Creating new Apple ID/Account for small organization

Question

Level 1

4 points

Creating new Apple ID/Account for small organization

I am a member of a very small civic organization. We are buying an iPad for the group to use at events for things like presentations, registrations, check-ins, etc. We need to have an Apple ID/Account in order to use iCloud services and download/buy apps, but we don't want to use any individual member's account. When I go to create a new account at account.apple.com it seems to be only set up for an individual person with no allowance for an entity. I have read about managed Apple IDs but that is major overkill for our purposes. Are there any better options than just creating a new Apple account with a fake name? Thanks.

Posted on Jun 30, 2025 10:43 AM

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Answer 1

celliott147

Level 6

12,570 points

Jun 30, 2025 1:36 PM in response to lowellmac

I strongly recommend using Apple Business Manager. It may seem like overkill, but offers quite a few protections, including against activation lock being applied and then either being unable to remove because you lost access to the account or because a user signed into their account. It's free.

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Answer 2

celliott147

Level 6

12,570 points

Jul 2, 2025 9:00 AM in response to lowellmac

D-U-N-S numbers are automatically issued if the org files for a 501c3 or registers as a business. They also are often issued when a DBA is created for an individual. I've never had to apply for one.

Device management platforms are able to connect to and integrate with ABM, but it is not required. You can have an Apple Business Manager without having a device management platform.

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Answer 3

lowellmac Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 1, 2025 9:06 AM in response to celliott147

I searched for info on this and found this intro page. At the top of this it says "Apple Business Manager ... works with your third-party device management service". We have no such thing, which would seem to be a problem right away, or am I missing something?

It also appears that a DUNS number is required for this. In reading about this and information required to apply for one, it doesn't really seem applicable for a group of volunteers. Again, am I missing something?

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