Fixing iPhone Application Provisioning Errors

If you are an certified iPhone developer, then you have probably been frustrated at some point by the Fucking NDA.

You’ve probably come across the 0xE8000001 error when trying to sign code and provision a device.  That last sentence probably doesn’t make any sense to you if you are not a registered developer.  I Tweeted about the problem a few days ago and I received no response.

To make device provisioning work, I had to start from zero.

1. Delete your iPhone Developer and WWDR keys in Keychain Access
2. Go to the Program Portal and create a new Certificate
3. Delete your device and register your device again through the Program Portal
4. Generate a new Application ID
5. Setup a new Provision Profile with the new Certificate and new Application ID

This worked for me with iPhone OS 2.1 BETA 3.

I had to wait a few hours for the Certificate to become valid on the Program Portal to generate a new Provisioning Profile.  I was able to sign code and run it in the simulator right away.

A lot of developers are frustrated by the closed platform and by the NDA.  I actually prefer working on closed platforms.  It’s more conducive to getting actual work done.  It improves the Signal-To-Noise ratio immensely.  At the expense of sounding like a douchey snob, it cuts down on the amateurs and dabblers.

The XBox 360, Playstation PS3, and PlayStation PSP are all closed platforms.  I enjoyed working on those platforms a magnitude more than working on the PSP.  The difference between those platforms and the iPhone at the current moment is the level of developer support.

Dear Apple, if you are reading this post, please add forums to the Program Portal for Certified Developers.  That is the solution that Sony and Microsoft use.  It works extremely well.