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How to Release to the App Store as an Individual

I've written an iOS app, and I'd like to release it on to the App Store. I'm an individual so it's not being released via a company or anything, just me.

Is it typical to just release a free app under your own name? If so, what would be appropriate copyright information to submit?

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    IMO it's a poor question mostly because the answer seems self-evident. A quick look through some of the apps on the App Store (both iOS and Mac) should convince you that a significant number of apps are released by individuals, and the fact that Apple offers the developer program to individuals should tell you that this is one of the acceptable options. As for copyright -- what name would you put on the copyright if not your own? Makes no sense.
    – Caleb
    Jan 16, 2013 at 17:51

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This isn't about the intricacies of Apple's distribution process. The person asking has a choice between submitting the application under his own name or going through a process of creating some kind of company entity and submitting the application, with the idea that the current application will only be free. I would suspect the answer would apply equally to any application distribution mechanism, with the exception of if Apple treats individuals or business entities differently. That's a freelance/business concern, which is on-topic per our FAQ. I would suspect a complete answer would present the viable options and the reasons why, under these constraints, one would be better than the others.

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  • What is the question being asked here then? "Is it typical?" Really? Are we honestly contemplating accepting questions about the popularity of a particular technique?
    – Robert Harvey
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:43
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    "What would be the appropriate copyright information to submit" is a question for Apple, not us.
    – Robert Harvey
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:44
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    @RobertHarvey By all means denounce my question, but I'd really appreciate some advice of a StackExchange site this discussion would be more appropriate.
    – shauneba
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:49
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    The "is it typical" is the same as asking what most application developers do. Fairly objective to know how widespread a technique is. I don't know what metrics Apple releases about application creators or what people have gone through and computed, but I think it's safe to say that there is probably information about if apps are submitted under real names or company names. The appropriate copyright information depends on the objectives of the app creator, and I'm sure the mobile app developers here have insights as to the advantages of name versus company.
    – Thomas Owens Mod
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:49
  • "How popular is this technique" is much broader than I thought the site scope was.
    – Robert Harvey
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:50
  • @RobertHarvey Apologies. I'm just hoping for some advice on where to move the question to, if any, if it's not appropriate here.
    – shauneba
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:51
  • @RobertHarvey As a stand-alone question, it's too broad. A question that was only "do most people submit apps to markets using their real name" is too broad. However, as part of a larger context, I don't have a problem with it. This provides a larger context - not only asking what most people do, but why to do it. It's sometimes useful to know what other people would expect to happen.
    – Thomas Owens Mod
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:54
  • I don't see the why (I think you're reading things into the question that aren't there), but OK. :) The question would be a lot better if it were more specific.
    – Robert Harvey
    Jan 7, 2013 at 21:57
  • @RobertHarvey To me, there's almost always an implied "why". The question is asking if they should copyright their application as an individual or business. There's an answer to that question. In the FAQ, it says that answers should focus on the "why and how". It shouldn't have to necessarily be explicit in the question as it's a burden on the answerer to explain why the answer is what it is or how the answer helps solve the problem.
    – Thomas Owens Mod
    Jan 7, 2013 at 22:00
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    @ThomasOwens in my experience having "why" only implied tends to have quite a poisonous effect on answer-quality. Thing is, those who don't see "why" written explicitly, may miss it and submit crap in their replies. Whenever I see "why" implied, first thing I am thinking of is editing the question to make it explicit
    – gnat
    Jan 8, 2013 at 11:39
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    if this is what the question is about then rephrasing it to be "What are the advantages to forming a company to release apps on the app store?" or "Is it preferable to form a company to release app on the app store, and why is that?" This would take the focus away from apple and make it more appropriate in a general sense imo.
    – Ryathal
    Jan 8, 2013 at 13:17
  • @gnat I wouldn't object to those edits. However, if people do post crap answers, feel free to down vote and comment - the FAQ is rather explicit that answers should explain why and/or how, and that applies even if the why or how isn't in the body of the question.
    – Thomas Owens Mod
    Jan 8, 2013 at 13:40
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    @ThomasOwens my experience of downvoting few hundreds answers (and following these up, because I would be just happy to recover rep lost on that) tells this does not frequently help
    – gnat
    Jan 8, 2013 at 13:57
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on-topic/off-topic should only apply if someone asks a question like "how long should I boil rice for?" why go through the trouble of discussing if it's on-topic when the community could actually help the guy find an answer?

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    Because having a site with quality questions focused on a specific subject area attracts experts who can provide high-quality answers. Sites which are muddy, unfocused mosh pits do not attract experts.
    – Robert Harvey
    Jan 11, 2013 at 21:06

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