Releasing app updates and maintaining your app at the top spot in the app store and play store is an important post-development process. However, it is often neglected and many app owners believe that by the end of the deployment the process is finished, but this is not it! Updates like adding new features, fixing bugs, and alterations in UI/UX are important to stay ahead of your competition and to keep your app active on the app store and play store

First! Why does your app need support and maintenance?

After the app development process is complete, the app is tested on multiple devices by different test users to check the functionality, UI/UX, and overall performance of the app. But still, this testing is limited and real issues are generated when hundred of users start using the app.

Different people use the apps on different kinds of devices, with different internet connections, and in different locations. These are the circumstances when the app is really tested and bugs roll out. This is where your post-support service team comes in handy! You can focus on app updates only when its operations and performance are absolutely functional! Therefore going through this mass testing phase is crucial before we move on to the next update phase of the app

What are updates?

So the next question! what are updates? Updates are any minor or major changes in a mobile app that are used to enhance its performance. An update can include fixing a bug, adding a new feature, or, changing the framework of the app. Any modification that is done to the app after its first version is available life, can be counted as an update. Makes sense?

Why updates are important

Updates are important due to multiple reasons which include:

1. To bring new features to the app

2. To fix bugs in the app found through its performance

3. To avoid becoming obsolete

4. To meet customers’ expectations

5. To avoid getting kicked out of the play store/app store

Let’s discuss these points in detail

1. New features

Features can be an important thing to add to your app to keep your audience’s interest maintained. Users get bored of seeing and using the same functionality and after a while, they are looking for a more interesting feature. Take WhatsApp’s example, after every few months they add something as little as emojis in their app to ensure users’ interests, and it works! Similarly, to keep the customer’s interest in your app, you need to keep adding new features or introduce new UI/UX tweaks

2. Bug fixes

Once the user base of the app increases and multiple people all around the world start using the app, some functionality errors, data loading speed issues, or random erratic behavior may be exhibited by the mobile app. These problems can be defined as bugs in the mobile app and can occur because of development or design mistakes. If your mobile app has a major bug then it would not be approved by the app/play store in the first place. But minor bugs can occur based on usage

These bugs should be resolved before they take a critical form and the app starts to crash or damage the user experience. Besides this, bug fixing is important to prevent any inconvenience that the customers of the app may face during their use.

3. Don’t become obsolete

A part of updating your mobile app means keeping up with the latest technology and not becoming obsolete. If you are planning to develop an app then you should be equipped with the latest development languages and frameworks so your app complies with the current iOS and android versions. In some cases, your app may have to be completely redesigned to meet the requirements of the latest iOS and android versions and to easily release updates. Always choose a professional development company for redesigning your app so it can be done efficiently

4. Meet customer’s expectations

As I have stated earlier, humans have the tendency to become quickly bored with the same mundane features and layout of the app. In order to meet your customer’s expectations, you need to constantly update and add exciting new material to your apps. This means adding new features or major changes to the UI. Facebook newsfeed used to look a lot different 5 years ago than it looks today, Why? Because it updated the design to keep its users excited, and that’s exactly what a customer base is looking for from your app. Agreed?

5. Don’t get kicked out of the Play/App store

Most people might be unaware of the fact that iOS and Android update their operating systems every year. And with these updates, they stop supporting many applications because of their outdated technology or if they become irrelevant. In this scenario, the App store or Play store will remove your app from their platform.

Your app can also be removed if it fails to meet app/play store criteria of updates or if they see inactivity in the app. A warning is given to the app owner before their app is removed, but if there is still no action taken after the warning, then they simply take off your app from their platform. To avoid losing your app like this, regular updates should be released

How often should the apps be updated?

As you now realize the importance of releasing updates, the next important question is to figure out how often you should update your app, and what could be the cost for it.

I am just about to answer this! As far as the timing goes, you can follow this pattern:

The updates that are based on client feedback and quantitative data can be released once a month. It can become challenging but it is the best practice

New feature releases can be interesting and can be added as frequently as you have good ideas, but their comprehensive testing should be performed before release. So releasing one or two features in a month is the best approach

Bug fixes release is something of utmost importance since it can halt the entire functioning of the app, so big fixes should be done every two weeks

Cost: The cost for support and updates can not be decided since it is totally dependent on the agreement between the customer and the contractor. Usually, the development company that undertakes the development and deployment of the project provides support and initial bug fixing, but other companies can also take over this procedure and the price is then decided accordingly

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If you are looking for a trusted development company to build your mobile app or web app, free free to contact Alphasquad Technologies. Stay tuned for more interesting blogs!