Make sure you own your app: 5 things that must be in your name
Many business owners only find out who really owns their app when they want to change developers. If the important accounts are in the developer's name, moving away can mean rebuilding from scratch. Before work starts, make sure these five things are in your name, or your company's name, with your developer added as a team member.
1. The source code
Ask for the code to live in a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository that you own, with the developer invited as a collaborator. Then you always have the latest version, not just a zip file at the end of the project.
2. The App Store and Google Play accounts
Open the Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts in your company's name and add your developer as a team member. An app published under a developer's personal account can be transferred later, but it is slow and depends on their help.
3. Servers, database and hosting
Firebase, AWS, Vercel, Render or any other hosting should be in an account you control, with your payment card on it. That way your data stays yours, and the app keeps running even if your developer is unavailable.
4. API keys and paid services
Stripe, Google Maps, SMS, email and other services should be registered by you. The keys and the billing then belong to your business, and you can rotate a key at any time.
5. The domain and signing keys
Register your domain yourself. For Android apps, use Play App Signing and keep the upload key somewhere safe. If an app was set up without Play App Signing and its key is lost, you cannot publish updates to the same listing.
Change developers without starting over
With these five in place, any good developer can pick up your app in a few days. When I take over an existing app, the first thing I check is exactly this list, so the client never loses access again.