Apple Business (formerly Business Connect)

Add users and give an agency access in Apple Business

In Apple Business, go to People > Users, select Add, then Send Email to invite someone by their Apple Account with a role and brand. For an outside agency, share access by Partner Organization ID instead of adding them as a user.

5 steps

  1. Step 1: Sign in at business.apple.com as a user whose role can invite users, and choose People > Users.
    1 min
  2. Step 2: Select Add, then Send Email, and enter the person's Apple Account email address.
    1 min
  3. Step 3: Choose their role, such as Marketing Administrator, and whether they manage a single brand or all brands. Select Invite.
    2 min
  4. Step 4: Ask them to accept the emailed invitation and to allow mail from apple.com domains.
    1 day
  5. Step 5: For an agency, choose Settings > Integrations > Partner Access, select Share Access, enter their Organization ID, features and brands, then Invite.
    5 min
  6. Arrived: Your colleague or agency can sign in and manage the brands and locations you chose, without using your own login.

Checked 13 Nov 2026 · source: support.apple.com

Users or partners?

Apple Business separates people who work for you from companies that work for you, and it’s worth keeping them apart.

  • Users belong to your organization. You add them under People > Users, give them a role, and they sign in to your account.
  • Partners are other organizations, such as a marketing agency or a listings service. They keep their own Apple Business account, and you share specific features and brands with them.

Never give an agency your own sign-in. Partner access can be narrowed to one brand, edited later and removed in a few clicks, and it leaves your account in your hands.

Two ways to add a person

Apple offers two paths, and small businesses usually want the second.

  1. Create a Managed Apple Account. You fill in name, domain, email, role and organizational unit, then share a temporary password. This suits companies using Apple Business for devices and work email too.
  2. Invite an existing Apple Account. Select Send Email, enter the person’s personal Apple Account, pick a role and brand scope, and select Invite. Apple emails them an invitation. Apple’s guide doesn’t say how long the invitation stays valid.

Choosing a role

Apple’s default roles are Organization Administrator, IT Administrator, Marketing Administrator, Ads Administrator and Staff. For someone who only edits your Maps listing, Marketing Administrator, or a custom role with only Brands permissions, keeps them away from devices and billing. Organization Administrators can manage everything, so limit that role to owners.

Agencies and listing services

To share with a partner by Organization ID, choose Settings > Integrations > Partner Access and select Share Access. You can also start from Brands > Brand Profiles for one brand. Some partners use OAuth instead, where you connect from their website, pick features and brands in the Feature and brand access dialog, and select Allow. Ask the partner which method they use, since Apple says not all of them support OAuth. To change OAuth access later, you remove it and reconnect from the partner’s site. Apple holds partner-managed content to the same policies as content you create, so a partner’s mistake is still your listing’s problem.

To remove an agency later, open Partner Access, select the icon next to the partner, then Remove Access and confirm.

If it doesn't work

  • Your agency can't be added: they need their own verified Apple Business account. Send them Apple's partner registration link.
  • You can't see Partner Access: only Organization Administrators and Marketing Administrators can share access, and your organization must be verified.
  • The person you added can't sign in: a new Managed Apple Account isn't active until they sign in and change the temporary password.
  • You want to cut someone off: remove their partner access under Partner Access, or edit the user under People > Users.

Questions owners ask

Which role should a marketing helper get?

Apple's invite flow mentions the Marketing Administrator role, or a custom role with brand management permissions, for people invited with a personal Apple Account. A custom role lets you limit them to Brands permissions only. Apple allows up to 15 custom roles.

What happened to the Brand Manager role from Business Connect?

Apple says Brand Manager appears only for organizations that moved from Apple Business Connect with existing Brand Manager accounts. Those carry over; new accounts set up after the merger use the default or custom roles instead.

What can an agency do once it has partner access?

Apple lists three features you can delegate: brand profiles (name, logos, categories), locations (photos, hours, Actions and more) and ads on Maps, which is read-only. You choose all current and future brands or specific ones. Features not listed can't be delegated.

How many administrators can I have?

Up to 10 users can hold the Organization Administrator role. Apple recommends having at least one more besides yourself, in case the original admin can't sign in.

Sources

Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.

Related fixes

Written by Ellis Marr (a pen name) · Checked 13 Nov 2026 · How we check