Chapter 1 of 9 · 5 checks · 4 min
Developer accounts
Set up the right accounts early. Enrolment and verification can take days, and Google Play adds a testing requirement for new personal accounts.
Decide who owns the developer accounts: you or the clientMust
Why it matters and how to check
The account that publishes an app is the seller customers see, and moving apps between accounts later is extra work. For a client project, the app should normally be published from the client's own Apple and Google accounts, with you invited as a team member. For your own product, decide whether to publish as an individual or as a company.
Both stores distinguish individual or personal accounts from organisation accounts. Organisation accounts need business details, and Apple's trader information for organisations draws the address from the D-U-N-S record, so start early if you need one.
Check it: you know which legal person or company each store account belongs to, and the client has the owner role on any account used for their app.
Do
- Invite yourself to the client's accounts instead of publishing from yours
Avoid
- Publishing a client app under your personal developer name
Enrol in the Apple Developer Program and budget for the annual feeMust
Why it matters and how to check
Publishing on the App Store needs a paid Apple Developer Program membership. Apple's programme page lists it as a 99 USD annual membership. If the membership lapses, apps are removed from sale, and Apple's phased release help notes that removing an app from sale also stops any phased release in progress.
Enrol with the real legal name or company that will sell the app, and turn on two-factor authentication for the Apple Account.
Check it: the membership shows as active in your Apple Developer account, the renewal date is in your calendar, and the payment method will still be valid on that date.
Do
- Put the renewal date in a shared calendar for client accounts
Avoid
- Letting a membership lapse on a live app
Register a Google Play developer account and complete identity verificationMust
Why it matters and how to check
Google Play's help lists a 25 USD one-time registration fee, paid by card (prepaid cards are not accepted). You must be at least 18, and depending on the account type you may be asked for a government ID and a card in your legal name. Google says the fee is not refunded if the information is judged invalid, so enter details exactly as they appear on your documents.
New personal accounts must also verify access to an Android device using the Play Console mobile app.
Check it: the Play Console shows identity verification as complete and no outstanding account tasks on the dashboard.
Do
- Use your legal name exactly as on your ID
Avoid
- Registering under a nickname or someone else's card
For a new personal Play account, plan for 12 testers over 14 days before productionMust
Why it matters and how to check
Google Play requires personal developer accounts created after 13 November 2023 to run a closed test with at least 12 testers who have been opted in continuously for at least 14 days before they can apply for production access. The 14 days must be consecutive, and a tester who opts out and rejoins restarts their count. Production and pre-registration stay disabled until you meet the requirement, and Google says review of the production access application typically takes seven days or less.
This adds at least three weeks to a first launch, so start the closed test early and recruit more than 12 testers who will actually use the app.
Check it: the Play Console dashboard shows the closed test with 12 or more testers opted in for 14 consecutive days, and the Apply for production button is available.
Do
- Recruit more than 12 testers in case some drop out
- Start the closed test as soon as a usable build exists
Avoid
- Planning a launch date before the 14 days have even started
Declare your EU trader status in App Store ConnectShould
Why it matters and how to check
Under the EU Digital Services Act, Apple asks every developer to declare whether they are a trader, even if they do not distribute in the EU. Traders must provide contact details (individuals give an address or P.O. Box, a phone number and an email) and verify them, and Apple publishes this information on the App Store product page in the 27 EU territories. If you declare you are not a trader, EU consumers are told that consumer protection rights will not apply to contracts with you.
Decide this before submission, because you are asked when submitting a new app. Google Play has its own trader status declaration in the Play Console.
Check it: App Store Connect shows a declared trader status, and you are comfortable with the contact details that will be shown publicly.
Do
- Use a business address or P.O. Box if you do not want your home address shown
Avoid
- Leaving the trader question until the day of submission