&gt; When you speak of an Apple ID, do you mean a free one, or the $99 publish-to-the-appstore type?<p>I don&#x27;t know.  Is that something you&#x27;re interested in?  Why not look into it?<p>&gt; Now, if you could use Xcode to install an app on your own phone, without any other account or gatekeeper, then presumably (I guess), GPL&#x27;d apps could also be allowed on the store?<p>Again, the problems with the App Store are specific to the terms, conditions, and restrictions that Apple chooses for it.  Whether or not you can side load your own apps using Xcode doesn&#x27;t change that.  Problematic App Store terms are still problematic.  &quot;Yes, you can build an app under &lt;license&gt; for your own device in Xcode&quot; does not automatically mean, &quot;Yes, you can distribute apps with &lt;license&gt; on the App Store.&quot;