From an individual to an organisation account

Can an individual account be converted?

It can, but on neither store is it a toggle, and the route differs. On Apple the account type is changed through a support request. On Google Play a type change can be started from the account details screen, yet the ownership side stays locked for individual accounts that monetise. What they share: both stores verify corporate identity through the D-U-N-S record.

The decision itself is commercial rather than technical. If the app is a company's product and earns revenue, keeping the account on a person is not sustainable: revenue flows into that person's payments profile, that person signs the agreements, and when they leave the app becomes unmanageable.

How does the Apple conversion work?

You cannot do it yourself. The request goes through Apple Developer Program support under the topic “Account Updates and Renewals”. Apple looks for two things: that the person raising the request is a founder or co-founder, and the company's D-U-N-S number. The number is required so Apple can verify your organisation's identity and legal entity status.

The correspondence asks for the organisation's legal name, its D-U-N-S number, and the requester's name, title and phone; Apple may also request business documents for verification. The process can stretch to three weeks, so it is not work to schedule right before a launch date.

Can the account type be changed on Google Play?

Yes — there is a change of account type in the account details screen, and choosing organisation prompts Google to ask for documentation and/or a D-U-N-S number to verify that you are a business. The confusion lives on the ownership side: organisation accounts and non-monetising personal accounts can switch account owners, while that path is closed for individual accounts that monetise.

The second rule matters more: an owner switch can be restricted or blocked while there is a transition between account types. So a plan that says “let's convert to organisation and move ownership to the company in one move” does not work; the two operations have to queue.

Do apps, reviews and revenue survive?

On the conversion route yes: the account itself becomes an organisation, so apps, reviews and history stay in place. Where a new account is required, the apps have to move by transfer — and a transfer also preserves reviews and ranking, as long as nobody detours into republishing.

The one thing that never travels is the payment setup. The payments profile and tax information belong to the account, not the app; on the organisation account the agreement, tax form and bank verification are done from scratch. Completing that before the move is what keeps paid sales from stopping.

When should you do it?

The ideal moment is before the first app ships. The second best is today. The cost grows over time because what has to move grows with the app: subscriptions, in-app product IDs, integrated services, certificates and payment history.

Teams that postpone usually see the bill in year two: a founder leaves and the account locks, or an enterprise client asks for proof in the contract that the app belongs to the company — and the developer name on the store page turns out to be a person's.