Who owns your app's code and developer accounts when you pay someone to build it?

You own your app's code only if a signed contract assigns it to you; in the US, a transfer of copyright ownership must be in a signed writing (17 U.S.C. 204), and paying the invoice is not that writing. Separately, you control the app in the stores only if it is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts. Get both settled before work starts.

This guide is practical information, not legal advice. Contract law differs by country; have a lawyer read anything you sign for a large project.

Why "I paid for it" is not enough

Under US copyright law, the author of a work owns it. For commissioned work by an independent contractor, "work made for hire" applies only to specific categories listed in the statute and only with a signed written agreement (17 U.S.C. 101). Software written by a freelancer or agency usually does not fit those categories, which is why contracts use an explicit assignment clause: the developer assigns all rights in the code, designs and assets to the client.

Founder guides make the same point: without a written assignment the contractor keeps the code by default (Echai Ventures).

What a good contract covers:

Assignment of copyright in code, designs, icons and text created for you, effective on payment of each milestone or of the whole project.
Pre-existing material. Developers reuse their own libraries and templates. The contract should give you a permanent licence to use them inside your app.
Open-source components stay under their own licences. Ask for a list.
Delivery of the full source, not only the compiled app.
Confidentiality for your idea and data.

Why the developer account matters as much as the code

The code is the house; the developer account is the land it stands on. Whoever holds the App Store Connect or Google Play account controls the listing, the reviews, the subscribers and the revenue.

The risk is real. In an Apple Developer Forums thread, a company's agency ceased operations, cancelled its developer program enrollment, and the company's iOS apps disappeared from the App Store. The company was left asking how to recover its bundle ID, app groups and iCloud container. The thread had no replies.

How to avoid it: enroll yourself and add your developer as a team member.

Apple: the Developer Program costs 99 USD per membership year. A company enrollment needs a legal entity (no DBAs or trade names), a D-U-N-S number, authority to sign for the company, a work email on the company domain and a working public website. The organization name appears as the seller on the App Store (Apple).
D-U-N-S is free from Dun & Bradstreet; Apple says to allow up to 5 business days (Apple).
Google Play: a 25 USD one-time registration fee, with identity verification (Google). Organization accounts also need a D-U-N-S number, and Google warns about third parties charging for it (Google).

Step-by-step: set up Apple and Google developer accounts for your company.

Some apps must come from the right entity. Apple lists apps "submitted by incorrect entity" as a common rejection: banking, crypto, healthcare, gambling and air travel apps must be submitted by the legal entity that provides the service (Apple).

If your app is already in someone else's account

Both stores support transfers between accounts, but both owners must act.

Apple App Store. The current Account Holder starts the transfer and the receiving Account Holder accepts it. The app keeps its reviews and ratings and users keep getting updates. The app must meet Apple's transfer criteria, TestFlight testing must be turned off first, and apps with auto-renewable subscriptions or Sign in with Apple need extra steps. Sales data before the transfer stays with the old account (Apple).

Google Play. The original owner submits the request, the target account approves it, and Google Play support reviews it within two business days. Both accounts need their registration transaction IDs, and services such as Firebase or Google Analytics must be reconnected by hand (Google).

If the developer is unresponsive, start with the contract and written requests. Apple and Google cannot hand you an app without the current account holder's action, so a lawyer may be needed. Then rebuild under your own account if the transfer is impossible; that is far easier when you hold the source code.

Handover checklist

Ask for each item during the project, not at the end:

Red flags

"We publish it under our account and transfer it later."
No repository access until the final invoice.
A contract that licenses the app to you instead of assigning it.
Credentials for your services kept only on the developer's laptop.
Lost files after payment. In an r/Upwork thread, a client paid in full and was then told the code was lost in a drive crash. A repository you own makes that story impossible.

How ODEL handles ownership, and when to look elsewhere

ODEL publishes client apps under the client's own developer accounts, and the client owns the app, the source code and the store accounts. You can ask for the code to live in a repository you control from the start, and after launch you are free to keep working with us on updates, ASO and subscriptions or to hand the code to someone else. If you are stuck with an app built elsewhere, our app rescue and maintenance service covers taking it over.

Look elsewhere if you need a vendor that signs HIPAA business associate agreements, works under banking compliance regimes, or provides 24/7 on-site support. Those call for an agency with certifications. And if a contract dispute is already under way, a lawyer is the first call, not a developer. To talk about your project, start here.