Systematically creating 250+ Apple ID at a time for an organization

[b_mike]

I am looking for any insight or "war stories" you may have relating to establishing hundreds of Apple ID for company iOS devices rather than having end users enter this information.

I'm looking for any automation or ways that accounts from LDAP could be exported and perhaps sent to Apple in one pass to establish Apple ID for our devices. Are there any other ideas that have been tried, or should I get ready to try scripting curl or spending time in Safari entering captchas and giving my form filling tools a workout?

[thom · Accepted solution]

Eric's link is good.

Our procedure:

1. Contact Apple to have our anti-fraud clearance reupped (this lasts for thirty day stretches).
2. Create email accounts.
3. Create iTunes accounts with a "free" account (No credit card attached, purposed for VPP).
4. Verify iTunes account.

5. Rinse, wash repeat.

   I've setup hundreds accounts and this is the best I've been able to come up with -- and each and every time, I think, "This really should be done by a temp/intern...".

It's painful and if you are setting up lots of accounts -- you really need to contact Apple to make sure they don't flag you as a potential enemy.

[b_mike · Accepted solution]

Thank you all so much for the advice. I will reach out to Apple to pre-alert them for clearance. Establishing groups of ID in this size seem hit or miss, but it's never wrong to ask.

The Enterprise iOS site documents a script to automate iTunes by having it read a spreadsheet with the information needed to create Apple ID.

http://www.enterpriseios.com/wiki/Batch_Apple_ID_Creator

Since the code is provided, you can run it if you have clearance from the velocity checks or throttle it and distribute the work over time and additional machines if not.

Thanks to everyone with the tips - they were invaluable for several deployments this spring. I didn't even think to remind people that you don't need a billing contact - so having that linked here is great as well.

[rickgmac]

Get a work experience kid in to do it.

We have had to do this on many occasions for school deployments. First thing you will need to do is contact apple and get them to white list you external IP and email domain as once you get to about 10 account creations their fraud protection kicks in and you have to wait around 3 days to be able to create more accounts.
We have asked apple in the past if there is a way to mass produce iTunes accounts and they always say no.

We always recommend users create their own account, however in schools and wanting to get it set up with out a linked credit card. the only way we have found is get a work experience kid or junior to sit on iTunes and purchase a free app such as remote and create a new account and link to a email address. And then do over and over again. You can create the account on the device and purchase a free app on a IOS device and get the same result if you don't want to link a credit card to it.

Also one last thing is if you create a Apple ID from the website. the user will still need to authorise iTunes and link it to a credit card. Unless you do the iTunes free purchase option

[ericbenfer]

Not the exact answer you are looking for, but this may help somewhat.

Creating an iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store account without a credit card.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2534?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

[thom · Accepted solution]

Eric's link is good.

Our procedure:

1. Contact Apple to have our anti-fraud clearance reupped (this lasts for thirty day stretches).
2. Create email accounts.
3. Create iTunes accounts with a "free" account (No credit card attached, purposed for VPP).
4. Verify iTunes account.

5. Rinse, wash repeat.

   I've setup hundreds accounts and this is the best I've been able to come up with -- and each and every time, I think, "This really should be done by a temp/intern...".

It's painful and if you are setting up lots of accounts -- you really need to contact Apple to make sure they don't flag you as a potential enemy.

[b_mike · Accepted solution]

Thank you all so much for the advice. I will reach out to Apple to pre-alert them for clearance. Establishing groups of ID in this size seem hit or miss, but it's never wrong to ask.

The Enterprise iOS site documents a script to automate iTunes by having it read a spreadsheet with the information needed to create Apple ID.

http://www.enterpriseios.com/wiki/Batch_Apple_ID_Creator

Since the code is provided, you can run it if you have clearance from the velocity checks or throttle it and distribute the work over time and additional machines if not.

Thanks to everyone with the tips - they were invaluable for several deployments this spring. I didn't even think to remind people that you don't need a billing contact - so having that linked here is great as well.

[casperhukanui]

Hi, I am just wondering for those that did this can you use the same email address to create 300 Apple IDs & what name do you put the account under as all staff members eventually leave?

[Chris_abi-najm]

I tried this. Make sure you're using iTunes 10.7 otherwise it will not work. I could get it to step through the creation of the user ids, but it wouldn't commit the changes on the finishing page.

[mahdisnz]

how can i put my IP address in whitelist?

[RobertHammen]

You have to have your Apple rep request this internally at Apple, I believe. Don't think you can call AppleCare...

[RWitt]

We are looking at doing this to provide ID's for our students using our domain. Does the enterprise script create free ID's or do they require a credit card?

[davidacland]

It uses iTunes to create a free account.

[LaithQ11]

hay . i want to to create 500 apple ids but have a Problem

my Problem in this photo

[b_mike · Accepted solution]

Also - I wanted to chime in that this is no longer the way to go. Use DEP, VPP, work with Apple and JAMF to avoid bulk creating AppleID. It was a necessary evil to get some projects going, but the trade off to sacrificing the concept of "user self-sufficiency" has made this a net bad move in almost all cases I've seen in the last three years.

If you find yourself thinking about doing this amount of work - revisit the core vision of what "success" looks like to your users. Enable and support them to own their own accounts - achieve scale and speed elsewhere in the process by leveraging self-service, API, scripting, training to provide long lasting benefit to your user-base and not by taking on this "account nanny" task.

