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Custom Branded Vantaca Home Mobile App

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Shelley Labrecque
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A custom-branded application (also known as white labeling) is an app developed by one company that you can rebrand and customize to make it appear as your own. The Vantaca Custom Branding service helps you rebrand the Vantaca Home mobile app with your own logo and custom name.

Sign up for the Vantaca Custom Branding service by filling out the Get Your Custom App form. 

You must also set up Apple Developer and Google Play Developer accounts for your organization, and then add Vantaca Mobile Team members to the accounts so they can publish the custom-branded app directly to the App Store and Google Play Stores.

Follow the instructions in this guide to create and set up accounts and check out the Frequently Asked Questions section at the end of this article.

 

Client Requirements

Clients must complete the tasks outlined in the following sections:

 

Sign Up

Sign up for the Vantaca Custom Branding service by filling out the Get Your Custom App form. Vantaca will schedule a call with you, your implementation manager, and a product owner to kick off the process.

 

Create Apple and Google Play Developer Accounts

Create both Apple (iOS) and Google Play (Android) developer accounts for your organization. Both of these accounts are required to provide your app in both the Apple Store and Google Play Store, so homeowners can access the app whether they use an iPhone or Android phone.

 

Apple (iOS)

Create an Apple Developer account for your organization. Follow the instructions in the "Enrolling in the Apple Developer Program as an organization" support article.

You will need:

  • A form of payment to cover the $99 annual fee required to publish apps to the App Store.
  • At least one Apple device (iPhone/iPad) and access to a Mac.

Important: Make sure that when you create the account, that you use an iOS device. If your organization has an Apple ID (or iPhone/iPad) used just for the management company, then use it to create the developer account for easier verification and to use the connected payment method. If you must use your own account, make sure to add the management company payment card listed on their Apple account to pay for the developer account.

 

Google Play (Android)

Create a Google Play Developer account for your organization. Follow the instructions in the "How to get started with Play Console" help article.

You will need:

  • A form of payment to cover the $25 one-time initial registration fee required to publish apps via Google Play.
  • Contact information for your organization as advised in the "Creating a developer account for an organization" section of the Google Play support documentation.
  • To create a Google Cloud account.
  • After you set up your Google Cloud account, follow the instructions in the "Setting Up a Service Account on Google Cloud for Android App Deployment" article to:
    • Create a Google Cloud Project to host the Service Account
    • Enable the Google Play Android Developer API for your cloud project
    • Create and configure the Service Account
    • Generate an access key in JSON file format (you will need to send this JSON file/key to Vantaca in a later section)
    • Integrate the Service Account with the Google Play Store
  • Create your custom-branded app in the Google Play store. This process requires you to agree to the Terms of Service and should be completed by the account owner. Follow the instructions in the Create your app section of the "Create and set up your app" help guide.
  • When complete, you will have a link to the app in the Google Play store (that you can send to Vantaca in a later section).

 

Grant Access to Vantaca's Mobile Development Team

After you set up both of the developer accounts, you must grant access to the Vantaca Mobile team by adding the required emails to the accounts. Follow the instructions in the "Add Developer Accounts for the Custom Branded App" article in the Vantaca Library.

 

Registration Fee Reimbursement

For reimbursement for the developer accounts created, send an email to billing@vantaca.com and include your receipts for the registration fees for both accounts.

 

Send Required Materials to Vantaca

Vantaca requires materials from you to complete the custom-branded app. Provide the following items to your Vantaca Mobile App Implementation Consultant (currently anna.driscoll@vantaca.com) in the exact sizes listed: 

  • JSON key/file: From the Google Play (Android) section. As part of creating the developer account, a private key was automatically downloaded and saved to your computer. Send this JSON-based file to Vantaca.
  • Logo: The logo that you wish to use for the app. The image must adhere to the following criteria exactly, or it cannot be used in the app store:
    • Square in shape
    • In .SVG format
    • 1024px by 1024px in size (If providing a PNG formatted file in addition to the .SVG)
  • Name: The name you want to call the app (instead of Vantaca Home). Remember this will be a public-facing app store name.
  • Feature Graphic: Android requires a feature graphic that provides an at-a-glance preview of the app. This image can be the company logo (not necessarily the same as the app icon), or another image. This image must be:
    • Up to 15MB
    • 1,024px by 500px in size
    • In .SVG format.
  • Marketing URL: Send the marketing URL that you wish to use for your app (normally the company website).

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: How does our custom-branded app get updated?

A: Each custom-branded app receives the same release updates at the same time as the Vantaca Home app, whether due to performance improvements, additional features, or to resolve bugs.

Even though clients own the developer accounts each app is published under, Vantaca provides updates to the custom-branded apps.

 

Q: How can homeowners get the app?

A: Clients and Homeowners can search for their management company's name in the App Store or the Google Play store to find the custom-branded Home app. If a homeowner's management company has not subscribed to the Custom Branding service that we provide, then they can search for Vantaca Home.

 

Q: How is the app managed?

A: Custom-branded apps are partly managed by the client, and partly by Vantaca. The initial setup of the accounts and brand materials are done/sent by the client, while Vantaca supplies the marketing materials and application descriptions. Vantaca is also responsible for uploading all app bundles to the account for app review and publishing.

Important: Clients must advise Vantaca of any communication between themselves and Apple or Google regarding any impending updates, requirements, or expiring licenses. Vantaca assists with keeping the accounts up-to-date and within compliance, but we need each client's help to alert us about any issues in a timely manner.

If the organizations' developer accounts lapse, their homeowners can continue using the app, but it will no longer display in the app stores, and users will not be able to download or update the app until the account is restored.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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