What Is Mobile App Maintenance?

Mobile app maintenance is the ongoing work of keeping an iOS or Android app working, secure and accepted by the App Store and Google Play after launch. It includes updating the app for new operating system versions and store requirements, fixing crashes and bugs, updating libraries and SDKs, maintaining the backend and APIs the app depends on, and releasing updates through both stores.

Codersarts provides mobile app maintenance services for native iOS and Android apps and cross-platform apps built with React Native, Flutter, Expo or Ionic, together with the backend, database and APIs behind them. One team looks after the app, the server and the store releases, so nothing falls between a mobile developer and a hosting company.

Mobile App Maintenance at a Glance

Who Mobile App Maintenance Is For

• Founders and businesses whose app is live in the stores but has no developer looking after it

• Companies whose app agency or freelancer has moved on

• Product teams that want their developers on new features while maintenance runs separately

• Owners of older apps that have not been updated for a year or more and are at risk from store deadlines

Why Mobile Apps Need More Maintenance Than Websites

A website runs on your server, so you decide when it changes. A mobile app runs on millions of devices you do not control, and is distributed through stores with rules you do not set.

• Annual operating system releases. Apple and Google ship major iOS and Android versions every year, often changing permissions, background limits and user interface behaviour

• Store build requirements. Apple requires new uploads to be built with a recent Xcode and SDK, and Google Play requires apps to target a recent Android API level

• Third-party SDK changes. Payment, login, analytics, maps, push notification and advertising SDKs release breaking changes and retire old versions

• Device variety. New screen sizes, foldables and chipsets surface layout and performance problems

• Backend dependency. If the API or database behind the app fails, the app fails, even though the app itself has not changed

• Users cannot be forced to update straight away. Several app versions run at once, so the backend must stay compatible with older releases

Store Requirements You Cannot Skip

Missing a store deadline does not crash your app on the spot, but it blocks updates, and Google Play can limit who can install it.

Requirements change every year, so we track the published deadlines for your apps and schedule the work months in advance.

Signs Your App Needs Maintenance Now

• You received a warning email from Apple or Google about SDK targets, policies or data declarations

• The last release was more than a year ago, so the app was built with tools the stores no longer accept

• Crash complaints or poor reviews mention a new phone or operating system version

• Login, payments or push notifications stopped working after a provider changed its SDK or certificates expired

• Nobody can build the app because the original developer left or the build machine is gone

• The backend is slow or failing, and users see blank screens or endless loading

Each of these gets harder and more expensive to fix the longer it waits.

What Our Mobile App Maintenance Services Include

The Annual Mobile Maintenance Calendar

Mobile maintenance follows a predictable yearly rhythm. We plan around it so updates are never rushed.

1. Early summer: Apple and Google publish beta versions of the next iOS and Android releases. We test your app on the betas and list what needs to change.

2. Summer: We update SDK targets, libraries and permission handling, and test on the latest devices.

3. Late summer: Google Play's yearly target API deadline arrives. Your update is already published.

4. Autumn: New iOS and Android versions reach users. We watch crash reports closely and release fixes quickly.

5. Winter and spring: Apple's yearly Xcode and SDK requirement takes effect for uploads. Your next release is already built with the required tools.

6. All year: Crash fixes, dependency updates, backend maintenance and small improvements.

Crash Monitoring and Stability

Users rarely report crashes; they uninstall. We set up crash and error reporting with tools such as Firebase Crashlytics or Sentry, then track:

• Crash-free users and sessions for every release

• The crashes affecting the most users, fixed first

• Application Not Responding (ANR) rates on Android, which Google Play uses when deciding app visibility

• Slow app starts and frozen frames that make the app feel broken even when it does not crash

• API errors from the backend that show up as blank screens or failed actions in the app

Cross-Platform Apps: React Native, Flutter and Expo

Cross-platform frameworks save development time, but they add one more layer to maintain. Framework upgrades can require native code changes, and third-party packages may stop being maintained. We keep the framework version current, replace abandoned packages, and plan major upgrades, such as moving to the React Native New Architecture or a new Flutter major version, as scheduled work rather than emergencies.

Backend Maintenance for Mobile Apps

Most of what users experience as "the app is broken" is a backend problem. We maintain the API, database and server behind your app under the same agreement:

• Uptime monitoring and alerts for every API the app calls

• Backward compatibility so older app versions keep working while users update

• Database backups with a monthly restore test

• Scaling for traffic peaks after marketing campaigns or feature launches

• Security patches for the server, runtime and dependencies

If the backend is not yet on properly managed infrastructure, we set it up through our Go-Live Package or move it with Application Migration.

How We Take Over Maintenance of Your App

1. Access in your name. You give us access to your Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts, code repository and backend through team roles. Signing keys and accounts stay with your company.

2. Build check. We confirm the app builds from source and can be signed and submitted. Apps that cannot be built are the most common surprise after a developer leaves.

3. Review. We check SDK targets, libraries, crash history, store warnings and backend health, and list risks with upcoming deadlines.

4. Stabilise. We fix urgent crashes and compliance gaps you approve, and set up crash and uptime monitoring.

5. Monthly maintenance begins, following the yearly calendar, with a monthly report.

If your previous developer or agency has left, our Take Over Existing App process secures access and documentation first.

Mobile App Maintenance Compared With Other Options

How Much Does Mobile App Maintenance Cost?

Industry guides commonly estimate yearly maintenance at around 15 to 20 percent of the original development cost, with wide variation depending on app complexity, the number of platforms and how much backend work is needed. Store fees are separate: Apple charges $99 per year for a developer membership, and Google Play charges a one-time $25 registration fee.

Mobile App Maintenance Pricing

Monthly Mobile App Maintenance

Starting at $1,000 per month for one app on iOS and Android, business hours

• OS compatibility and yearly store requirement updates

• Crash monitoring and fixes

• Dependency and SDK updates

• Backend monitoring, backups and incident response

• Release management through both stores

• Fair-use engineering hours, confirmed after review

Add-ons

• Additional engineering: $50 per hour in business hours, with your approval

• 24/7 critical incident cover for the backend: $250 per month

• One-time Mobile App Security Audit before major releases or funding rounds

New features, redesigns and new platforms are quoted separately.

What Is Not Included

• Apple and Google developer account fees, cloud costs and third-party SDK subscriptions

• New features, redesigns or a new app for an additional platform

• App store optimisation and marketing

• Guaranteeing approval decisions made by Apple or Google, although we prepare every submission to meet their published rules

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep Your App on the Store and Running Smoothly

Tell us which platforms your app runs on, how it was built and when it was last updated. We will check it against upcoming store deadlines and recommend a maintenance plan.