It’s definitely a time to celebrate after launching your application! You went through some serious app development, and people are actually using it. Eventually, this honeymoon period will end and these same people will report bugs and suggest enhancements to your app. Additionally, your app’s backend services may require updates for it to function. One hundred percent, you’ll be inundated with things to look into, and you’ll be forced to do something about your app.
Whether you’re thinking about, already building, or have built an application, there’s one thing that you’ll need to keep in mind: you need to maintain your app after it’s launched! That’s how you’ll ensure that customers have a good app experience. As app development experts, our team at Uplancer has identified reasons why you’ll need app maintenance after your app is launched:
1. App Maintenance Patches Bug-Related Issues
Many of our client partners believe all apps should be bug-free post-launch and get upset when any bug is found. Don’t get me wrong; every app should be heavily tested before its production release. However, specific scenarios can’t be replicated through Quality Assurance. Even with many users testing your app, it only takes one user to use it differently to flag a bug. You can do all the planning in the world, building out all the edge cases ever, and still miss issues that your end-users report.
You may think you won’t launch your app until you’ve tested it with 100, 1000, or more users. In theory, this is a great idea, but it’s impossible to uncover all possible bugs. Apple and Google limit the number of users for testing, and they are aware that you can’t catch everything before launching your app. With this bug-free mentality, you’ll soon realize your app may never launch!
2. It Patches Device Related Issues
Whether your app is built for mobile, desktop, or both, these devices will periodically release updates. Some of these updates will not impact your app, while others will destroy the full user experience: layout may be affected, or even worse, your app and certain functionality may not work at all. Your app needs to be prepared for this. A maintenance team can help triage upcoming device updates and update accordingly to prevent issues from happening.
3. App Maintenance Resolves Cloud Services-Related Issues
Today, many apps are built using cloud providers, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. These providers will periodically release updates to their cloud services. You must ensure these updates don’t impact your app’s functionality. And if they do, you’ll need to update and maintain your app accordingly. For example, if your cloud provider decides to update their encryption, you may find that your app no longer displays images correctly and user access is blocked. There are many reasons why these updates are needed, and without proper maintenance, your production environment is at risk of not working.
4. Maintenance Addresses Scaling Issues
Sometimes, you’ve got so many users that you won’t even know what to do. This is an excellent problem to have, but this puts a ton of strain on your app server. You may start to notice that actions that once took a split second to execute now take a couple of seconds. These seconds start compounding, and eventually, they will frustrate your users. Eventually, this frustration results in users leaving your platform. With routine maintenance, you’ll have a pulse on your app performance and can scale your cloud services accordingly to maintain a consistent app experience.
5. It Fixes API-Related Issues
If your app pulls and transmits data, you’re likely using APIs. Example API use cases could be pulling sports data, aggregating data into a CSV, and collecting transaction data from a bank. On the API provider side of things – DraftKings, Google Sheets, and Bank of America are a few examples – they will update their APIs periodically for things like security, performance, and new features, and it is your job to keep up with them on your app. Otherwise, you’ll be spending resources on APIs that won’t function.
6. Maintenance Patches Code Library-Related Issues
There’s a good chance that at least one library was used to build your app. When that library has a critical update or is no longer supported on a particular device, you’ll need to figure out how to address those changes. Additionally, requirements for app store submissions, such as iOS privacy manifests, may even force your app to update your libraries to the latest versions! An app maintenance team will listen to these updates and can update your app accordingly so the functionality isn’t impacted.
7. App Maintenance Handles Change Requests
In software development, change requests refer to any change in your app. That may take form through updating the app copy, swapping out images, changing the layout on the UI, and enhancing your app’s current features. Change requests can be made often, and if you listen to the voices of your customers, you may end up with a massive backlog of work. By having a maintenance team, they can help you prioritize what’s important from that list and take on some of the work.
8. It Handles Ad Hoc Requests
This one will sneak up on you from time to time. If you’re a funded app, looking for funding, or are making significant decisions about what’s next for your app, you may need to pull custom reports and data. An example of this is a report that shows who your largest customer is and how many active and inactive users are on the platform. Another example could be reporting the number of active users in January because of a marketing campaign launched that month. There will always be something that your current app can’t report, and it is something a maintenance team can help you retrieve.
9. Maintenance Patches AI and ML Algorithm Issues
We’ve all heard of ChatGPT and how AI is used everywhere. On the backend, a lot is going on and is continually changing. As a result, these AI models need to be revisited constantly because new data may improve your model’s accuracy. You won’t know, though, unless you test it. Whatever the case, your model must be maintained within your app, and a maintenance team can help!
The Bottom Line / TLDR
It’s crucial to remember that app maintenance must begin post-launch to ensure a positive user experience. Without it, issues can arise from bugs that slip through testing, device updates that alter layouts, and changes in cloud services that disrupt functionality. Additionally, app maintenance can help scale your app according to the number of users and maintain data flow when using third-party APIs. Regular app maintenance will also allow user change requests and updates for AI and ML algorithms to make it into production.
Connect with Uplancer today for a free consultation on maintaining your app!
Disclaimer: App maintenance only covers existing features within your application. It does not cover building out new features. Enhancements to your working app should be treated separately from app maintenance.
