I recently enrolled in the Apple Developer Program. I started on the website, filled in my details, entered my credit card, and soon after an email titled Order Acknowledgement landed in my inbox. It thanked me for my order and said: “Here’s a summary of your order request, which will be processed within 2 business days.” Apple would notify me when my items were ready.
Two business days came and went, and nothing moved. My enrollment was still pending, and when I checked my card there was no charge on it at all. So Apple hadn’t taken my money, but they hadn’t let me in either.
I wasn’t the only one
Searching around brought me to a thread on the Apple Developer Forums called Program enrollment issue, no response from support. It’s a long list of people stuck in the same place. Some had already paid and were still pending. A few said time was running out because they had apps waiting to ship.
One reply summed up the mood pretty well. The writer couldn’t believe that a company as big as Apple had no one from its team responding in the thread, and pointed out that Microsoft has experts on its forums looking for people with issues. Their argument was simple: if someone pays, they should become a member. If a human has to approve every enrollment, Apple shouldn’t promise 48 hours.
I felt the same way reading it. For a company of Apple’s size, a thread full of paying developers with no official answer is disappointing.
Further down, though, one comment actually had a fix. The writer said their enrollment got sorted out in moments. They skipped general Apple Support, which can’t help with this, and used the contact link in the footer of the Apple Developer website instead. From there they requested a call through their existing case. Apple called back quickly, asked for their ID, and sent a link during the call to upload it. Their account was active almost right away.
So I gave it a try.
How do you fix an Apple Developer Program enrollment stuck on pending?
If your Apple Developer Program enrollment is still pending after the 2 business days promised in the Order Acknowledgement email, don’t wait for an email that may never come. Contact Apple Developer Support directly through developer.apple.com/contact, choose Membership & Account, then Program Enrollment, and request a phone call on a business day in your region. The advisor on the call can tell you what is actually holding up your enrollment. In my case, my card payment had failed. They asked me to enroll again through the Apple Developer app, where I paid with GoPay. About two days later Apple asked me to verify my identity with my KTP, and a day after that my membership was active.
Step by step: get Apple Developer Support to call you
- Go to developer.apple.com/contact and sign in with the Apple Account you used to enroll.
- Under Get help with a new issue, click View topics.
- Choose Membership & Account, then Program Enrollment.
- Pick Call as the contact option. Make sure you choose a time on a business day in your region, because calls aren’t available on public holidays. I’m in Indonesia, so I picked Singapore time.
- Choose the option to have Apple call you. Not long after, Apple Support called me.
What I learned on the call
The advisor told me my card transaction had failed. That explained why there was no charge on my card. I had no idea until that call.
Then they asked me to install the Apple Developer app and enroll from there, instead of the website I had used before. In the app I picked a new payment method, GoPay, and it turned out to be cheaper. On my card the price was US$99. Through the app with GoPay, I paid about IDR 1.6 million.
ID verification with a KTP
About two days after I enrolled through the app, Apple asked me to verify my identity. I used my KTP, the Indonesian national ID card.
This part made me nervous. Apple’s instructions said that documents in languages outside the ones they list need a translation by a sworn translator, and Indonesian wasn’t on that list. I uploaded my KTP as it is, with no translation, and it went through.
One day later, I was in. My Apple Developer Program membership was active.
The short version
- I enrolled on the website with a credit card. After 2 business days it was still pending, with no charge on my card.
- On a call, Apple Developer Support told me the card transaction had failed.
- I enrolled again in the Apple Developer app and paid with GoPay, about IDR 1.6 million instead of US$99.
- About two days later, Apple asked me to verify my identity. My KTP was accepted without a translation.
- One day after that, my membership was active.
If your enrollment is stuck like mine was, try requesting that call. It worked for me, and I owe a thank-you to the stranger on the forum who shared it.