A Google Play Developer Account lets you publish apps on Google Play Store. Approximately 71% of the smartphone market (3.5 billion devices) are powered by Android and Google Play Store is the primary way to download apps. If you’re an Android app developer, let’s answer your biggest concern: How to create multiple Google Play Developer accounts and manage them securely.
The problem isn’t with creating multiple accounts, it’s about doing it right. Note: It is crucial to strictly follow Google’s policies when managing multiple accounts to avoid bans and other serious consequences. The right approach isn’t making more accounts as fast as possible, but to consider Google’s policies and secure methods to make sure your accounts don’t get banned. In this blog, we will discuss Google’s policies on multiple accounts, how many accounts you can manage, what actions can get you banned and how to avoid it.
What is a Google Play Developer Account?
A Google Play Console account helps developers publish apps and games on Playstore. You create an account, pay the one-time $25 fee on sign-up and can now publish as many apps and games as you want.
A Google Console Account typically includes:
- Your developer profile and public developer name
- Ownership of the account, meaning it is controlled by the individual or organization that created it
- App submissions and updates
- Testing tracks and releases
- Payments setup for paid apps
- Team access inside the Google Play Console
Google Play Developer Account vs Google Play Console
Are Google Play Developer accounts and Google Play Console accounts different? Not really. You create a Google Play Developer Account by accessing Google Play Console. Play Console is the dashboard that helps you manage your developer account, team access, apps, etc. So, if you can’t find any website named Google Play Developer, don’t worry. Go ahead and sign-up on Google Play Console to create your Google Play Developer account.
Why You Would Need Multiple Google Play Console Accounts
Here are some legitimate reasons why someone would want to create multiple Google Play Console Accounts.
Separate Branding or Product-Line
Businesses and solo developers sometimes want to have separate branding for their apps. One developer portfolio might only have games while the other account has productivity apps etc. Multiple accounts mean different app developer names.
Risk Isolation
If you want to test a different kind of app, or an idea that you’re not completely sure about, you should not risk your main account which has other listed apps as well. You don’t want to get your account banned that might be making you money.
App Mergers & Acquisitions
When a developer sells their Android app, or companies merge, they merge their product line and Google Play Console accounts as well. This is a classic scenario where multiple Play Console accounts are linked together. If one account gets banned, the other one automatically gets banned as well.
Freelance App Developers
Freelance App developers might also include publishing their client’s app on their developer account. Although the account belongs to the client, Google might link it to the freelancer’s or another client’s developer account. This would be disastrous if one of the accounts ends up violating terms of use.
Google’s Policy on Creating Multiple Google Play Developer Accounts
Google allows creating multiple Google Play Accounts. It has no problem with developers operating multiple accounts even on the same identities. However, it links those accounts together.
As seen in Google’s discussion forum, you can create multiple Google Play Console accounts with different emails, and payment profiles. You can use the same name and ID.
So, what’s the problem then? The part where Google links your accounts together. Linking accounts means that if Google finds out that two accounts belong to the same person or are being operated from the same device, it links them together. If one account violates Google’s terms, both get banned. If your developer account is banned, you will no longer be able to publish apps to the Google Play Store, and your apps may be removed. Suspensions and bans can affect all related accounts, and terminated accounts cannot be recovered.
To create multiple developer accounts, you must use a new Google account (such as a new Gmail address) for each one, and one Google account cannot be used for multiple developer accounts. Each Google Play developer account must have unique registration details, including different email addresses and sometimes unique phone numbers. To create multiple developer account profiles and stay compliant, always follow Google’s policies and use unique credentials for each account.
Some developers try to avoid detection of banned apps by reskinning or changing app identifiers, but this is against policy and can lead to further bans.
Now, if you use the same banned identity to create another account, you will get banned again and the fee may not be refunded. You can’t afford to risk your identity and all other accounts if you accidently end up violating terms of use on one account.
Multiple accounts can exist for real reasons but you must prevent them from getting linked by Google’s detection system. This is exactly why account isolation and access control matters.
How to Create Multiple Google Play Developer Accounts
Before we dive into the secure method for managing multiple accounts and avoid account linking, let’s explore how to create multiple Google Play Console accounts.
If you’re creating a Personal Google Play Console account, here is what you need:
- A unique email address never registered before on Google Play Console. To create multiple developer account, you must use a new Google account (such as a new Gmail address) for each developer account.
- A unique Google Payments profile not linked to any other Play Console account
- Valid payment method to pay the one-time USD 25 fee. Each developer account must use a different credit card or payment method to maintain separation.
During registration, you must provide a valid government-issued photo ID for identity verification.
Fill in your basic personal info, a unique public developer name, and pay the USD 25 fee.
You can repeat the same process with a different email, phone, and payment profile. However, don’t create too many accounts too fast. Moreover, avoid creating a new account on the same device to avoid linking. We will discuss the safest way to create multiple accounts in the next section.
When you’re creating a Business Google Play Developer account, you need your D-U-N-S number (globally used to identify businesses worldwide). If you can’t find your DUNS number on Dun & Bradstreet’s website, you can request one.
The rest of the process (phone number, email address, developer name) stays the same. When you’re signing up as a business or on behalf of your organization, you need a valid company domain email address. You can’t use your personal account to sign up on behalf of a business or organization.
How to Manage Multiple Google Play Developer Accounts Securely
Even when you’re not violating any policies, your developer account can still get banned due to the way you operate them together. Managing multiple Google Play developer accounts carries high risk due to the potential for collateral bans.
- If the developer account gets repeated logins from multiple devices and locations. This means that the account credentials have been shared.
