Transferring an App to Another Developer Account: Keeping Attribution and Deep Links Working

Accepting an app transfer, for example after forming a new company or buying an app, keeps the App Store listing in place, but the next build you ship comes from a different developer account. If your project and dashboard settings still point to the previous account, that update can break push notifications, deep links and install attribution while your campaigns keep spending.

What Transfers Automatically

Apple moves the app's App ID to the recipient's developer account, and the app keeps its Bundle ID, ratings and reviews. People who already have the app keep using it and continue to receive updates, according to Apple's overview of app transfer.

Some reporting splits at the transfer date. The recipient receives sales and payment reports only for transactions after the transfer, while the previous owner keeps the reports from before it and loses access to the app's App Analytics data. If you compare store revenue with attributed revenue for the month of the transfer, combine both accounts' reports or start the comparison on the transfer date.

Credentials Left Behind

An automated CI/CD pipeline that still references the old account can fail when you archive and upload a new release. Before submitting your next version, generate fresh distribution certificates under the new developer account, recreate your provisioning profiles, and update your notification server with an APNs key from the recipient team so existing subscribers still receive alerts.

Universal Links Setup

The App ID value is formed from the App ID Prefix, a period, and the Bundle ID. In DeepLink - SDK Quickstart, add the Associated Domains capability under [YOUR_PROJECT] > [Signing & Capabilities], then add applinks:YOUR_APP_NAME.airbridge.io and applinks:YOUR_APP_NAME.abr.ge.

Team ID Checks

Several app capabilities depend on the Team ID of the account that signs the build. Apple's transfer guide says keychain sharing keeps working only until the next update: the recipient must replace the keychain group with one that uses its own Team ID, and users sign in again once after that update. Apple also asks the previous owner to tell the recipient which capabilities the app uses, such as keychain sharing or push notifications, so they are kept in future updates.

Deep links follow the same rule. Airbridge stores the iOS App ID in the format App ID Prefix + . + Bundle ID, as described in DeepLink - SDK Quickstart. After the transfer, compare the App ID Prefix shown for the app in the recipient's Apple Developer account with the value saved in the Airbridge dashboard. If they differ, update the dashboard before you release, or universal links can stop opening the app.

SDK and Scheme Checks

Paid acquisition campaigns rely on your deep link configuration and SDK credentials staying intact across builds. In Airbridge Core Plan, on first open, Airbridge matches each install to the channel, campaign, and creative that drove it through the app store, using deferred deep linking. As DeepLink - SDK Quickstart explains, when a tracking link is triggered, Airbridge launches the app with the most appropriate type of Airbridge Deep Link depending on the browser and whether the app is installed on the user’s device.

Before archiving your first update under the new developer account, check two places in your project and dashboard:

• Add the app’s URI scheme under [YOUR_PROJECT] > [Info] > [URL Types] by clicking “+” and entering YOUR_SCHEME.
• In the Airbridge dashboard, find your Airbridge app name and SDK token under Settings > Tokens.

Post-Transfer Release Steps

Sign a test build using the new account's provisioning profile, click a live tracking link on your phone, and watch the app open to the intended screen. Once you see test events arriving and push notifications firing on that build, you can submit your update with these paths checked.