Mobile App Maintenance After Launch: Updates, Bug Tracking and Planning

The day your app goes live on the App Store and Google Play feels like a finish line to most business owners. In fact, that is the day the app's real life begins. Users arrive, phones get updated, store rules change. An app that cannot keep up with these changes will start to show errors over time, even if it was well written on day one. In this article we explain what needs to be tracked after launch and what a good maintenance plan covers.

Operating system updates affect your app

Apple and Google update their phone operating systems with a major version every year. With each new version, some features change, some permissions get stricter and screen layouts differ. A screen that worked fine yesterday may shift after the user's phone is updated, or a feature may stop working. That is why the app needs to be tested on new operating system versions when they come out. Beta versions of new releases are usually made available to developers before the official release. A good maintenance team tests the app during this period and fixes problems before users notice them.

The stores have their own requirements too. Google Play requires apps to target a recent version of Android and raises this requirement regularly. An app that does not meet it cannot publish updates and may become invisible to users on new phones. Apple also requires apps submitted after certain dates to be built with current development tools. An app that is not maintained may not be able to send an update to the store quickly, even when an urgent fix is needed.

Seeing bugs before users tell you

Most users do not write to you when they run into a bug. They close the app and may never open it again. That is why, instead of waiting for bugs to be reported, you need to see them yourself. Crash reporting tools added to the app automatically tell the software team which phone, which screen and which step the app crashed on. Firebase's crash reporting tool is one of the common solutions that does this. Alongside crash reports, usage data showing where users get stuck in the app can also be collected. This data should be collected in line with personal data rules and stated in your privacy policy.

These reports should be reviewed regularly, and bugs should be ranked by the number of users they affect. A bug that prevents ordering is handled the same day; a minor display issue that rarely appears can wait for the next planned update. The server side also needs to be monitored. Even if the app works perfectly on the phone, if the server the data comes from slows down, the user sees it as a fault in the app. After a bug is fixed, watching the reports for a while also lets you confirm that the same problem does not come back.

Release updates on a plan

Rather than sending each small fix to the store separately, it is healthier to release updates together on a regular schedule. Every version goes through store review, and some users update the app late. That is why releasing versions too often wears out both the team and the users. Urgent bugs, however, are handled without waiting for the schedule. Also keep in mind that some users will stay on the old version. Changes made on the server should be planned so that they do not break old versions, and when necessary, users should be asked to update the app.

User reviews are the most honest feedback

Store reviews both influence whether new users download your app and tell you what is missing. Read reviews regularly and give polite, specific replies, especially to negative ones. Both stores let developers reply to reviews, and these replies are publicly visible. When you reply, don't blame the user; acknowledge the problem and briefly explain what was done or how it will be solved. Letting the user know after an update that fixes their problem may lead them to reconsider their rating.

Look at recurring topics more than individual reviews. If many people write the same complaint, it should be the priority for the next update. If many people ask for the same feature, you have a valuable clue about the direction the app should grow in. A high store rating increases new users' trust; an app with a low rating, on the other hand, may struggle to get downloads no matter how well it is promoted.

Don't put off security updates

Apps are built on ready-made software components (libraries) developed by other teams. Security vulnerabilities are found in these components from time to time and closed in new versions. An app that is not updated keeps carrying these vulnerabilities. This is especially important for apps that work with payments or personal data. The validity periods of the software on the server, security certificates and access keys should also be tracked. An expired certificate can cause notifications or payments to suddenly stop one day.

What does a good maintenance plan cover?

Maintenance is not the same as adding new features. The purpose of maintenance is to keep the app doing the job it does today without problems. New features are usually planned as a separate job. Making this distinction clear from the start prevents mismatched expectations between you and your software team. A maintenance agreement is usually made for a set period and states clearly what is included and what counts as separate work. A good maintenance plan usually includes the following:

• Testing the app on new operating system versions and making the necessary compatibility adjustments
• Tracking changes in store requirements and meeting them on time
• Regularly reviewing and fixing crash reports and reported bugs
• Updating the software libraries the app uses and applying security updates
• Monitoring the server and backing up data regularly
• Releasing small improvements through planned updates

Questions to ask your software team about maintenance

Who will take on the app's maintenance should be discussed before launch. Make sure the answers to these questions are written in the contract or maintenance agreement: How soon will you get a response when you report an urgent bug? Is compatibility with new operating system versions within the scope of maintenance? Who is responsible for the server and backups? How are new feature requests planned? Do you have access to the source code and the store accounts?

Planning the post-launch period from the start helps your app stay useful for many years. At Adorb, we stay with you after launch on the apps we develop, with updates, bug fixes and technical support, and the source code always stays with you. You can think of maintenance not as an expense item but as a safeguard that protects the investment you have made in your app.