Adding a Separate Developer Account to your iOS Device

by Kyle

Update: 2/20/19: Apple has updated the Developer Support site with documentation on Two-Factor Authentication.

Apple is now requiring Developer accounts have 2FA turned on as a security measure.

This has led to a lot of confusion because a lot of developers have separate accounts for good reason. Here’s how you can add your developer account to your device to get authentication codes.

  1. Go to Passwords and Accounts on your iOS device. [EDIT- Dec 4, 2020 - Thanks to Casey Liss I realized that this menu has changed - following the below steps in Settings > Mail > accounts works. :) ]
  2. Add Account
  3. Add iCloud
  4. Sign in to your developer account
  5. Turn off all the switches
  6. Bam
  7. Go to App Store connect or something like that
  8. Try to sign in

  9. You should get two factor codes on that device

  10. [Optional] File a radar to get this process streamlined/clarified.

Despite the account being labeled as ‘inactive’ on that account screen, you have added your device as a “trusted” device capable of receiving two-factor authentication codes.

I did this process after I had activated 2FA on my developer account. But you should be able to sign in this way, then go to appleid.apple.com, and enable Two-Factor Authentication there.

Edit: The one problem is enabling it in the first place - the easiest way is to create a temporary user on your Mac and enable it there, but damn if that isn’t a clunky solution.