iOS : Can multiple person share one apple individual development account?

Question

I'm a hobbyist of iOS development. I have another 3 overseas friends to work with me on one app. Now I want to open a development account to debug ,test our app. after that release to App Store.

so Now I want to know , could we just open one individual development account and share among us on respective iPhone ? because we haven't registered a company , no choice to apply a company one . is it convenient for us to share one individual development account ?

if sharing one individual account among us is not a good idea. then what's the right or best way for my situation ?

thanks.

Answer 1

This would be against Apple's Guidelines (looking for citation), but it's possible- however, the main concern would be the fact that you would all have to share certificates, including the person-who-registered-the-account's private key. So while it's possible, it'll be difficult and overcomplicated- plus someone's private key certificate will be floating around, and that's never fun.

EDIT: This page , under "Which iOS Developer Program should I join?", says:

Join as an individual if you are a sole proprietor or if you develop under your own name.

So if you're the complete owner of the account (and as such, the apps it produces), or if you "develop under your own name" (interpret that how you will!), then it'll be valid under Apple's ToS; still difficult, but valid.

Answer 2

The easiest route in the long run might be to go ahead and form a single member LLC (assuming you're in the USA). Then you can contact Apple to convert your individual developer program to a company program. The cost of the program is the same. Once you have a company program, you can add multiple developers to your team, allowing them to build and debug the app on iOS devices.

Answer 3

You can register as an individual for now. Then, if you want to incorporate into a company, you can.