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.
Related
Is there anyway with my developer program to change the name that appears under my application name?
A picture is like a thousand words so...
Contact Apple
The easiest way to change your seller name is to contact Apple developer support. If there is a typo or inaccuracy in your seller name they should be willing to change it. Back before I released Card Share my individual account had a seller name for a fictitious entity that did not exist. Since it wasn’t my legal name, Apple support was willing to make the name change. I contacted support and within 24 hours my seller name was changed and updated in the App Store.
Here is the email to contact Apple about seller name changes and other iTunes related support: itunesconnect#apple.com
New Account + App Transfer
Outside of contacting Apple, there is a more hands-on approach. Before WWDC in 2013, Apple announced the ability to transfer apps between developer accounts. By creating a new developer account with a new name and transferring your apps to that account, you can effectively change your seller name. There are a few restrictions on apps that can be transferred.
Reference
I have created an application for my customer. We have published the application with my account. Now, they want to change the developer name as their company's name. Is there a way to change the developer name? Can I move my application to their business account so that Developer name changes to their business name?
Yes, you can transfer the app to other since WWDC 2013.
Also, you can call the Apple Support to change the Seller Name.
Here is a video about this: App Transfer Tutorial.
My apps initially appeared in the App Store with the wrong seller name. I don't personally own a credit card, so a family member who did paid my developer subscription. While my correct name appeared elsewhere, under Seller it showed the name from the credit card. I used one of the contact options in iTunes Connect to request a name change, which was applied within a few days.
On the current Contact page, the Contracts and Legal category includes Request Name/Address update. Try that.
You'll certainly find it easier to rename your account than to move the app to a different account. Here's what they say about that.
I sold my app to another developer and can no longer distribute it on the App Store. Can I transfer the app to the new developer's iTunes Connect account?
No, you can’t transfer the app to another developer account on iTunes Connect. To add the app to another account, remove the app from the current account and upload it to the new iTunes Connect account.
Note that uploading the app to a new iTunes Connect account will disable current customers from receiving automatic and free updates of your application. All customer reviews, rating, and ranking information will be reset. You will not be able to reuse the app name and SKU in the old account. If you have uploaded a binary or used the app with the iAd Network, your Bundle ID will not be reusable either.
This is only applicable for the part of the OP's question:
Is there a way to change the developer name?
The most simple way I found to CHANGE the developer name was by filling out a request on this page:
Contact Us Page
Then select from the option:
Enrollment, Membership, and Account -> Account Updates and Renewals
I just told them which names I would like to user, First name and surnaame.
Here is Apple Support email regarding same question;
As an individual you cannot change your first and last name, you can
only have your legal name appear in the App store. I can suggest to
you to enroll as a company, witch would mean you can use your company
name instead of your own name, but first you would need to check that
you meet our initial migration requirements:
You are a founder or cofounder of your company.
Your company does not already hold an active or expired company membership.
Your company does not operate as a sole proprietorship, DBA, fictitious name, trade name, or branch.
If you have paid apps, you have agreed to the latest Paid Applications contract in Agreements, Tax, and Banking in iTunes
Connect.
You are eligible to obtain a DUNS Number for your company: https://developer.apple.com/support/D-U-N-S.
If it is the case and you meet our requirements please feel free to
contact us again so we can migrate your account into a company.
If you need to transfer your app to another developer account, that is now possible. Since WWDC 2013, iTunes Connect now supports transferring apps from one developer to another, keeping exactly this situation in mind. Go to the iTunes Connect homepage for more information. There is also a video tutorial that Apple has provided on this matter.
Personally I wanted to changed my real first & last name to a company/brand name, having an individual account. That's what, as of 2020, Apple's support says:
"Developers enrolled as individuals will sell apps on the App Store using their personal legal name. There are two ways to change your name to a company name:
Have your company enroll in its own Apple Developer Program membership, and then transfer your apps to that membership.
Migrate your membership from an individual to an organization."
I would like to publish my free app on the apple Store for iPhones.
But I don't want my real name to be shown on the store and i don't have a company.
Is there a way without risks to publish my app without showing my real name on the store ?
The following is from iTunes Connect Developer Guide
Note: The company name defaults to the legal entity name you enter when you enroll in the Apple Developer Program. If you enroll as a company, you can set the company name (distinct from your legal entity name) only once when you add your first app, as described in Creating an iTunes Connect Record for an App. The company name must be a registered DBA or trade name. The company name will be used for all your apps and can’t be changed later. If you enroll as an individual, the company name is the same as your legal name. In the store, the “company name” is used prominently for navigation and to group your apps. Your legal entity name appears as the “seller” of your apps. For example, “Apple” is the company name and “Apple, Inc” is the seller name. When users tap your company name, they see all of the apps you have on the store
Please note that the legal entities name is always displayed as the seller in any app description as mentioned above, meaning if you are not a legally registered company your real name is displayed as the seller.
For the iOS App store, you have to form a corporation and enroll using that corporations legal name if you don't want to use your own personal legal name.
Even if/when the app store allowed entering an "artists name", it still showed the developer's legal name in other places in the store, so that didn't not show your name.
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.