for emails from Apple.
If you have not heard from Apple by the fourth day, give them a call to finish your enrollment by going here and choosing Membership & Account > Program Enrollment > Phone and enter your phone number. You will receive a call within a couple minutes where you can request to finish your enrollment.
Upon approval of your Apple Developer account, you can opt into auto-renewal of your account, to avoid your app being removed from the App Store in the future! Click here to learn more.
Invite Subsplash to your Apple developer account
Invite Subsplash to your Apple developer account
Now that you've been approved for your Apple Developer account, you'll want to invite Subsplash to manage your apps on your behalf and input your Developer Information in your Subsplash Dashboard.
If you do run into any issues, please first contact Apple directly for support, go here and choose Membership & Account to contact Apple directly.
Step 1: Input Developer Account Information
1. Log in to your Apple Developer Account using your Organization's Apple ID, and click on Membership Details on the top navigation bar.
2. You will see a page like this
3. Copy your Team Name and Team ID and input in your Apple Developer Account Page (Settings > Developer Accounts > Apple) on your Subsplash Dashboard. Don't forget to hit "Save" in the upper right-hand corner!
Step 2: Send App Store Connect Invite
1. Login with your organization's Apple ID in the App Store Connect section of your Apple developer account. Once you’ve logged in, you should see a screen like the one below.
2. Select the Users and Access section and then select the + button next to users.
3. Fill out the invitation using the information below and select Invite
First name: Submit
Last name: Subsplash
Email: Found on the Developer Accounts page in your Subsplash Dashboard.
Select “Admin” as the role
Check Access to all 5 items under Additional Resources:
Access to Reports
Access to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
Access to Cloud Managed Distribution Certificate
Access to Cloud Managed Developer ID Certificate
Create Apps
4. Select Integrations, Team Integrations, and then Request Access
5. Lastly, check the box to agree to Apple's terms, then select Submit
It can take our Admin team up to two days to accept your invitation.
FAQ
How do I know if Subsplash accepted the invite?
When you invite Subsplash to your Apple Developer account, it may take up to 24 hours for us to formally accept the invitation. As a result of this, the Developer account section of your Dashboard will not be updated to show that we have received your invitations immediately.
If you do want to double-check that everything has been completed successfully, you can log in to your App Store Connect here, select User and Access, and confirm that your Submit email is there (with the name Submit Subsplash or Tim Turner) and is added as an Admin.