This question isn't really a programming question, so it doesn't exactly belong on Stack Overflow, so I apologise for that in advance, but there seem to be many questions like this round here, as there are many iPhone devs around here...
Is there anyone who has recently (like within the last 3 months) registered an Individual Apple Developer account? When you first logged into iTunes Connect, did it provide you with the opportunity to set the artist or ‘company’ name that appears above your app in the store (in search results, etc.), that isn't your legal name?
EDIT
Previously with an individual account, your legal name appeared as the seller, however, you could set any name you wished to appear as the company name, but you could not change it afterwards. However, as corban said below, it is now apparently not possible to set a company name for an individual account, so if you want a company name, you will have to register a company account (and do all the related legal crap).
Yes, even with an individual account you are allowed to set a company/artist name when you create your first app in itunesconnect. This can be different from your legal name.
The legal name (with which you registered as a developer) comes up as the "Seller" of the app (below the app icon, in small print, in iTunes) whereas the artist/developer name is the name you enter in iTunesconnect and what shows up on the top in iTunes.
Apple has removed the possibility to add a company/artist name for an individual account. There are some discussions in the apple forums about that. I hope that there will be a possibility to add one.
Related
When I created my App in iTunes Connect, I've chosen "Bühne GmbH" for the company name.
But now, everywhere it is displayed, it only shows as "B�hne GmbH".
Im a bit afraid now. Is this going to be displayed like this in the AppStore? And what have I done wrong, or is it just Apple not using UTF for the company name?
Besides that, "Bühne GmbH" works just fine as the app's name.
Is there a way to fix this or do I have to contact Apple?
Thanks a lot
EDIT:
I asked them to change it, but they do NOT allow special characters in the company name, they have to be ASCII, i think.
It will now be displayed as "Buehne GmbH", which is kinda ugly, but yeah.
In my opinion contacting Apple will be a good idea, because according to iTunes Connect Developer Guide:
Note: The first time you add an app is your only chance to set
a company name distinct from your legal entity name .
So my suggestion is don't take risk, contact Apple.
I'm not sure if this question already exists, since I'm not exactly sure what to search for.
So here's the deal:
I have an Apple Dev account linked to the email ash#ashmenon.com. I've worked on an app in the member center, and I've also got an iTunes Connect account connected to this same Apple ID.
Right now I'm working on an app (Super Marvel App) as part of a team (let's call it Team Marvel) My Apple ID has been added to that team, as an 'Admin'. So when I go into the member center, the MC asks me which organisation I want to choose (my own, or Team Marvel).
However, the agent for this team was unable to add my Apple ID in iTunes Connect, as it belongs to an existing dev account. So what we did was to add a plus-suffixed version of my email, in this case 'ash+marvel#ashmenon.com'.
Problem is, I'm the developer for the team, not the agent (he's non-tech), so any archiving, submission, validation, and exporting comes from my XCode. But when I try and submit/validate my archived app, it tells me that my organization does not have permission to submit this application. (not sure if this is important, but the name of the organisation it displays during this error is not the same as the name of the development team that I selected earlier in the submission process.
I tried adding the ash+marvel#ashmenon.com address as one of the Apple ID accounts in XCode, but it tells me 'Error Fetching Developer Info'. I presume this is because the account in question is not an actual Apple Dev account.
For now I've worked around the process by submitting via Application Loader, but it feels like I'm hacking the system somewhat.
QUESTION 1:
Is there a proper way of doing this that I'm missing out? Gut instinct tells me that this hack-esque workaround is going to bite me in the backend later on.
QUESTION 2:
Is the Team Marvel agent required to do all iTunes Connect submissions himself? This seems like a very counter-intuitive approach considering this is Apple we're talking about.
Any assistance is much appreciated. Stay awesome, you guys.
NOTE:
Names of applications and teams have been changed for privacy reasons, and because Marvel is infinitely cooler than anything else.
UPDATE: Do not use this approach any more. Apple has finally fixed iTunes Connect, Developer Center and Xcode to properly handle one Apple ID for multiple organizations. Add the same Apple ID to as many organizations in both systems as you need.
I believe there is finally a way to make this work while preserving your sanity in Xcode 6.3.2.
The main trick is to make sure that your iTunes Connect account and Member Center account Apple id's are the same for any particular organization. It looks like Xcode assumes that and tries to use the Member Center Apple ID to access iTunes Connect.
So, as mentioned in the question, make sure and use a "+folder" style of email address to avoid creating and managing a whole bunch of real email accounts. But here's the crucial part - add that "+folder" style account to Member Center (i.e. invite the "+folder" account) for that organization and remove your plain Apple ID if you were using it there.
