Apple has announced that Mac app developers who don’t distribute their creations on the App Store will need to have their apps notarized beginning February 3, 2020.
In September, the Cupertino-based company relaxed its notarization requirements when the macOS Catalina launched. At the same time, Apple gave a deadline of January 2020 for the new rules.
Today, the deadline has been extended a month, with Apple recommending developer logs that should be updated and fixed before February 3.
New apps will need a developer ID if they intend to distribute outside the Mac App Store. The process is designed to protect users from harmful and malicious apps.
During notarization, Apple will provide trusted developers with IDs that can bypass the macOS’ Gatekeeper function and allow for non-Mac App Store apps to be installed. For a developer who plans on distributing their app on the App Store, notarization isn’t required.
For more details, you can go to the Apple developer website.
