Apple has closed access to the Apple Developer Enterprise Program (Adep) for Russian developers since February 12. This program allowed companies to develop and distribute iOS applications within the corporate network without the need to publish them in the App Store.
The restrictions impacted legal entities using Enterprise certificates to create internal tools and test mobile solutions. Owners of such accounts were notified in advance about the impending block, but Apple did not officially explain the reasons for the disconnection. On the day the restrictions were implemented, all data related to the program was deleted and its use was halted.
Adep was widely used in large corporations, technology companies, and organizations developing mobile services on iOS. It enabled the launching of corporate chat bots, CRM systems, logistics solutions, accounting systems, and other internal services without the requirement of placing them in the App Store. Additionally, Enterprise certificates were used to expedite testing of mobile applications before public access.
In the Apple ecosystem, there are two types of developer accounts. The standard Apple Developer Program (ADP) allows individuals and entities to publish applications in the App Store. On the other hand, the Apple Developer Enterprise Program (Adep) is designed specifically for companies to distribute applications within the organization without going through verification and moderation in the app store.
Apple’s decision to block Adep for Russian developers comes amid changes in regulations governing IT services in Russia. Last year, sanctions were imposed prohibiting American companies from providing certain IT services to Russian users, including corporate software for managing resources, client databases, analytics, and other solutions. During the same period, several cloud services owned by large Western tech companies were discontinued.
The blocking of Adep complicates the distribution of corporate mobile applications on iOS devices. While the optimal choice for business solutions is to publish them in the App Store, this may not be suitable for applications intended solely for company employees. An alternative method is to install applications using the ADHOC scheme, which has a strict device limit of 100. Another approach is to utilize Progressive Web Apps (PWA) technology, which enables the adaptation of web applications for mobile devices but does not offer full access to the operating system’s capabilities.
For testing purposes, developers can utilize Apple’s built-in tools such as Testflight, which is designed for beta versions of mobile applications. There are also Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions available for installing internal software without publishing it in the App Store. However, these methods require complex configurations and do not provide the same functionality as Adep.