I'm getting ready to submit my first app to Apple for review but I am registered as an individual developer, not a company. It looks like Apple displays your legal name in the App Store instead of your company name when you are registered as an individual (this must really suck for people with common names). This sucks because I will be launching the same apps on Android under my company name and for small developers like me, building brand recognition is very important. Is there any way to use my company name in the App Store without messing up my payment information and without having to upgrade my developer account? For example, could I use my display name as: Fist name: Lost City Last name: GameZ Thanks for the help
Unless things have changed recently, I don't think so. If you want to use a company name, you have to have a company developer account. You can still put your company name in the app description and/or the keyword search tags, but the seller/publisher name will be your legal name.
I'm just commenting to confirm this. Yes Thumbsnail you are right. You must have a registered business and you must have valid DUNS numbers. A sole proprietorship will still display your legal name as well. Your entity must be a corporation or LLC if you wish to display a business name as opposed to a personal legal name. They do not accept DBAs. Hope this helps clarify.
I wonder if you changed your name by deed pole, like Mr Volkswagen Beatle did. Though you would then be know as "Lost". Well I posted because things never used to be like this. When I first registered on Apple store, we were a company name. Then one day my account was renamed without my permission ;p
Surely its not fair if you do that (have your name as basically your game). Other people set up company accounts, wont be fair for them if people try and get round that so they dont have to upgrade
I don't think it would be fair even though the correct way of doing things is way out of reach for the vast majority.
A brand can also be your seller name or the apps you made. If you can afford the company reg. in your country do it. Otherwise publish as Individual
@iamagame or anyone who knows: I had read where Google requires you to publicly list your address if you're selling a paid app in the Google Play Store. Do they also require that if you only have free apps?
That information is readily available online but I will answer it for you You are required to publicly list your address if you sell paid apps or in app purchases. So if you have a free app with in app purchases then yes you must list the address. If it's free with no in apps then you are not required to list the address.
@Stingman - Thank you. Everything I read was about paid apps, so I assumed it wasn't the case for free apps, but I just wanted to double check with someone who knew for sure.
Ouch! I didn't know about the removal of individual developer aliases. That's very sad but probably whatever. I think 99.9% of App Store users don't care about developer's name. There's an option to create a company with an App Store company account later and then move my apps to it.
