Apple reveals new integrated developer program for Mac, Watch, and iOS

Posted:
in iPhone edited October 2015
Developers will no longer be required to maintain separate memberships to develop for Apple's Mac and iOS platforms, as the company has done away with the old configuration in favor of a new, unified Apple Developer Program.




For a single $99 fee, developers will have access to beta releases and software development kits for iOS, OS X, and watchOS. That will halve the cost for developers that target both Apple's desktop and mobile platforms.

"The new Apple Developer Program combines everything you need to develop, distribute, and manage your apps on all Apple platforms into one single program, making it easier than ever to bring your creativity to over a billion customers around the world," the updated developer website reads. "Get your apps ready for the App Store on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, by enrolling in the Apple Developer Program today."

There is no word yet on how Apple will manage the transition, or whether developers who recently renewed their memberships under the old system will receive prorated refunds.

Under the new program, developers will continue to have access to services like app analytics and TestFlight beta testing. A single membership will also allow developers to integrate Apple Pay and sell their applications in each country where the App Store is available.

Apple is also planning to roll out automatic renewals for annual memberships, allowing uninterrupted service and access to developer tools.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    Great, I just renewed my Mac developer membership. I hope they will roll it over into the combined Program.
  • Reply 2 of 20
    Mine expires next week. Sweet!
  • Reply 3 of 20
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Fantastic news especially for us more casual developers.
  • Reply 4 of 20
    gregqgregq Posts: 62member

    HOORAY! Saves me $99/year enrolling in both :)

  • Reply 5 of 20
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by rob53 View Post



    Great, I just renewed my Mac developer membership. I hope they will roll it over into the combined Program.



    If you are on any Apple developers program (iOS or Mac) you will get the combined membership. You just need to log in to your Membership section of the developer.apple.com and agree to the new contract.

  • Reply 6 of 20
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    AWESOME!!!

    You'll have my 100 dineros soon.
  • Reply 7 of 20
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member

    And it looks like you don't even need to enroll as a developer to develop and install apps on your own device.

  • Reply 8 of 20
    wizard69 wrote: »
    Fantastic news especially for us more casual developers.

    From what I understand "casual developers" are the people who just want early access to the beta OS releases.
  • Reply 9 of 20
    leavingthebiggleavingthebigg Posts: 1,291member

    Great news for me since I am renewing my membership in July! I was already looking at adding the Mac membership to my iOS membership. Now it has been done for me and saves me $99 US. Way to go Apple to get more apps for more of your platforms!!

  • Reply 10 of 20
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NasserAE View Post

     



    If you are on any Apple developers program (iOS or Mac) you will get the combined membership. You just need to log in to your Membership section of the developer.apple.com and agree to the new contract.




    I did and the conversion just required a few agreements and I have everything now. A lot more to look at but I can't seem to find the older downloads for OSX.

  • Reply 11 of 20
    nasserae wrote: »
    And it looks like you don't even need to enroll as a developer to develop and install apps on your own device.

    What do u mean?
  • Reply 12 of 20
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by daveinpublic View Post





    What do u mean?



    Before Xcode 7 (now in beta) you needed a paid developer account to install apps on your device. With Xcode 7 anyone with an Apple ID can develop AND INSTALL apps on their own device (no need to enroll in paid iOS developer program).

     

    Note: You still need a developer account to test on a device using the Xcode 7 beta.

  • Reply 13 of 20
    fordeefordee Posts: 31member
    NasserAE> You could always install XCode without a developer account.
  • Reply 14 of 20
    strobestrobe Posts: 369member

    Why isn't it free?

  • Reply 15 of 20
    cashxxcashxx Posts: 114member
    About time! Have been saying this for years!
  • Reply 16 of 20
    blah64blah64 Posts: 993member
    nasserae wrote: »

    Before Xcode 7 (now in beta) you needed a paid developer account to install apps on your device. With Xcode 7 anyone with an Apple ID can develop AND INSTALL apps on their own device (no need to enroll in paid iOS developer program).

    Note: You still need a developer account to test on a device using the Xcode 7 beta.

    This is fantastic news! The restrictions against quickly coding something up and putting on your own device have been a thorn in my rear for many years.

    Do you have a handy link that details out the new policy?
  • Reply 17 of 20
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Blah64 View Post





    This is fantastic news! The restrictions against quickly coding something up and putting on your own device have been a thorn in my rear for many years.



    Do you have a handy link that details out the new policy?



    It is on https://developer.apple.com/xcode/ but it will not be activated until Xcode 7 is out of beta.

     

  • Reply 18 of 20
    blah64blah64 Posts: 993member
    nasserae wrote: »

    It is on https://developer.apple.com/xcode/ but it will not be activated until Xcode 7 is out of beta.

    Ha, with a URL like that, I guess I could have almost stumbled across it, thanks.

    I am a little troubled by the "Simply sign in with your AppleID", however. Does that mean working in a lab environment with a secure, isolated network (i.e. no live connections to Apple), that we still will not be able to put an app on our own iOS devices?

    It's hard to know how this works without detailed specifics.
  • Reply 19 of 20

    The downside is that developing extensions for Safari is no longer free, but requires this $99/year developer account.

  • Reply 20 of 20

    Maybe the new approach will counter the trend that most software (AND DOCUMENTATION/TUTORIALS) is iOS-only.

     

    Many frameworks or libraries are being developed that often rely unnecessarily on iOS-only functionality. E.g., UIKit and AppKit have a lot in common, yet contain enough differences to make "porting from iOS to OSX" a PITA (or PITN, if you prefer).

     

    I do hope, from now on, with (paying) iOS developers having easier access to the OSX "ecosystem", they will start developing for both platforms.

     

    IMHO Apple should, in addition, provide further incentives for iOS developers to no longer ignore OSX.

    Huge numbers of iOS developers have knowledge that could equally well be applied to OSX, causing a drastic expansion of OSX software.

     

    [rant]Hopefully those developers with no OSX exposure will no longer be tempted to develop for OSX with UIs reminiscent of DOS or Win3.1.

    Instead, they should fully embrace OSX Human Interface Guidelines. Indeed, sometimes HIG are not fully observed in iOS apps: Think OK buttons on the left and Cancel buttons on the right).

     

    Bottom line: a huge pool of iOS developers could be tapped to contribute to OSX, if only there were more carrots.

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