iOS Developer (6+ years) | Apple terminated my Developer account in 2026. | Documenting the journey | 4.3K+ subs on YouTube.
Boston, MA
Joined October 2019
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Apple terminated my Developer account.
Here’s my story 👇
youtu.be/6xrN54kblSc?is=0OzB…
I believe I was terminated for submitting too many app updates.
If I were to go back in time, I would limit it to every one to two weeks
Right before I was terminated, I was submitting an app update every day 😆
Apple makes it seem like you can submit an infinite number of apps and updates but really there is an unspoken rule of how often you should be submitting (just like with other rules that might be common sense)
If you’re a developer on the App Store:
Do not submit daily updates like I did.
Also follow @pbsIdentity . He’s a great guy and has a lot of good insights into apps and cybersecurity issues.
When I ran App Review, we talked about charging developers for reviews.
We discussed a few versions: a cap on reviews per app, a VIP fast pass to the front of the queue, and paid expedite. None of it shipped. It would have looked like a money grab, and nobody wanted Apple’s name on that headline.
That was years ago. Since then, three things have changed.
New apps are up 84%. Commission rates are falling in the US, the EU, and China. And Apple has a new CEO who needs to make his mark.
This year Apple has already started terminating developers for submitting too often, and making new developers prove themselves before anyone looks at their app. I think the next step is a price list for review, and I think I know what’s on it.
Steve’s rule was that a human sees every app. I gave the first ground on that rule myself, and I wrote about how in the piece.
phillipshoemaker.substack.co…
Every. Single. Developer. Read this 👇
This is from the guy who created the guidelines and App Store as you know it.
If you have an Apple developer account or an app in the App Store, read this now and share it.
Apple rejects your app. The notice is vague, so you fix what you reasonably think is wrong and resubmit.
Apple approves it.
Months later, with nothing in review, Apple terminates your account under 3.2(f) for “a pattern of manipulative or misleading behavior.” Every app gone. No explanation of what you did.
Your crime? Trusting the approval.
Apple’s own reviewer looked at your fix, with your rejection history in front of them, and said yes. Then Apple turned that yes into evidence against you.
So who’s misleading whom?
I ran App Review for seven years and wrote the guidelines. 3.2(f) used to mean real fraud. Now it’s being used against developers who did exactly what Apple approved.
I’ve made this Substack post free for everyone. Every developer needs to see it before this happens to them.
Share it before someone you know gets that email.
phillipshoemaker.substack.co…
David Razmadze retweeted
$AMD AMD Q3 FY26:
• Revenue +45% Y/Y to $13.4B ($0.3B beat).
• Operating margin 21% (+7pp Y/Y).
• Non-GAAP EPS $2.09 ($0.15 beat).
• Q4 FY26 rev guide ~$17B ($0.9B beat).
David Razmadze retweeted
since nobody’s giving you a straight answer:
these app removals are due to wider security breaches across the internet.
in response, tech companies panicked and started removing apps.
they found a wasp nest but torched the whole forest.
developers: patch your apps.
everyone: update your damn softwares.
Apple terminated my developer account.
Now the former head of Apple's App Review team is speaking out about how other developers are being terminated.
Phillip Shoemaker (@pbsIdentity) helped write the rules. Now he's publicly questioning how they're enforced.
This is getting bigger than one developer's story 👇
David Razmadze retweeted
Tip for every iOS developer: Document EVERY App Store rejection.
When Apple rejects your app:
- Take screenshots of the rejection message.
- Download all attached files and screenshots.
- Create a folder for each rejected app version.
- Write a TXT file explaining exactly what Apple flagged, what you changed, and why.
Why does this matter?
I'm currently facing a potential Apple Developer account termination over rejections from around 1.5 years ago.
App Store Connect no longer shows me the original rejection reasons, and now I'm digging through my old iPhone and MacBook screenshots, trying to piece together what happened and how I resolved each issue.
I never imagined I'd need this evidence 1.5 years later.
Don't rely on App Store Connect to preserve your review history. Keep your own records.
So it’s not just the App Store…
So Stripe can PERMANENTLY BAN you without giving a concrete reason or warning. In ONE E-MAIL.
This just happened to me.
I have:
-0 refunds
-0 open disputes
-hundreds of succesful payments
-app is freemium, went about breakeven projected to 5k MRR, wanted to switch it up because Apple has been devious to us app devs recently.
BOOM.
E-mail at 2AM: "Your account has been locked."
The reason they stated is "high risk".
From what I understand it means activity like random people trying to buy my products with bad creditcards or trying to commit fraud and thus resulting in failed payments. But this is just me guessing. I'm not sure since their policy is very vague and looks AI written.
The reason has nothing to do with my app.
The app is freemium, sends free trial reminders before my users get charged and has a happy user base even though I don't earn much profit with it.
