Apple Locks Door on Product Leaker’s Developer Account

Skilled developer and code detective, Guilherme Rambo, says he has been locked out of his Apple developer account since August.

You may be familiar with Rambo and his Apple discoveries, ranging from last year’s huge leak of the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4, writing for 9to5Mac.

In a new post on his personal website, Rambo explains publicly his case for the first time:

I’m not sure if this is a deliberate act by Apple or some sort of bug (I remember facing a similar issue a few years ago, but it only lasted a couple of days). I see no reason for my developer account to be blocked. I’m not writing malware, I’m not misusing enterprise certificates like some companies were, I’m not performing any scams (like many apps are), I’m just an indie developer trying to make good products.

I’ve been an Apple developer since 2008 and have been publishing apps to the App Store since 2013. Apple has made tens of thousands of dollars with what I pay for the developer program plus the 30% cut they take from my sales. I know that’s not much for them, but to me it is.

I would like for someone from Apple to reach out and explain what’s happening, and preferably fix the issue so that I can keep shipping my apps to keep my users happy.

Apple, is there anything I can do to get my account unlocked so that I can get back to work?

Back in August, Apple locked me out of my developer account, preventing me from updating my apps on the App Store.

They didn’t provide any explanation or reason, and since then I’ve reached out to them many times, without success.https://t.co/gcLP9rCosd

— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) November 20, 2019

His explanation at the end doesn’t mention leaking new products in Apple’s software betas, which appears to break the Apple developer non-disclosure agreement (NDA) terms.

Most recently, Rambo unearthed and published Apple Arcade would cost $4.99 USD per month, plus also an image showing the Touch Bar and Touch ID layout for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Again, it’s not hard to figure out why Apple might be upset with Rambo and his discoveries. But then again, for Apple to remain silent about why he’s been locked out? That is tough on the developer and customers of his apps in the App Store.