App store account ownership: what must be in your name

Every account an app depends on should be in the client's name, not the agency's. That means the Google Play Console account, the Apple Developer account, the code repository, the Firebase project and any other third-party service the app talks to. The app signing key matters too, and on Google Play it should sit under Play App Signing inside your own account. If the agency holds these, you own an app you can't update without them.

Most owners only find this out when they try to change agencies. By then the fix is a transfer request that needs the old agency's cooperation.

What should be in your name when the app launches?

Here is the list to settle before a build starts. Ask your agency who will own each item, and get the answer in writing.

Item	Where it lives	Why it matters
Google Play developer account	Play Console	The app listing, reviews, users and release history live here
Apple Developer account	App Store Connect	Same, for iPhone. Only the Account Holder can transfer apps out
App signing key	Play App Signing (Android)	Every update must be signed with it
Code repository	GitHub, GitLab or similar	Without the code you can't change the app, whoever owns the store listing
Backend and admin panel	Your server or cloud account	Where the app's data and business rules sit
Firebase and Google Cloud projects	Firebase console	Push notifications, login, analytics, crash reports
Other third-party services	Maps, payments, email, SMS gateways	API keys tied to someone else's account can be revoked

Your domain and hosting belong on the same list, though they're a topic for another day.

"In your name" means you are the owner or Account Holder, with the agency added as a user with the access it needs. The reverse arrangement, where the agency owns and you're a guest, is the one to avoid. It feels identical while the relationship is good.

What goes wrong when the agency owns the accounts?

Nothing, until something changes. The agency closes, the developer you dealt with leaves, a payment dispute starts, or you simply want a different team for version two. At that point every item in the table becomes a request you have to make to someone with no reason to hurry.

Some losses are recoverable and some aren't. A store listing can be transferred, as the next sections show. A repository can be handed over if someone still has it. But data you never had access to, analytics history in someone else's Firebase project, and API keys on an account you can't log in to are harder. In the worst case you republish the app under a new listing and lose its reviews and installs.

This is why ownership belongs in the contract and in the requirements document, alongside features. We cover what that document should hold in what to prepare before asking for a software quote.

Who holds the Play app signing key?

Android only installs an update if it's signed with the same key as the version already on the phone. Lose the key and you lose the ability to update the app.

For apps created since August 2021, Google Play requires Play App Signing. Google holds the app signing key and uses it to sign what users download. Android's documentation says that once Play App Signing is set up, you can't retrieve a copy of that key. The developer keeps a separate upload key to sign each build before uploading it. If the upload key is lost or leaked, the account owner can ask Google to reset it.

So for a modern Android app, "who owns the signing key" mostly comes down to "who owns the Play Console account". The key sits inside that account. Whoever controls the account controls the key, and an upload key reset is requested from inside the account too.

Older apps that manage their own signing key are different. If that key lives on one developer's laptop and the laptop is gone, Android's documentation is blunt: you can't publish updates to the existing app. If you're taking over an older app, ask where the key is before anything else.

How do you transfer an app to another developer account on Google Play?

Google Play lets you transfer apps to a different developer account. The page lists these requirements (checked 2 November 2026):

• Both accounts must be registered and active. The target account must have finished registration.
• Both accounts, and every app being moved, must comply with Google Play policy.
• If the app is paid or sells in-app products, the target account needs an active payments profile.
• You need the registration transaction ID for both accounts.
• The original owner submits the request, the target account owner reviews and approves it, and Google support says it responds within two business days.

Users, statistics, ratings, reviews, subscriptions, the store listing and content ratings move with the app. Reports, past orders, promotions and closed testing groups stay behind. The tester groups have to be recreated, so if you're on a personal account still working through the testing rule we covered in publishing an Android app on Google Play from Nepal, plan around that.

The integrations don't move by themselves. Google's page says to add the new owner as an Owner on the linked Google Cloud projects, unlink and relink Firebase projects, and update permissions in Google Analytics. If the agency's Firebase project was never in your name, this is where it shows.

How does an app transfer work on the App Store?

Apple's process is similar in shape. The Account Holder on the current membership starts the transfer and the Account Holder on the receiving side accepts it. The app keeps its reviews, ratings and bundle ID, and users keep receiving updates.

Apple publishes app transfer criteria. As of 2 November 2026 they are:

• Neither account is in a pending or changing state, and both have accepted the latest paid and free agreements.
• The app has at least one version released to the App Store.
• The app isn't on pre-order in any country or region.
• The app isn't Processing for Distribution, Waiting for Review, In Review, Accepted, Pending Developer Release or Pending Apple Release.
• In-App Purchase products are Approved, Ready to Submit, Developer Removed from Sale or Rejected.
• Apple-hosted asset packs have no version Waiting for Review or In Review.
• No In-App Purchase product ID matches one already in the recipient's account.
• Sandboxed Mac apps that share an Application Group Container Directory with other Mac apps can't be transferred.
• Apple Arcade apps can't be transferred.

Two practical points. You can't transfer an app that has never been released, so an app stuck before its first release has to launch, or be submitted afresh from your account. And Apple's overview says the transferor must hand over the code and build assets directly. The store moves the listing. It doesn't move the code.

Apps that use Sign in with Apple, push notifications, iCloud or subscriptions each have extra steps on Apple's overview page. Your developer should read the sections that apply before starting.

What do we do at EK Ra Sunya?

Our advice is for clients to open their own Play and Apple accounts before launch and add the developer as a user. When a client asks us to publish under the EK Ra Sunya account to get started sooner, we do it, and we transfer the app to the client's own account free whenever they ask.

The same rule is worth applying to the code, backend and Firebase project: in the client's name, with the developer working inside them. It's one of the questions we suggest asking any agency in choosing a mobile app company in Nepal, and a vague answer tells you something.

Frequently asked questions

Can the agency still work on my app if the accounts are in my name?

Yes. Play Console lets the account owner invite users and give them access to the whole account or to specific apps. App Store Connect lets the Account Holder or an Admin add users with roles. Your developers get the access they need, and you can remove it when the work ends.

Do I lose reviews and users when an app is transferred?

Not on either store. Google says users, ratings and reviews move to the new account, and Apple says the app keeps its reviews and ratings. Financial reports and past orders stay with the old account on both, so download them first.

Does a transfer change the app's package name or bundle ID?

No. Apple says the bundle ID is kept, and Google moves the app with its users and statistics, so existing users keep getting updates. Publishing a new listing under your account instead would mean a new app and starting again on reviews.

What if the agency won't cooperate?

Both stores need the current owner to start the transfer, so a refusal stops it. That's the reason to settle ownership before the build, in writing.

Getting the ownership right from the start

Our mobile app development team builds Flutter and React Native apps for businesses. If you have an app under someone else's account and want it moved, tell us what you have.