THEY DO NOT GIVE YOU A WARNING. THEY DO NOT TELL YOU WHAT RULE YOU VIOLATED. THEY DO NOT TELL YOU WHAT TO FIX. THEY HOLD YOUR REVENUE HOSTAGE.
I just went viral on TikTok too... Wasted huge amounts of money on marketing budget for nothing. I just cancelled all my active free trials because I don't want to charge my customers money if they cannot manage their subscription.
Why am I getting punished for something totally out of my control? I enabled Radar, wanted to do 3DS, I added so many risk-reducing measurements but still some people will simply try fraudelent creditcards. What more can I do?
I've seen so many other people on X experience the same.
Please give us an answer, indie app builders are suffering from a broken system.
@stripe @stripesupport @patrickc
New video dropping tomorrow (11/2) at 12:45 PM EST.
Apple Developer account terminations are getting more attention, and now a former head of Apple's App Review team is speaking out.
I'll be covering the latest developments right here on X.
Stay tuned.
David Razmadze retweeted
It's disappointing to see @seraleev , someone who has publicly shared his own struggles with Apple's account terminations, now questioning developers who are going through similar situations.
Not every terminated developer is a fraudster. Not everyone is comfortable exposing their identity or business publicly. Privacy doesn't automatically mean guilt.
I understand that Apple needs to fight fraud and IP violations, but that doesn't mean every termination is justified.
I've personally shared my apps and case details with trusted developers who took the time to review them.
Instead of assuming developers are hiding something, why not advocate for transparency, meaningful human reviews, and fair appeals?
You can support Apple's efforts to stop fraud without automatically defending every decision Apple makes.
Let me tell you an interesting story.
A developer contacted me after Apple terminated his developer account for repeated IP violations.
The pattern was always the same: he’d receive a complaint, fix the issue and then bring it back some time later.
Eventually, Apple terminated his account. Over $100K in payouts frozen.
He decided to go public. Here’s what he did.
He created a fake profile on X. Didn’t even reveal his real name. Didn’t disclose which app was involved or explain what had actually happened.
Sure, the story got impressions. But the result? Zero.
On the second day, X suspended his account too.
He never contacted me again…
If you want to raise awareness about a problem, you need to be willing to share the facts.
You can’t expect people to take your side when you hide the very details they need to understand what happened.
Interesting to watch SOME indie devs' recent takes on the App Store termination wave... 🍿
In 2023 one of the more public cases was a $33k MRR account wiped for linkage to a former partners’ previously banned account.
They sued Apple, lost, then started over under new legal entities with new hardware, clean bank accounts, and from-scratch code and visuals.
They publicly described operating with EXTREME SEPARATION - one device = one Apple ID, no shared team access, new Wi-Fi, etc. specifically to avoid automatic linking.
Now I see their messaging is closer to “follow the guidelines, be transparent, most of these terminations are justified.”
Aren’t they still operating on thin ice if Apple decides to link the new accounts back to the old ones?
David Razmadze retweeted
Just heard from the @dojphofficial
Correspondence I submitted about @Apple will be disclosed during discovery in its lawsuit against the company.
If you’re a developer who lost your livelihood or the ability to reach your users, document your story. Save the emails. Keep the evidence. Consider submitting it to the DOJ.
Your submission could be shared during the legal process too, so keep that in mind.
We’ve made noise. Your story matters. Court is where we win battles like these. 👇
David Razmadze retweeted
The walls are closing in on Apple’s App Store monopoly and enforcement of unlawful policies in the US and around the world.
Developers need to speak up now and share the ways you’ve been wronged publicly or with law enforcers. Speak up or be trapped under their boot forever.
Just heard from the @dojphofficial
Correspondence I submitted about @Apple will be disclosed during discovery in its lawsuit against the company.
If you’re a developer who lost your livelihood or the ability to reach your users, document your story. Save the emails. Keep the evidence. Consider submitting it to the DOJ.
Your submission could be shared during the legal process too, so keep that in mind.
We’ve made noise. Your story matters. Court is where we win battles like these. 👇
This 👇
CyberLink getting removed now shows you that Apple has the power to influence entire markets, including blue-chip companies like Spotify, Netflix, and Google.
When a single corporation can make decisions that ripple through a trillion-dollar ecosystem, affecting how entire industries operate, that’s no longer just corporate influence. That’s a level of power we normally associate with governments, without the same democratic accountability.
David Razmadze retweeted
CyberLink getting removed now shows you that Apple has the power to influence entire markets, including blue-chip companies like Spotify, Netflix, and Google.
When a single corporation can make decisions that ripple through a trillion-dollar ecosystem, affecting how entire industries operate, that’s no longer just corporate influence. That’s a level of power we normally associate with governments, without the same democratic accountability.
Now it’s 2 stories on the X Explore tab
@pbsIdentity the Review Head is now speaking his mind about this topic.
I did not think it would get this much traction so quickly.
Don’t stop 🛑 keep going ✅
