How to get your app ready for a buyer

Why preparation pays

Buyers pay more — and close faster — when they can check your numbers quickly. Every missing document adds questions, and every question adds risk to the price. Most of this work also makes your app easier to run today.

What buyers will ask for

• Profit and loss, matched to your App Store and Google Play payout reports
• Retention: day 1, 7, 30 and 90 cohorts
• Subscription renewal rates by plan
• Paid vs. organic installs, and what you spend per install
• How much of your time the app needs each week
• Proof you own everything: trademark, domain, developer and service accounts
• Code quality notes, an architecture overview and a list of third-party services
• Paywall setup and any experiments you ran

Moving the app: App Store

• At least one version must be live, with no version in review or pending release
• Both accounts must accept Apple’s latest agreements
• The seller starts the transfer in App Store Connect; the buyer has 60 days to accept
• The bundle ID, ratings and reviews move with the app; past sales reports stay with the seller
• Subscription apps: create an app-specific shared secret and give it to the buyer first

Moving the app: Google Play

• The buyer needs an active Play developer account (and a payments profile for paid apps)
• Users, ratings, reviews, subscriptions and the store listing move with the app
• Download your reports first — they do not transfer
• Google says it responds within 2 business days

Escrow: how you get paid safely

In escrow, the buyer pays a neutral third party first. You then transfer the app, the buyer checks it, and the money is released to you. Escrow.com charges 2.6% on deals up to $5K, falling to 1.0% on $1–3M deals. Some direct buyers run their own escrow with checkpoints; ask how payment works before you start.