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NDAs, IP and contracts with an app development company

June 11, 2026 · 5 min read

What to lock down in writing before a single line of code is written.

Sign the NDA, but read the IP clause

Most firms sign an NDA on request. The clause that matters more is assignment of IP — you want work-for-hire language covering code, designs and third-party account ownership.

Store accounts belong to you

Publish under your own Apple and Google developer accounts. Apps published under a vendor account are painful to move later.

Repository access from day one

You should have read access to the repo from the first commit, not at the end of the engagement.

Escrow and handover

Define what handover means: documentation, environment variables, infrastructure ownership and a working local setup another team can run.

Next step

Wve Labs is a digital product company: product strategy, design and engineering, with over ten years of deep mobile expertise. business@wvelabs.com · (800) 588-9094.

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