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When my paid developer membership runs out with Apple, what happens to my existing apps on the app store?

I know that I cannot add new apps then, but do my existing apps stay? Can I change prices? Can I get paid for sales? Can I update those apps? (Am I missing any questions here?)

Moshe
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  • I can understand Apple not letting you make/submit/sell *NEW* apps (since you are no longer a developer)... but what does Apple/you/anyone gain by sitting there and deleting all your existing apps? Apple loses money for every app it deletes. What does it gain? Even the apps you wrote 3 years ago... are now somehow, instantly "bad" and useless? Would Apple delete 1000 apps that each are earning $1000? A million bucks is thrown in the garbage. – Gloria Jun 13 '10 at 03:25
  • God point, should be a comment though. These were my thoughts, hence the speculation. – Moshe Jun 13 '10 at 04:50
  • Perhaps the additional revenue is not worth the loss of goodwill with unsupported apps in the App Store. There's more to the value of a business than just how much money you make from it. I mean, at least to me, if all you care about is how much money you make, you're not a very interesting person. – lucius Jun 13 '10 at 08:07
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    If Apple earns $1000 on an app, the developer earns $2333. Why would a developer in that position decline to spend the $99 it takes to renew his or her developer program subscription? A developer who doesn't renew is a developer who isn't making any money and who doesn't plan on maintaining whatever apps they do have. – Caleb Mar 11 '11 at 10:27
  • I think the answers below accurately cover what happens to the app in the store. I'm interested to know if the app can be transferred. *Scenario:* Company A goes out of business and lets their Developer account expire. A new Company B wants to start up and buy one of Company A's apps. Can Company A transfer the app? Or does Company B have to pay to renew Company A's account as well as creating their own? – Bruno Bronosky Aug 05 '15 at 20:45
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because [we are not customer support for your favorite company](//meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/255745/). – gunr2171 Apr 17 '17 at 20:13
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    This is an appropriate development question but, if it doesn't belong here, what other Stackexchange site should it be moved to? It is questions like this that I disagree with other moderators. There needs to be a place for developers to discuss non-code problems. Maybe that isn't here but that doesn't make the need go away. I will look at posting this on Meta or flagging for moderation. – Kelly S. French Apr 20 '17 at 17:08

5 Answers5

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One important addition to the previous answers: your apps will NOT be completely removed by Apple, so if you renew your membership later, they will return in the App Store within 24 hours. You do not need to resubmit them. Please note that this doesn't invalidate the other answers, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

What happens to my apps on the App Store if I do not renew my membership?

If your membership has already expired when you renew, your renewal will activate once you complete the renewal process and any free apps you had available for download will become available again within 24 hours. Any paid apps you had available for download will become available again after you sign in to iTunes Connect and complete your Paid Applications contract. You do not need to resubmit your apps.

From: https://developer.apple.com/support/renewal/

Community
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prms
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From https://developer.apple.com/support/renewal/

What happens if I do not renew my iOS Developer Program membership?

Once your membership expires, your apps will no longer be available on the App Store and you will lose the ability to submit new apps. You will lose access to pre-release software, the Apple Developer Forums, Developer Technical Support, and the Certificate Utility. In addition, your existing iOS Distribution certificates will be revoked and invalidated. Finally, if you enrolled in the program as a company, you will lose the ability to manage your development team.

You will, however, retain your status as a Registered Apple Developer and will have access to free development resources.

highlycaffeinated
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Your apps will be removed from the app store, although it won't happen instantly. This is what an Apple sales rep told me a few months ago.

bpapa
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  • One of our clients just experienced the same thing. They forgot to renew their account, and now the app is no longer available on the app store! Hope the app is still available on the provisioning portal. – ultravelocity Jun 07 '11 at 01:57
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    Does anyone know what happens to development apps already installed on a device? Will they cease working when the certificates is revoked? If so, what if the device is not connected to the internet or updated... will the certificates simply expire and the iPad no longer run the development app? – Kasapo Oct 25 '11 at 16:48
  • Not sure but I would expect already-installed apps to be working. IIRC I used to have an app which was later removed from the store. – k3a Feb 04 '14 at 11:44
  • Since apps can now be downloaded in the App Store by existing users even though they are not for sale anymore (e.g. Flappy Bird): Will users who already paid for an app be still able to download it on the "Past Purchases"(?) page? – lxgr Sep 12 '14 at 11:04
  • Any one knows what happen when enterprise program expires. The apps that are installed through enterprise certificates will keep working or not ? – Abuzar Amin Jul 01 '16 at 07:23
  • @AbuzarAmin you probably would get more insight if you asked this as a separate question - my guess though is no, the apps would keep working, but you'd need to renew to sign an update. – bpapa Jul 01 '16 at 13:42
  • Apple says, "If your Apple Developer Enterprise Program membership expires, your apps will no longer be available for download and will no longer function for those who have already installed or downloaded them. You will still have access to free development resources." – Krishnarjun Banoth Sep 16 '17 at 05:42
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    @Kasapo. I have just experienced that when your developer certificate expires, the development apps installed with any provisioning profile signed by that certificate also stop working. Not sure if it matters whether or not you are connected to the Internet. Note that the certificates are good for a year, so depending on when you last renewed your certificate, the app could run for up to a year after you leave the developer program. The behavior is very odd - the app will briefly launch and it immediately appears to exit/crash, however if you look at running apps, you will still see it! – spencery2 Jan 29 '18 at 01:08
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Most importantly for me, already purchased and installed apps will continue to work. Per the FAQ pointed to earlier:

If I don't renew my iOS Developer Program, will my app still function for customers who have already installed or downloaded it from the App Store? Yes. If you do not renew your iOS Developer Program your app will still function for customers who have already installed or downloaded it. However, without renewal of your Program you will lose App Store distribution and your app will no longer be available on the App Store.

Minok
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All the existing apps will not be removed from App Store, only user will not be able to manage their applications on App Store like adding new apps, updating the existing apps.

Vijay Shankar
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  • Hi Vijay, Are you sure about this? – Gaurav Feb 18 '11 at 12:18
  • I am sure. check the link posted by "highlycafferinated" above. – Vijay Shankar Feb 25 '11 at 13:24
  • I don't see that Q&A as supporting your assertion. If your app is available in the app store, you are distributing your app via the app store. If you can no longer distribute, then your app must no longer be available. You seem to understand "distribute" as meaning "introduce into the app store," but I think it's more likely to mean the continuing process of letting people purchase and download your app. Do you have any evidence to support your claim other than the Q&A above? – Caleb Mar 11 '11 at 10:33
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    Vijay, the link posted above doesn't support what you're saying. I read it as saying the opposite. – occulus Mar 11 '11 at 11:00
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    From: http://developer.apple.com/support/ios/program-renewals.html If I don't renew my membership, will new customers be able to purchase my app from the App Store? No. Once your membership expires, your app will be removed from the App Store and new customers will no longer be able to purchase your app. – Kasapo Oct 25 '11 at 16:47
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    They removed my app without even sending an alert mail before. – Feroz Dec 17 '16 at 17:31