7.4 KiB
App rename: "Closer" → "Closer Couples" (store / marketing tier only)
Audit + decision record for renaming the product's public name to "Closer Couples". Status: executed in repo. Store-console changes remain external owner steps.
Context
After auditing every occurrence of the name across Android, iOS, images, and docs, the chosen approach is a deliberate two-tier branding outcome:
- Store & marketing name = "Closer Couples"
- Installed-app name (home-screen launcher label + every in-app string) stays "Closer" — it fits under the icon ("Closer Couples" at 14 chars truncates to "Closer Coupl…") and avoids a full in-app rewrite.
Most important consequence: no code changes, no rebuild, no app re-release. And critically — the only thing users actually see change (the store listing title + the feature graphic) is set in the Google Play / App Store console, which is an EXTERNAL step performed by the owner. Editing this repo does not rename anything that is live; the repo work is (a) the source-of-truth feature-graphic asset, (b) doc/record housekeeping. The wordless C-heart-keyhole icon/logo is unaffected (icon SVG sources contain zero <text>).
Technical identifiers that must NOT change
Renaming any of these breaks builds / Firebase / the Play listing:
namespace app.closer · applicationId closer.app · package app.closer.* + class CloserApp · deep-link host closer.app + closer:// scheme · Firebase closer-app-22014 (google-services.json, GoogleService-Info.plist) · iOS PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER app.closer.iphone + bundleIdPrefix app.closer + product/target/scheme Closer · SPM package Closer · Gradle rootProject.name "Closer" · resource filenames (closer_launcher_*, ic_notification_closer, ic_launcher*) · XML styles Theme.Closer[.Splash] · entitlement id closer_premium · crypto AAD constants.
What does NOT change (per the chosen tier)
- Android launcher label —
app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml→app_namestays "Closer". - iOS home-screen label —
iphone/Closer/Info.plist→CFBundleDisplayNamestays "Closer" (CFBundleName/PRODUCT_NAMEuntouched). - All ~25 in-app copy strings stay "Closer" (paywall, onboarding/age-gate, settings, widget, invite share text, privacy
strings.xml:95-96, share card, iOS onboarding, etc.). - Wordmark logos (onboarding, auth alt-text, widget, share card) stay "Closer" → their asserting tests stay green, untouched.
- Internal engineering/brand-system docs using "Closer" as codename/design-system name (
DEVELOPMENT_LOG.md,SECURITY.md,Future.md,Engineering_Reference_Manual, theClaude*.mdreports,docs/brand/asset-system.md"Closer Artwork Asset System",docs/brand/generated-art/glyphs/README.md"Closer G-set").
Changes to make (in-repo)
1. Store feature graphic (the one required image) — docs/store/
The exhaustive wordmark-SVG list is exactly three files; only this one is store-facing (the other two are unreferenced internal art — see §5).
- Completed:
docs/store/sources/feature-graphic.svgnow usesCloser Couplesatfont-size="58", with centered card icons/headlines/sublabels and privacy-forward copy: private questions, encrypted answers, mutual reveals, no public feed. - Completed:
docs/store/feature-graphic-1024x500.pngwas re-exported from the SVG (1024×500, no alpha) — see re-export procedure.
2. Store-listing doc — docs/release/store-assets.md
- Completed: title, app-name checklist, full-description prose, and §9 inventory now use "Closer Couples" while documenting that the launcher label remains "Closer".
3. README.md — product-name references only
Completed: <h1>, feature-graphic alt text, and product-facing prose use "Closer Couples". Codename/dir/scheme mentions (iphone/Closer, Closer.xcodeproj, -scheme Closer) remain unchanged.
4. docs/brand/visual-identity.md — product-name prose (consistency, optional)
Completed: product-name prose uses "Closer Couples"; asset paths stay unchanged.
5. Two internal generated-art feature graphics — OPTIONAL (not store-facing)
docs/brand/generated-art/closer_app_explainer_feature.svg + closer_e2ee_privacy_feature.svg render "Closer" but are referenced by no store/README doc — internal exploration art. Update their <text> + re-export only if internal consistency is wanted; not required for the rename.
Feature-graphic re-export procedure (the installed tooling can't do it naively)
rsvg-convert / inkscape / resvg are not installed, and ImageMagick's SVG delegate is wired to the missing rsvg-convert, so a bare convert file.svg file.png falls back to ImageMagick's native renderer and will mangle this SVG's feDropShadow filters, gradients, and embedded <image>. Use the rasterizer that IS present:
-
Headless Chrome (
google-chromeis installed) — pixel-accurate; DejaVu Sans Bold is installed, so text renders correctly. -
The SVG's
<image href="../../brand/sources/…png">is relative todocs/store/sources/, so serving the repo root and loading the SVG overhttp://resolves the embedded icon correctly:python3 -m http.server 8099 & # or: npx http-server -p 8099 (node is available) google-chrome --headless --disable-gpu --hide-scrollbars \ --window-size=1024,500 --screenshot=/tmp/fg.png \ "http://localhost:8099/docs/store/sources/feature-graphic.svg" -
Flatten alpha (Play requires no alpha; Chrome screenshots carry an alpha channel — the opaque
#24122Frect covers it visually but the channel persists):convert /tmp/fg.png -background '#24122F' -flatten -alpha off docs/store/feature-graphic-1024x500.png -
Fallback if headless Chrome misbehaves (sandbox/sizing): the corrected
.svgis the source of truth — commit it and re-export the PNG with proper design tooling before uploading to Play Console. Perstore-assets.md:200, never hand-edit the raster; always regenerate from the SVG.
External steps (owner performs — outside the repo; this is what actually renames the app)
- Google Play Console → store listing → App name = "Closer Couples", paste the updated description, upload the re-exported feature graphic.
- App Store Connect (when iOS ships) → app name "Closer Couples".
- Heads-up: (a) Play title policy allows a descriptor addition — "Closer" → "Closer Couples" is a clear same-brand superset, low risk, but a launcher label that differs from the store title is worth a sanity check at review; (b)
store-assets.md:14's trademark check should be re-run against the new name.
Verification
- Re-exported
feature-graphic-1024x500.png: visibly reads "Closer Couples", legible, no clipping/overlap with the icon or the three cards; confirm 1024×500 and no alpha (identify -verbose … | grep -iE 'Geometry|Alpha|Type'). - Grep the touched docs for leftover standalone "Closer" that should be "Closer Couples" (excluding codename/dir/scheme + technical URLs).
- Launcher untouched:
app_nameinstrings.xmlandCFBundleDisplayNameinInfo.plistboth still "Closer". - No build required (no source touched); optional
./gradlew :app:assembleDebugstill succeeds unchanged.
Pre-existing issue noted (NOT fixed here)
store-assets.md:106 — support URL couplesconnect.app vs the closer.app domain used elsewhere; unrelated to this rename, leave for separate cleanup.