How to get an Apple developer account and a Google Play account

Registreren is Dutch for "to register", and it is the step between a finished build and a store listing. Before an app can appear on the App Store or Google Play, someone has to open a developer account with Apple and with Google, pay a fee and prove who they are. Neither process is hard. Both contain one early decision that is tedious to undo, and the Google side has a testing rule that catches many first-time developers by surprise.

Everything below describes the requirements at the time of writing, in October 2026, as Apple's enrollment page and Google's Play Console help pages state them. Both companies revise these rules from time to time, so read the official pages again before you pay.

Contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Decide who the account belongs to

The first question on both sides is whether you register as a person or as an organization. It decides whose name appears on the store, which documents you need and how long the process takes.

If you are an individual, or a sole proprietor or single-person business, you enroll as an individual and your personal legal name is shown as the seller on the App Store. Companies, non-profits, partnerships and government organizations enroll as organizations, and the legal entity name is shown instead. Apple does not accept trade names, fictitious business names or branches.

Google offers a personal account and an organization account. On a personal account, Google Play displays your legal name, your country and your developer email address, plus your full address if you monetize. On an organization account it displays the legal name, legal address, developer email address and developer phone number. The developer name on the listing can differ from the legal name on both types.

If a company pays for the app, the company should own the accounts, even when a freelancer or studio does all the work; our guide to choosing an app agency or studio explains why that belongs in every contract. A freelancer who expects to incorporate soon may prefer to wait and register the company, since moving apps between accounts later means paperwork.

The two programs side by side

Apple also offers fee waivers to nonprofit organizations, accredited educational institutions and government entities that meet its requirements.

Getting a D-U-N-S number

Organizations need a D-U-N-S number on both sides. It is a nine-digit identifier assigned by Dun & Bradstreet, and Apple uses it to verify an organization's identity, legal entity status and address. Many companies already have one, so search first: Apple's lookup tool finds existing numbers and lets you request one if your company isn't listed.

The number is free. Google's help pages warn about third-party services that charge high administrative fees for this free registration. On timing, Apple says to allow up to five business days to receive the number and then up to two business days before Apple has the information. Google says the process can take up to 30 days. Before you request one, check that the name and address you give match your company's official registration (for a Dutch company, its entry at the Chamber of Commerce, the KvK).

Enrolling with Apple, step by step

1. Create or check your Apple Account. Two-factor authentication must be on, and the first and last name fields must hold your legal name. Apple says an alias, nickname or company name there delays approval.
2. For an organization, gather the D-U-N-S number, a work email address on the organization's domain and a public, working website on that domain. Links to social media pages or near-empty sites are not accepted.
3. Make sure the person enrolling can sign agreements for the organization: an owner or founder, an executive team member, a senior project lead, or an employee given that authority by a senior employee. That person becomes the Account Holder.
4. Enroll through the Apple Developer app or on the web. In the app, membership is an auto-renewable subscription; on the web you can switch on automatic renewal in your account, in the regions where Apple offers it.
5. Pay the fee and wait for the confirmation email.
6. In App Store Connect, accept the agreements, add tax and banking details if you plan to sell, and declare your trader status under the EU Digital Services Act, which Apple asks of every developer. A trader's contact details appear on product pages in the EU; for an individual that means an address or P.O. box, a phone number and an email address.

You don't need to pay to start building. A free Apple Account gives you Xcode and on-device testing, with limits: up to three devices, and provisioning profiles that expire after seven days. TestFlight, App Store Connect and distribution need the paid membership. If the membership later expires, your apps are no longer available for download and you can't submit updates, although people who already installed them can keep using them.

Registering with Google Play, step by step

1. Sign in with the Google Account that will own the developer account. For a business, use an account the business controls rather than one employee's private address.
2. Accept the Developer Distribution Agreement, choose the account type and pay the one-time 25 USD fee by card.
3. Enter your details. Your legal name and address come from the Google payments profile linked during sign-up. Contact and developer email addresses, and organization phone numbers, are verified with a one-time password and must keep working for as long as the account exists.
4. Verify your identity. Personal accounts need an official government identity document. Organizations need the D-U-N-S number, an identity document and an official organization document.
5. On a new personal account, confirm that you have a real Android device by using the Play Console mobile app on it.
6. If you plan to charge for anything, set up a merchant account and payments profile so you can receive payouts.

The closed testing rule

Personal accounts created after November 13, 2023 cannot publish straight to production. Google requires a closed test with at least 12 testers who have been opted in continuously for at least 14 days, and testers who opt out before day 14 do not count. Once the test qualifies, you apply for production access from the Play Console dashboard and answer questions about the test, the app and its readiness for production.

The rule can add weeks to a launch plan. A few habits help:

• Recruit more than 12 people. Some will forget to opt in, and some will drop out early.
• Put testers in a Google Group and add the group to the test. Every tester needs a Google Account and has to opt in through the test's link.
• Ask testers to stay opted in and to use the app, and write down what they report. The production access questions are easier with real feedback in hand.
• Start the test as soon as a stable build exists, not when the store listing is finished.

The requirement applies to personal accounts, which is one more reason for a business to register as an organization from the start.

Google's Android developer verification program extends identity checks to apps distributed outside Google Play. It began in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand on September 30, 2026, with a global rollout planned for 2027. Play developers manage it in the Play Console; those who distribute only outside Play use the Android Developer Console. Changes like this appear in our mobile development coverage.

Questions

Does a freelancer need a D-U-N-S number?

Not for Apple if you work as a sole proprietor or single-person business: Apple asks you to enroll as an individual, without one. A personal Google Play account doesn't need one either, but it goes through the closed testing rule. If your business is a separate legal entity, register it as an organization on both stores, which requires the number.

How long does registration take?

Apple expects to confirm a membership within 24 hours of purchase and asks you to get in touch if it doesn't. For a new organization, plan in weeks: the D-U-N-S number alone can take from about a week to a month, and verification follows. A new personal Google account adds at least 14 days of closed testing plus the review of your production access application.

Who should own the accounts when a studio builds the app?

The business that owns the app. Register the accounts in its name, then invite the studio's developers as users with the roles they need. Both stores support multiple users with separate permissions, so nobody shares a password and the accounts stay with you if you change partners.

Are the registration fees the only costs?

No. Apple's fee recurs every membership year, while Google's is paid once. When you sell digital content, each store also keeps a commission on sales, and our store fee calculator shows what remains after it. Which pricing model suits your app is covered in our comparison of app monetization models.