Apple now requires developers in the European Union (EU) to provide the company with their contact information, in order to comply with regulations that affect app stores. App makers will have to disclose a phone number and a public address on the App Store, which will appear under individual app listings. Apple has also set a deadline for developers or companies to comply with the new requirements, after which their apps will be delisted from the App Store.
In a post shared on the Apple Developer website on Thursday, the company announced that EU Developer Account Holders or Admins in the Apple Developer Program will need to enter their trader status via App Store Connect. The submission of trader information is mandatory, and developers will not be able to submit an app (or app update) until the process is completed.
An example of a trader’s details displayed on the App Store
Photo Credit: Apple
Apple requires developers to submit trader information in order to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act. Under articles 30 and 31 of the DSA, Apple must “verify and display trader contact information” for all traders on the platform, which will be visible to customers in all 27 regions in the bloc. The requirement also applies to developers from the EU who don’t distribute apps for users in the region.
Those enrolled as an individual in the Apple Developer Program will have to provide an email address, a phone number, and an address or a post office box. Meanwhile, developer accounts registered as an organisation will only have to provide a phone number and an address, while the address associated with their Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number will be automatically displayed, according to Apple.
Apple has set a deadline of February 17, 2025 for developers to update their trader status App Store Connect. Developers who do not submit their information by that date will have their apps removed from the App Store in the EU, according to the company.