Apple has officially shut down access to the Apple Developer Enterprise Program (ADEP) for Russian developers, effectively blocking a crucial platform used for internal iOS app development and distribution outside the App Store. The move, which took effect on February 12, is part of Apple's broader withdrawal from the Russian market.

Before the shutdown, Apple warned companies using Enterprise certificates that they would stop functioning by mid-February, according to Alexander Tuzovsky, head of iOS development at red_mad_robot. Dmitry Kostin, head of Touch Instinct, later confirmed that all program data was erased, rendering ADEP completely unusable.

Russian tech firms heavily relied on ADEP for internal business applications, corporate chatbots, CRM systems, logistics tools, and app testing without requiring App Store approval. Nikolay Nikolenko, technical director at KODE, explained that many major corporations and developer teams depended on the program, and its sudden removal is forcing companies to seek alternative solutions.

Apple's decision is expected to cause significant disruption to Russia’s mobile app ecosystem. With ADEP no longer available, developers now face the challenge of finding workarounds to maintain their internal app workflows. Some companies are turning to Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), which function similarly to mobile apps but lack the full capabilities of native iOS applications. Others are attempting to adapt web services for mobile compatibility, though these alternatives do not fully replace ADEP's functionalities.

Currently, developers are resorting to Apple’s TestFlight—a beta testing service—and Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to distribute internal applications. However, these options do not offer the same level of flexibility as ADEP, making the transition particularly difficult for enterprises managing large-scale app deployments.

Apple has been systematically reducing its presence in Russia since the onset of the Ukraine war. In March 2022, the company suspended all product sales in the country, blocked Russian-issued Visa and Mastercard cards from Apple Pay, and removed banking apps from sanctioned financial institutions on the App Store.

The latest move to cut off ADEP access further isolates Russian developers from Apple’s ecosystem, aligning with broader sanctions imposed on Russia by Western tech firms. The decision also mirrors similar restrictions enforced by other major software providers, limiting Russia’s access to key digital infrastructure and enterprise tools. With no direct replacement for ADEP, Russian companies must now rethink their development strategies to cope with Apple’s continued departure from the market.

Source: Dagens