Need a mechanism to transfer an App Store app from one account to another

Originator:kristopherdjohnson
Number:rdar://12793589 Date Originated:02-Dec-2012 01:07 PM
Status:Open Resolved:
Product:iTunes Connect Product Version:N/A
Classification:Enhancement Reproducible:Always
 
02-Dec-2012 01:07 PM Kristopher Johnson:
Summary: There is currently no way to transfer a published app from one developer account to another. iTunes Connect presents the following FAQ:

"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. "


The drawbacks to this approach are onerous:

- The name of an app is valuable. Organizations can spend a lot of money building a brand, and if they are forced to change the name when transferring it to another organization, the value decreases.

- Existing users of the app won't receive updates until they download the "new" app from the new owner. Many users will never know that they need to download a new version of the app, and never notice that they aren't receiving updates. Users should not be expected to keep track of transfers of apps between publishers.

iTunes Connect should provide some mechanism for transferring ownership of an app that does not suffer these drawbacks.


Steps to Reproduce: N/A

Expected Results: N/A

Actual Results: N/A

Regression: N/A

Notes:

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