There is a problem in not being in control of your own app development and how sometimes an app developer hired by you can take full control of the product. This is a problem in the industry and it can happen to anyone. Firstly, the components of the app can be quite technical which leads people not to understand the app. Secondly, there are ways to protect yourself, such as acquiring all the parts of the app – not just some, going over the terms of the agreement, asking targeted questions, and hosting your own app store.
Key Takeaways:
Mobile apps consist of 4 components: compiled app, source code, API's, and databases with the compiled app being a single file not easily deconstructed back into source code.
To create app store listings and to be able to control your companies branding and communications, you need to create Apple Developer and Google Play Developer accounts.
A legal representative should review your Apple and Google Developer account setups as well as software development agreements to ensure you are assigned copyright to any custom developed software.
“If you’re hiring a company to develop custom software you should be paying for their services, not a product.”
