How to publish your booking app under your own Apple developer account.

Why the app goes under your account

Apple's App Review Guidelines, section 4.2.6, say: “Apps created from a commercialized template or app generation service will be rejected unless they are submitted directly by the provider of the app's content.” A branded booking app is built from a template, and the content is your business, so the app is submitted from your own Apple developer account. The same guideline says these services “should not submit apps on behalf of their clients”, so your provider works inside your account and your business stays the publisher. Apple's enrollment page says your organization's name is shown as the seller of your apps on the App Store.

The guideline allows one other route: a single “picker” app that holds many clients' content, such as a restaurant finder with a page for each restaurant. That app carries the provider's name, not yours.

Vendors that offer a branded app ask for developer accounts too: Mariana Tek's help centre says the app runs through the studio's own Apple and Google developer accounts, and Mindbody says you need an Apple developer account to list it. We make MeetScarlet, which publishes from your accounts as well, with our team doing the build and the store listings for you.

The steps, in order

1. Get a D-U-N-S number. Apple says your organization “must have a D-U-N-S Number” to verify its identity and address. Look your business up first, since it may already have one; if not, request one free from Dun & Bradstreet. Apple says to allow up to 5 business days, then up to 2 more for Apple to receive it, so start this first.
2. Enroll in the Apple Developer Program as an organization. Use your exact legal business name and address, matching the D-U-N-S record. Apple's enrollment page says the business must be a legal entity that can sign contracts (it does not accept DBAs, trade names or branches) and must have a public, working website on its own domain. The fee is $99 per membership year, and Apple may contact you to verify the business.
3. Open a Google Play developer account as an organization. Google charges a one-time $25 registration fee and asks organizations to verify their details, so have your D-U-N-S number and legal name ready.
4. Invite your app provider. Add them as a user in App Store Connect and the Google Play Console, so they can build and upload the app inside your accounts.
5. The app goes out from your accounts. Your business is the publisher; Apple and Google review the app, and the decision and the timing are theirs.

The Google Play testing rule

Google says developers with personal accounts created after November 13, 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers, opted in for at least 14 days, before publishing. Google's article is written for personal accounts, so open the account as an organization; confirm in the Play Console on the first day whether any testing step is asked of you.

What it costs you

From Apple's and Google's own pages, November 1, 2026. Apple lists local prices during enrollment.

What to have ready: a checklist

Apple's business enrollment is the slow part of a launch, so gather these before you start. Print this page to tick them off.

• Your business's exact legal name and address, as registered (a legal entity, not a trade name)
• A public website on your business's own domain
• Your D-U-N-S number, or about a week to request one
• An Apple Account for the business, with two-factor authentication on
• A card for Apple's $99 a year and Google's $25 one-time fee
• A link to your privacy policy, which both stores ask for
• Your logo as a square image, and your brand color
• For your app provider: your services, prices, staff and hours, and your client list as a spreadsheet

How it works with MeetScarlet

With MeetScarlet you do steps 1 to 4, and we walk you through them; we do the build and the store listings inside your accounts, and the app goes out under your business's name. About 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's enrollment. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan. They keep the same account when the store apps launch. Your web app and booking link work before the store apps are live.

The app comes in every MeetScarlet plan, from $349 a month; setup is $999 on monthly billing and free on yearly. You pay Apple's and Google's fees to them directly, because the accounts are yours. Type your business name on our homepage to see your app before you start.