- You used same billing profile in multiple accounts
- You’re trying to submit the same app to test on different accounts
To avoid any connection between accounts, it is recommended to use different browsers, separate Chrome users, or virtual machines for each account. Avoid using the same connection or device for multiple accounts to prevent Google from linking them. Using a private SSH proxy, installing non-standard fonts, and avoiding Google Chrome can help reduce the risk of fingerprinting. Additionally, changing the package name of your app and compiling your APK on a virtual machine instead of your host PC can help avoid detection by Google.
A common management practice is to use user groups to assign shared permissions across multiple accounts, streamlining access control and operational efficiency.
Key Things to Know When Creating Multiple Google Play Console Accounts
When creating another Google Play Developer account on the same device, the accounts instantly get linked as soon as you sign-up. So, follow these guidelines when creating another Play Console account.
- Don’t create another account on the same device to avoid linking
- Don’t use the same Google Payments Profile for multiple accounts
- Don’t manage multiple accounts on the same device to avoid linking
A common question is how many developer accounts you can safely create. Creating many developer accounts in a short period can trigger Google’s automated anti-abuse systems. Google also uses sophisticated technology to detect if one person is running multiple accounts, often linking accounts through shared IPs and payment methods.
But, what if you do need to manage multiple developer accounts on the same device? You need to isolate your activity to avoid account linking. How? Through antidetect browsers like Gologin.
When you login or sign up a new Developer account, a normal browser like Chrome shares:
- Your IP Address
- Your device and browser fingerprint
- Cookies and local storage
These things help Google figure out which device this account has been created on. If another account in the future matches the same digital description, it’s the same user. As a result, accounts get linked in Google’s system.
So, the solution to this would be a browser that:
- Masks your IP address
- Changes your device and browser fingerprint
- Isolate cookies and local storage
If you change your IP address and device fingerprint, Google is unable to trace you back to the original digital fingerprint. This is exactly how the Gologin antidetect browser operates. You can create multiple unique profiles in Gologin browser and each profile has its unique IP address, and randomized device fingerprint. Each profile acts like a separate device so you can run multiple Google Play Developer accounts simultaneously without worrying about linkage or bans. Even if one account does get banned, the rest of them stay safe.
If you want to get access to your client’s Google Play Console account, you can do so with Gologin to keep their account safe.
When you sign up for a new Play Developer account via a new Gologin profile, Google registers the Gologin profile’s fingerprint instead of your original device fingerprint. This method keeps your accounts secure and isolated from the moment they get created.
Gologin Guide: Create & Manage Multiple Google Play Console Accounts
Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up multiple Google Play Console accounts on Gologin.
1. Download and Install the Gologin App
Download the Gologin browser from their website and sign up. You can also install their mobile browser app to sync your browser profiles across web and mobile.
2. Create a New Browser Profile
When you open the Gologin browser and log in, you will see Gologin’s profile dashboard. You can create and manage your browser profiles here. Create a new profile from here. Give it a useful name and select your IP location. Gologin takes care of the rest.
3. Launch the Profile and Log in to Google Play Console
Run the profile you created. It will act as a unique device with its own IP address, device fingerprint, and location. Moreover, the profile looks exactly like Google Chrome since it’s built on Google’s Chromium, so you will feel familiar with it. Head over to Google Play Console and log in or sign-up with your account.
If you’re managing your client’s account, you can also share this Gologin profile with them and ask them to log in to their account (which will get synced for you as well).
4. Create More Gologin Browser Profiles
Repeat step #3. Create a new profile, assign it a different proxy this time to change the IP address. Go to Google Play Console and log in with a different account. Repeat this step for as many Play Developer accounts as you want. Now, you’ve got multiple isolated browser profiles, each with a specific account and unique fingerprint. This eliminates all problems you can potentially face when running multiple accounts.
5. Sharing Gologin Profiles With Clients
As I mentioned above, the best part about Gologin is that I don’t have to ask for the client’s account password. I can share the Gologin profile with my client, they open it, log in to their account, and close. The change gets synced on my device since the profile’s cookies, data, and other settings get synced to the cloud every time someone makes a change. We can now collaborate using this Gologin profile or even invite more people to use and manage accounts.
Should you use Gologin to share a Google Play Console account? No. Although Gologin is a great account sharing tool for paid subscription apps, we don’t recommend it for Google Play Developer account. Google has its own free native feature to invite users and set their permissions level. This is a more convenient and safer way to provide access to multiple people. Gologin should only be used for multi-account management.
Conclusion
Google allows multiple Play Developer accounts per person for legitimate reasons. However, managing them without proper isolation can lead to account bans. You should treat your Google Play Console account with great care and adhere to all Google’s policies. Always follow best practices like using Gologin for account creation and management.
Download Gologin for free and manage multiple accounts without bans!
FAQ
Can I have multiple Google Play Developer accounts?
Yes, Google allows one entity to have multiple Google Play Developer accounts. However, if Google detects that the accounts belong to one entity, it links them together. If one account gets banned, others get closed with it.
Can I Use the Same Google Account for Multiple Google Play Developer Accounts?
No. You need a unique email address, phone number and Google Payments profile to create a new Google Play Console account.
How to Create a Different Google Payments Profile for Google Play Console?
If you didn’t know, Google keeps track of your payments through a Payment Profile. This payment profile has your credit/debit card, your active Google subscriptions and your legal address and tax info. If you want to create a different Google Play Console account, Google says that you should create and use another Payments Profile.
Is it legal to make multiple Google Play Console Accounts?
As per Google’s official policy, it is completely okay to have multiple Google Play Console Accounts
