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Mert Simsek
Mert Simsek

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How do you publish iOS apps which developed by another company?

Imagine that you are a publisher and there is a company that wants to publish their app with you. Would/do you access their codes and build yourself or grant them some permissions from your developer account? If you prefer the second one, which permissions are enough and how do you manage the process?

Top comments (4)

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jenbutondevto profile image
Jen

I assume it depends on the licensing agreement between the publisher and author. If the publisher is given rights to the code, I suppose they could build it themselves and handle releases.

If the publisher is only publishing, they can be given the App Manager (and probably Legal) role(s) on App Store Connect. If you haven't seen them already, here's a list of the roles and their permissions help.apple.com/app-store-connect/#...

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mertsimsek profile image
Mert Simsek

Great, thank you very much :)

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gualtierofr profile image
Gualtiero Frigerio

I think it depends on your relationship with the client.
In the past I got access to the account the client created on iTunes connect (now App Store Connect) directly, so I could manage everything.
That is possible with small companies and they need to trust you as you have access to some private information.

What usually happens is the company gives you an account with administrative role, so they don't share one with you. I'm ok with it, there is little I can't do with such a privilege so it is the primary option I give to a potential customer.
In App Store connect I'm an App Manager, so I can create apps, submit builds, publish them and view analytics.
In the developer portal I'm an Admin, that allows me to create certificates, app ID etc.
I read Apple will finally merge the two worlds so you'll be able to add a developer once instead of making him admin on the developer portal and then do the same on App Store Connect.

You know what I don't like about App Store Connect? Suppose you receive a warning while submitting your binary. The warning is received by the owner, and you get that too. But sometimes it is just something you forgot, like a an asset. You get the warning, you fix it and submit again. Why does Apple send the mail to the owner?
It just happened to me, I submitted a binary for an app and the privacy text for Calendar access was missing. The app doesn't access the Calendar, but my framework supports it so I have some APIs to deal with it, every time I submit an app with my framework I need to remember to set all privacy texts, even if I don't use the functionality. That's ok, but my client got the email and was worried, and immediately forwarded it to me.
I'm ok with them receiving an email if the app is rejected, but they shouldn't get a warning only the developer submitting the app should read.

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mertsimsek profile image
Mert Simsek

That was a great answer. I was confused about developer portal user role because "admin" looks like too much :) I hope when they merge two portals these problems will be solved.