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1 · Apple account

Before Apple lets you put an app you built onto your own iPhone, it needs to know who you are. That's all this step is: signing in with an Apple account. If you already have an Apple Developer account, you can reuse it and skip ahead.

Apple Developer sign-in page
You'll sign in here once — that's it for the free path

Free or paid — pick one

Both work. The only real difference is how often you have to re-install the app.

  • Free start here

    Costs nothing. The app stops opening after 7 days, and you fix that by re-installing from the Mac (about a minute). Great for trying it out.

  • Paid — $99/year nicer

    The app lasts a whole year, and the widgets are more reliable. Worth it if you'll use this regularly.

You don't have to decide now

Start free. You can upgrade to paid later and nothing you've done is wasted.

Step 1 — Make sure you have an Apple ID

An Apple ID is just the email and password you already use for the App Store or iCloud. You almost certainly have one.

If you're not sure, on your iPhone open Settings and look at the very top — if your name is there, you have one. If not, tap Sign in to your iPhone → Create Apple ID and follow the prompts.

Turn on two-factor if it asks

Apple may ask you to switch on two-factor authentication (a code sent to your devices). Say yes — Apple requires it for building apps.

Step 2 — Sign in on Apple's website (free path — done here)

  1. On your Mac, go to developer.apple.com/account.
  2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
  3. If it shows an agreement, tick the box to accept it.

That's the free path done. You can head to Step 2 · Install Xcode now.

Step 3 — Only if you chose paid: enroll

  1. On the same page, look for Enroll (or go to developer.apple.com/programs/enroll).
  2. Choose Individual, pay the $99, and confirm your identity if asked (Apple may use the Apple Developer app on your iPhone to do this).
  3. Wait for the approval email — usually quick, sometimes up to a day.

You can build while you wait

You don't have to wait for the paid approval. Build with the free path now, and switch Xcode to your paid account later — it's a one-click change in Step 3.

You're set when you've signed in at developer.apple.com at least once. Next: Install Xcode →