App maintenance services. Because an app is never really finished.
Our app maintenance services keep your iOS app working, compliant and a little better every month. We maintain 8 apps of our own in the App Store, so we know what each new iOS release breaks, what Apple will require next, and how to keep an app current without surprises.
Why it matters
Apps age faster than websites.
A website can sit untouched for years and still load. An app cannot. Apple changes iOS every year, launches new screen sizes, and updates the rules for what can be published. An app that is not maintained slowly stops fitting in, and one day it cannot be updated at all without a larger rescue.
Regular maintenance is the cheaper path. Small, steady updates cost less than a big catch up, and they keep ratings and reviews healthy, which matters for how many people download the app in the first place.
What's covered
iOS app maintenance, month by month
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Yearly iOS updates
Apple previews a new iOS every June and ships it in the fall. We test your app on the betas, fix what breaks and make sure it looks right on new devices before your users notice anything.
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App Store requirements
Apple regularly raises the minimum SDK for new uploads and adds rules on privacy and accounts. If an app falls behind, you cannot ship updates until it catches up. We keep it compliant.
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Bug fixes and crash monitoring
We watch crash reports and reviews, fix issues in priority order and ship updates through App Review.
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Dependencies and backend
Third-party SDKs, APIs and servers change. We keep them updated, so a vendor's change does not take your app down.
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Small improvements
A better onboarding screen, a new widget, a tweak to the paywall. Maintenance is also the time to make the app a little better every month.
Taking over
Inherited an app? We can take it over.
Many requests start the same way: the original developer has moved on, and nobody knows the state of the code. We start with a review of the codebase, the App Store Connect setup and the backend, then give you a plain-English report: what works, what is at risk, and what to fix first.
From there, you decide. Ongoing maintenance, a one-time cleanup, or a plan to rebuild parts of the app. If rebuilding makes sense, see native iOS app development.
Ratings
Maintenance protects your ratings
Users rarely write a review when an app works. They do when it crashes after an iOS update or looks broken on a new iPhone. A few weeks of that can undo months of good ratings, and ratings are among the first things people see in the App Store.
That is why we test on Apple's betas over the summer. By the time a new iOS reaches your users in the fall, the fixes are already live.
Proof
Apps we keep running ourselves
Our own apps are maintained by the same process. They have gone through yearly iOS releases and App Store changes and are still growing.
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120,000+
UnfollowCheck
Read the case : UnfollowCheck
users worldwide, 1M+ profiles tracked and 30,000 monthly visitors to unfollowcheck.com, mostly from Google. -
#1
Dronk
Read the case : Dronk
on the App Store's party game chart the same week it launched. dronkapp.com gets 5,000+ visitors a month in 13 languages on a domain that is only six months old.
How it works
A simple setup
- Access to the code repository and App Store Connect, in your name.
- A fixed rhythm for updates, plus fast response when something breaks.
- Written updates on what changed and why, so you are never guessing.
- No lock-in. You own the code and the accounts, and can move on whenever you like.
Want the app to grow, not just stay alive? Combine maintenance with App Store Optimization.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What do app maintenance services include?
Keeping the app working and compliant: updates for new iOS versions and devices, App Store requirement changes, bug fixes, crash monitoring, dependency and backend updates, and small improvements. Bigger new features are usually scoped separately.
How much does app maintenance cost?
Published agency guides typically recommend budgeting 15% to 25% of the original build cost per year. The real number depends on how complex the app is and how many services it depends on. See app development cost.
What happens if I stop maintaining my app?
It usually keeps working for a while. Then a new iOS version changes something, or Apple raises its requirements, and you cannot ship even a small fix until the app is brought up to date. Catching up after years is much more expensive than keeping pace.
Can you maintain an app another developer built?
Yes, if it is a native iOS app. We start with a code review and tell you honestly what shape it is in, what needs fixing first, and whether parts are worth rebuilding.
Do you maintain Android apps?
No. We work on native iOS apps and web apps. For an app on both platforms, we can take the iOS side.
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