Free Apple Account signing

Free signing is real Apple development provisioning. It is useful, lawful for personal testing, and intentionally temporary.

The limits Apple documents

With a Personal Team, profiles expire seven days after issuance. Up to three apps may be installed per device, up to ten App IDs may be registered in the seven-day period, and up to three devices may be registered. Fewer advanced capabilities are available than with paid membership.

These limits come from Apple's developer account overview, not from AltStore or SideStore.

App IDs are not installed apps

An extension can consume another App ID. A widget, share extension, notification extension, watch component, or other plug-in may exhaust the ten-ID budget even while only a few top-level apps are installed. AltStore explains this in its App IDs guide.

Removing an app does not instantly erase its App ID registration. You may need to wait for the seven-day window to roll over.

Refreshing versus reinstalling

A refresh obtains a new profile and updates the signed app before expiry. If the app expires, install or refresh it again using the same Apple Account and effective bundle identifier. Do not delete it first if local data matters.

Capability limits

Personal Team profiles do not provide every service. Push notifications, associated domains, iCloud, App Groups, VPN/network extensions, and other capabilities may be unavailable or transformed by the signer. Consult Apple's capability matrix.

Account security

Use official tool downloads. Consider a dedicated Apple Account for signing, keep two-factor authentication enabled, and never type credentials into an unknown web form.

Choose the tool

• AltStore Classic: established library and AltServer refresh workflow.
• SideStore: computer once, then on-device refresh through pairing and LocalDevVPN.
• Sideloadly: direct Mac/Windows signing, detailed options, logs, and refresh daemon.
• Xcode: best for your own source project and accurate developer diagnostics.