How to Create an App ID for Your iOS App

This is part 3 of a series that covers what you need to know about iOS provisioning & developer certificates in order to build iOS apps with the Icenium extension for Visual Studio. Thus far we've covered created a developer certificate, and add iOS device identifiers to your iOS developer profile. The next step is to create an application ID.

What's an App ID?

An application ID uniquely identifies your iOS application within Apple's application services - enabling you to use things like in-app purchasing, push notifications, game center and more inside your app. (When we cover provision profiles in our next post, you'll see how a provision ties this App ID together with device ID(s) and your developer certificate.)

Step 1 - Go to the iOS Developer Portal

You can only create application IDs in the iOS developer portal. Once you're logged in, choose the "Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles" link:

One the next screen, choose the "Identifiers" option on the left:

Now you can click the "+" icon near the top right to create a new App ID:

Step 2 - Create Application Identifier

App ID Description

The first thing you're asked to do is provide an App ID description:

Just provide something descriptive enough for your needs.

Choose an App ID Suffix

You have a couple of options in this case. If you don't need to use any of Apple's services (like Push Notifications, In-App Purchasing, etc.), you can opt to create a "Wildcard App ID" - which is an App ID that can be used on multiple apps.

However, if you need to use any of Apple's application services, you are required to use an explicit app ID. Apple recommends that you use a "reverse-domain style" string for your App ID suffix (something along the lines of com.yourcompany.yourapp). In the screenshot below, I've opted for an explicit app id, since I plan to use app services:

Select App Services

In addition to what Apple selects on your behalf, I've also included Push Notifications:

Step 3 - Review Your Submission

Once you click "Continue", you will see the following confirmation screen:

Click "Back" to go back and edit your information, or "Submit" to create the app ID.

Step 4 - Pat Yourself on the Back

Once you submit the form, you'll see something similar to this:

Congrats! You have an App ID. Next stop: provision profile. We'll cover that in our next post.

About the Author
Jim Cowart is an architect, developer, open source author, and overall web/hybrid mobile development geek. He is an active speaker and writer, with a passion for elevating developer knowledge of patterns and helpful frameworks. Jim works for Telerik as a Developer Advocate and is @ifandelse on Twitter.