Hi everyone,
I'm trying to delete an App ID from Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles on the Apple Developer portal, but I'm getting the following error: "The App ID 'XXXXXXX' appears to be in use by the App Store, so it can not be removed at this time."
Here's my situation:
- The app was never published to the App Store — it was only created in App Store Connect (no builds were ever submitted for review, and it was never in a "Ready for Sale" state).
- I have already removed the app from App Store Connect via "Remove App" in App Information. The app is no longer visible in my App Store Connect dashboard.
- It has been over 48 hours since I removed the app from App Store Connect.
- Despite this, the Identifiers page still shows the error above when I attempt to delete the corresponding App ID.
What I've tried:
- Confirmed the app no longer appears in App Store Connect (including checking "Removed Apps" filter)
- Waited over 48 hours for the system to propagate
- Cleared browser cache and retried
My goal: I need to release this Bundle ID so it can be registered under a different Apple Developer account.
Questions:
- Is there an additional waiting period beyond 48 hours before the App ID can be deleted?
- Is there a way to force-release this App ID, or do I need to contact Apple Developer Support directly?
- Has anyone experienced this same issue with an app that was never published?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Environment:
- Apple Developer Program (Organization account)
- App was created in App Store Connect but never submitted for review
- Platform: iOS
Once App Store Connect has ‘seen’ your app, there’s no way to delete its App ID.
If your app hasn’t been published yet, it’s easy to work around this: Change your bundle ID slightly. For example, if you have com.example.myapp, change it to com.example.my-add, or something like that. This new bundle ID results in a new App ID, and you can simply abandon the previous App ID.
IMPORTANT This is easy but it may not be trivial. For example, if your app has some embedded app extensions, you’ll need to change the prefix on their bundle IDs to match your app’s new bundle ID.
Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"