[EightQuarterBit]

Speaking as the guy who wrote the script linked by bmike, as well as a later second version, I can confirm that you want to avoid the scenario where IT handles account creation. With device-based VPP app push there's very little reason to bulk create Apple IDs at this point, and scripting Apple ID creation is way too much of a headache.

The anti-automation elements Apple has put into place makes bulk creation highly unreliable, even when you get the velocity limits lifted. In the process of creating those scripts I managed to get my Mac's serial number blacklisted (which is a strike I'll take with a small degree of pride ;). It's a good thing, really. Outside of enterprise and education there are exceptionally few legitimate reasons to automate the creation of Apple IDs, and plenty of illegitimate ones. Even if you do manage to put something together it will kill you with upkeep. The sign-up process changes more than you think.

When I first started scripting the process I would always say that I'd drop the scripts and never look back the moment Apple came up with an official solution to the bulk-creation problem. Apple, in classic style, came at the problem upsidedown and sideways by making the need for IDs mostly moot. Never before have I been so happy to have so much work rendered useless. Take it from the guy who knows: automating Apple ID creation is to be avoided at all costs.

[raadhawramy]

i want can help me how creating i want 5000 appleid

[davidacland]

Hi @raadhawramy

We used to use an Applescript and a csv file to bulk create Apple IDs (Apple had to whitelist our public IP otherwise it would stop after the first few).

This was before VPP was available. Since then, we haven't had the need for it.

What is your end goal? What do you intend to do with the 5000 Apple IDs once created? There is most likely another way to go that Apple will allow.

[richeames]

Are your devices in DEP. Can’t you use Apple School Manager to create the ID’s ?

[koyar85]

i want can help me how creating i want 10000 apple ID please help me

[maurits]

@koyar85 Advice: don't do it. Apple prevents you from running scripts with good reason.

In Apple's view an AppleID is a personal thing, use to manage and sync contacts, photo's keychains, app licences etc across devices.
Optionally used for 2FA. Therefor you should not manage AppleID. (imagine the workload to help 10K users with forgotten passwords etc)

Education organisations can (and should) use managed AppleID's . (see school.apple.com)

Any organisations can assign VPP software to devices with your MDM since iOS 8 and thus no need to create AppleID;s for users.

[koyar85]

thanks for you , but i need Apple ID

[richeames]

Your biggest obstacle regardless of the reason is that Apple typically blacklists your ip after 10 or so Apple IDs. If you are an Apple education customer or Apple business customer you can whitelist your ip for 30 days. It was how we first created device Apple ids 4 years ago.

The script is was available on enterpriseiOS.com but I’m not sure how current it is anymore.

[koyar85]

Thank you for your helping, I want to create Apple ID on iTunes but at the end it says please contact iTunes support How can I solve it .

[richeames]

You have to whitelist your IP with Apple

[adminNWA]

The original posted message said that the person was trying to create 300 apple IDs for an organization. For school's one can create managed apple ID inside of Apple School Manager. These apple IDs are created by uploading a CSV file and each year when you upload a new file those Apple IDs are changed, destroyed, and new ones created.

We used to go the whitelist route but that gave us 300 static Apple IDs that were difficult to change/re-assign as people and equipment changed. The managed Apple IDs are better. I wish Apple would just create an enterprise site for creating manages Apple IDs.

[bmike]

I’m going to see if I can shut this thread down for three reasons:

1. JAMF has announced that for 10.7 they will support Apple’s capabilities to push apps through the device channel and not the user channel. This means no more signing in to the App Store for managed apps and https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht202995
2. Educational managed AppleID eliminates the need for anything listed in this thread if you decide you still need to create and manage AppleID for students or choose to push to the user channel for reasons. Apple School Manager guide and https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205918
3. Apple Business Manager handles the same need and unifies VPP and several other functions in a more streamlined process than before. See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208817 and https://business.apple.com/and https://help.apple.com/businessmanager/

I don’t want to be unkind to anyone, but showing up and asking for thousands of ID will start to look very suspicious for not making use of the tools and programs to manage your fleet now that iOS 9 and macOS 10.11 and higher don’t even require AppleID for MDM assignment of apps.

[Graeme]

Sometimes these options are not suitable. We are a special needs school that run a 1:1 iPad program and part of the aim is to teach our kids how to manage in "a digital world". Each child has a personal iTunes account which they (hopefully) will eventually be able to manage themselves. When they leave our school, they take that account with them along with any apps or music they have privately purchased. As such managed IDs are not suitable because they cannot be converted into personal iTunes accounts or used to purchase anything. Since we run a 1:1 program with DEP and VPP our only account requirements are this educational outcome and giving staff the flexibility to trial apps they think may be appropriate.

[thejenbot]

@Graeme I believe that schools will eventually be able to "graduate" Managed Apple IDs; it is not currently an option but I heard from a Systems Engineer at Apple that this is something they are working on.

[koyar85]

Thanks for All know i creating unlimited Apple ID per one computer know i created 1000 apple ID per week big thanks for we sorry for english languge

[johncarter2679]

If you want to create an Apple ID go to your iTunes app for freely creating Apple ID here you can systematically create Apple ID, If you have a problem in the creation of Apple ID and you need a guide how to create Apple ID you can follow the Apple ID Support Number

[suchiabram]

Two-step authentication is an old How to reset apple id security feature and it still happens to be up and running. If you had set it up for your account, you can use it if you forgot Apple ID password.

[cp05007]

In my experience, it is becoming more and more difficult to mass-produce apple ids. But fortunately we still found a breakthrough, if you need to contact us directly to buy a finished product account at a low price - we provide samples for testing .telegram@tibutia6