Apple today announced that it is merging all of its developer programs into a single developer program, letting developers pay one fee to access both Mac and iOS developer tools. Before today, Apple offered a Mac developer program and an iOS developer program, accessible with separate $100 fees.

applemergeddevprograms

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. Get your apps ready for the App Store on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, by enrolling in the Apple Developer Program today.

It now costs $99 to access all SDKs and betas of iOS 9, OS X, and the company's newest software platform, watchOS. Apple has created a support document to explain the changes and walk developers through the process of transitioning to the new membership program.

All individual and organization developer accounts have been upgraded to the new program and can access the tools for iOS and OS X. Membership expiration dates and Technical Support Incidents have not been changed. For those who had memberships to both former programs, the new single account has an extended expiration date that includes the sum of days that remained in each program.

Top Rated Comments

Razeus Avatar
138 months ago
And yet can't merge iCloud accounts.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyBobBongo Avatar
138 months ago
Sounds good, never really understood the need to separate them all in the first place. I must say though, I have and iOS developer account but have been able to download OS X stuff since Yosemite came out.

Guess the change in thinking has been on the cards for a while now.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kwokaaron Avatar
138 months ago
They really shouldn't have used a number as the logo for the watchOS. Makes it confusing since iOS already uses it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
138 months ago
Smart move. I wouldn't be surprised if the double-fees were one reason why Mac app development seemed to lag behind iOS.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peel Avatar
138 months ago
They really shouldn't have used a number as the logo for the watchOS. Makes it confusing since iOS already uses it.
Not only that, but the iOS logo background is actually the shape of the Apple Watch, where as the WatchOS circle, well... isn't.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WaxedJacket Avatar
138 months ago
Yeah but the lack of women in development! [/social media outrage]
They really shouldn't have used a number as the logo for the watchOS. Makes it confusing since iOS already uses it.
Well yeah but one's a roman numeral, the other is a number with a squared off logo and the other is a number that's round. I guess ya just gotta remember shapes and numbers.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...