I.e. don't use Member Center's ability to associate multiple organizations with one account. That will just confuse Xcode if you also need to access multiple iTunes Connect accounts. Use one "+folder" account for each organization you are working with and add that Apple ID to both iTunes Connect and Member Center.
As far as I know, that's the way it is. iTunes Connect is not linked to Member center, and unlike Member center, it cannot handle multiple accounts per email. I'm on the same boat as you. Always need to save an IPA file and submit from Application Loader. Wish we could select the proper iTunes Connect account
It should be so easy but I couldn't find any methods to define a different name for the developer field for an app store app.
For example: Most of the Electronic Arts games have different company and developer names. Command & Conquer Red Alert game belongs to Electronic Arts company but it is developed by EA Swiss Sarl company.
How can I achieve this?
The first time you submit an application, Apple will ask you to choose the company name as it will appear in iTunes.
Company Name (Artist Name) – the company name that will be displayed on the App Store. For example, “Cyberinteractive” seen above in iTunes Connect, refers directly to the name that will appear in the upper left hand corner of your product page in the App Store. Your company name is a key piece of organizational meta-data for your applications on the App Store because when customers click on this name, they will be led to a page that contains all currently live applications sent through your developer account.
But be aware that it cannot be changed afterwards:
IMPORTANT: Your primary language and company name cannot be edited once submitted on this page. The settings will apply to all applications added to your account. Be sure these settings are correct before continuing.
Everything is explained in details in the iTunesConnect Developer Guide (PDF)
EDIT
The terms are very confusing. I got confused myself. The Company Name mentioned in my answer would be "Electronic Arts". I realized you are talking about the real company name (EA Swiss SARL), it's the legal name of your company, listed in your "Organization Profile" in Apple Member Center. I checked my account, and it cannot be change. I believe you can contact Apple Dev support at devprograms#apple.com and ask them to change your legal name. But they will probably require legal documents to do so.
I've had a look around SO and Google but can't find a definite and specific answer, maybe it's supposed to be obvious!
But, I haven't submitted an app to the store before so when I went to add one through iTunes Connect, the first thing it says is
Specify the company or developer name to display on the App Store for your apps.
The company name cannot be changed, so be sure to enter the correct name.
Now, does setting that company name apply to ALL apps I upload after setting it or does it ask you this question and let you set it every time you add a new app?
If it sets it for all apps, does it have to match the company name I've used to register my iOS developer account with? When I created the account I gave the name Company Ltd, so would I strictly have to use Company Ltd when setting the company name to be displayed on the App Store?
Many thanks.
Normally the company name will (and can) not change after it is set (well they can do it but they request a load of legal papers and stuff).
However, if you indeed run a company that should not matter and you should already know what you are doing. You have to be careful though, as if you pretend to be a company and you are not (e.g. as individual developer), you might run into legal issues which can cause some trouble to say the least (even if you "only" plan to release free apps).
In iTunes Connect, when you add a new application, they specify :
"[...] name to display on the App Store for your app*s* [...]"
apps is plural, so it means it's for all this account's apps.
You cannot do it online, you have to request apple to do is, by calling them.
To request a migration of your individual developer membership to a company developer membership, first make sure that you meet our initial migration requirements:
You have an active individual developer program membership.
Your company does not operate as a sole proprietorship, DBA, fictitious name, trade name, or branch.
You are a founder or cofounder of your company.
You have authority to bind your company to Apple Developer Program agreements.
Your company does not already hold an active or expired company membership.
If you have paid apps, you have agreed to the latest Paid Apps contract in the Contracts, Tax, and Banking module of iTunes Connect.
You are able to obtain a DUNS number for your company: https://developer.apple.com/support/D-U-N-S.
If you do not meet our migration requirements, you may use a separate Apple ID to enroll your company in an Apple Developer Program.
To proceed with your migration request, contact apple by phone (https://developer.apple.com/contact/phone) or send them an email with the following information:
Confirm that you meet the initial migration requirements listed above.
Provide the name of the company to which you would like to migrate your individual membership.
After your information has been reviewed and accepted, they will send you an email with instructions for completing the migration. During this process, you will be unable to access the Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles portal.
If you need to update your individual bank information, do so before you start the company migration.
Hope this helps.
does anyone know if it is possible to show more than one company name for an app in the ios app store?
The reason for this is, that we want to copperatively develop an app with another company (workload should be distributed roughly 50%:50%) and so some could consider it 'unfair' if the application is only attributed to one company.
The company name is entered at the time of creating an Apple Developer account, therefore, whichever company submits the binary to Apple will have their name listed. You could, I assume, create a new shared account and put both company names in when asked.
I would suggest entering both companies under "Copyright". Seller name is just that - a seller name, and, as the answer from Jasarien has said, it can only be entered at registration time. Copyright is, however, is specified per-app and is also displayed on the app store product page.