For existing software
App Maintenance & Support
Ongoing technical support, performance monitoring, security updates and feature iteration to keep your product running well.
- Monitoring
- Security
- Updates
- SLA
What is app maintenance and support?
App maintenance and support is the ongoing work that keeps live software working: monitoring, fixing defects, applying security patches, keeping up with operating system and platform changes, and making small improvements. It is not the same as building new features.
Software decays even when nobody touches it. Phone operating systems update every year and remove things apps relied on, libraries get security advisories, app stores change their requirements, certificates expire and third-party APIs change. An app that was finished two years ago and left alone is usually not fine — it is untested against everything that has changed since.
What ABM provides
- Uptime and error monitoring
- Bug fixing with agreed priorities
- Security patches and dependency updates
- OS and platform version updates
- Performance reviews
- Small feature improvements
What can be built
- Uptime, error and crash monitoring with alerts
- Prioritised bug fixing against agreed response times
- Security patches and dependency updates
- iOS and Android OS-version compatibility updates
- Performance reviews and improvements
- Small feature changes and content updates
- Backup and restore checks
Who app maintenance and support is for
- Businesses without an in-house teamThe product is live, and there is nobody whose job it is to look after it.
- Teams whose developer has moved onThe person who built it is gone and nobody else knows the codebase.
- Products after launchThe build is finished and the real work of keeping it healthy is starting.
- Apps facing a platform deadlineA new OS version or a store policy change with a date attached.
How app maintenance and support works at ABM
- 01Take overWe read the codebase, get access to the accounts, and write down what exists — often the first time it has been documented.
- 02MonitorUptime, errors and crashes are instrumented so problems are detected rather than reported by users.
- 03TriageIssues are prioritised by impact, with agreed response expectations for each level.
- 04PatchSecurity and dependency updates on a regular cycle, not only when something breaks.
- 05ImproveSmall, steady improvements to the things that annoy your users most.
- 06ReportA regular summary of what happened, what was fixed and what is coming.
Technologies and integrations
The exact stack is chosen per project and agreed with you in writing before development starts. These are the tools and categories we work with for app maintenance and support.
Monitoring
- Uptime checks
- Error and crash reporting
- Performance monitoring
Security
- Dependency updates
- Security patches
- Certificate and key renewal
Platforms
- iOS and Android releases
- App Store and Google Play policy changes
- Hosting and infrastructure updates
Process
- Prioritised issue tracking
- Release management
- Regular reporting
When to choose app maintenance and support
- Your product is live and used by real people.
- Nobody currently gets an alert when something breaks.
- Dependencies and OS versions have not been updated for a while.
- You need a known route for reporting a problem and getting it fixed.
When something else fits better
- App Audit & RecoveryYou do not yet know the state of the codebase. An audit first tells you what maintenance would actually involve.
- Software DevelopmentWhat you need is substantial new functionality, not upkeep.
- App Maintenance & SupportYou want an ongoing arrangement covering a whole product rather than one-off fixes.
Where app maintenance and support usually fits
Related services
Questions
App Maintenance & Support: common questions
What does app maintenance include?
Monitoring so failures are detected, fixing defects in priority order, security and dependency updates, compatibility work when operating systems or platforms change, performance checks, and small improvements. New feature development is scoped separately so that upkeep and change are not confused with each other.
Our app works. Why does it need maintenance?
Because its environment changes even when the code does not. Phone operating systems update annually and drop support for older interfaces, libraries get security advisories, app stores change requirements, certificates expire, and third-party APIs are retired. The usual result of leaving an app alone is a sudden, urgent, expensive fix.
Can you maintain an app somebody else built?
Yes, and that is a common starting point. It normally begins with an audit so that both sides know the state of the code before any commitment is made about response times.
How quickly are problems fixed?
Response expectations are agreed in writing per priority level before work starts, and depend on the arrangement. We would rather set expectations you can hold us to than advertise a number that means nothing.
Do we have to commit to a long contract?
Arrangements are agreed per product. Talk to us about what your app actually needs; if it needs very little, we will say so.
Thinking about app maintenance and support?
Send a short brief. We'll reply within one business day with a next step, or honest advice if we're not the right fit.