App Maintenance Services for Android and iOS Apps

Mobile apps sit on top of platforms that change every year and depend on many external services. New Android and iOS versions alter permissions, background behaviour and interface details. App stores introduce new policies and technical requirements. Third-party SDKs deprecate old versions. New devices bring new screen sizes. Without maintenance, an app that worked perfectly at launch gradually breaks, becomes non-compliant or falls behind user expectations.

Google Play requires new apps and updates to target a recent Android API level, with the required level typically rising each year. Apps that fall behind may be unable to publish updates, and older apps may become less visible to users on newer Android versions. Updating the target level often requires code changes for new permission and background rules. We plan these updates well ahead of Google’s deadlines. Our Android app development team handles the technical changes.

Apple periodically requires that new submissions be built with recent versions of Xcode and the iOS SDK, and introduces new requirements such as privacy manifests, account deletion and updated privacy details. Each year’s iOS release can also change behaviour that affects existing apps. We test on Apple’s beta releases from June, fix issues before the public release in autumn, and keep build tools current so updates are accepted. Our iOS app development team manages these changes.

A typical month of maintenance includes:

Apps rely on SDKs for payments, login, maps, analytics, notifications, advertising and customer support. Providers release new versions for security fixes, compliance changes and new features, and eventually stop supporting old versions. An outdated payment SDK may fail on new devices, and an old analytics SDK may conflict with store privacy requirements. We track SDK versions and upgrade them in a planned, tested way.

Crash reporting tools show which crashes affect the most users, on which devices and OS versions, and the code involved. We prioritise by impact, reproduce issues, fix root causes and add tests to prevent recurrence. On Android, application-not-responding errors are tracked through Android vitals, since high rates can affect store visibility. We measure crash-free users over time as a key health indicator.

Android apps are signed with keys managed through Play App Signing, and iOS apps rely on certificates, provisioning profiles and push notification keys that expire or must be renewed. If signing credentials are lost or controlled by a former developer, updating the app can become difficult or impossible. During handover, we make sure all keys, certificates and store accounts belong to your organisation and are stored securely, and we track renewal dates.

Many apps come to us after the original developer or agency is no longer available. We first secure access to the source code, back end, store accounts, signing credentials and third-party services. We then build the app from source to confirm it matches the live version, review code quality, SDK versions and compliance, check crash and review data, and document how the app works. Urgent risks are fixed first, followed by a planned maintenance routine.

An app is only as reliable as the servers and APIs behind it. Maintenance can cover back-end hosting, database health, backups, API performance, security patches, push notification services and integrations with payment gateways and other systems. Where the back end is a larger business system, our software maintenance service can cover it alongside the app.

Each update is tested on a range of devices and OS versions, released first to internal testers, then rolled out gradually through Google Play staged rollouts and Apple phased releases. Crash rates and reviews are monitored during rollout, and a rollout can be paused if issues appear. Feature flags let new features be switched off without a new release.

App store reviews are a direct source of bug reports and feature requests. We monitor reviews, reply where appropriate, identify recurring issues and feed them into the maintenance backlog. Fixing problems users mention publicly, and letting them know, often improves ratings. Our app store optimisation service works alongside maintenance on ratings strategy.

A typical priority model, with targets agreed per client, looks like this.

Yes. Monthly hours can include small enhancements, such as new settings, content changes, improved flows or analytics events. Larger features are estimated separately and scheduled into the roadmap. Keeping a steady flow of improvements avoids the situation where an app becomes outdated and needs an expensive rebuild.

A rebuild may be worth considering when the app uses an abandoned framework, the code is too fragile to change safely, performance cannot be fixed incrementally or the design no longer meets user expectations. Even then, a phased approach often works better than a complete rewrite. We give an honest assessment during the health check. If a rebuild is right, options include native, Flutter or React Native.

These situations often lead to urgent calls.

Monthly reports summarise crash-free rates, top issues fixed, releases shipped, SDK and OS updates completed, store compliance status, support tickets by priority and response times, review trends and hours used. We also flag upcoming store deadlines and platform changes so you can plan ahead.

Each release is checked on a representative set of devices: popular budget and mid-range Android phones from different brands, recent and older iPhones, tablets where supported and the newest OS versions. Device clouds extend coverage to models we do not hold physically. Automated tests catch regressions in core flows such as login, search and payment, while manual testing covers new changes and visual details.

Security is not fixed at launch. New vulnerabilities are found in libraries, encryption standards change and attackers target popular apps. Maintenance includes updating vulnerable dependencies, reviewing permissions the app still needs, rotating API keys and secrets, checking that sensitive data is stored securely and applying server patches. For fintech and healthcare apps, periodic security testing is recommended.

Costs depend on the number of apps and platforms, the framework and code condition, back-end scope, number of SDKs and integrations, release frequency, support hours and response targets, device testing needs and the volume of enhancements. A health check at the start gives a realistic basis for the monthly retainer.