You’ve probably heard the saying, “Build it and they will come.”
Unfortunately, with mobile apps, it’s rarely that simple.
You have worked with a game development company to craft a highly interactive, visually rich app. Maybe it’s for entertainment. Maybe it’s for e-learning or customer engagement. Game dev firms often bring exceptional skill in storytelling, animation, and user engagement—skills that can make any kind of app more intuitive and fun to use.
So the app launches. You feel good about it. Downloads pick up. But a few weeks in, things start to shift. Some users report glitches. A few bad reviews trickle in. Your team is scrambling to fix small bugs before they turn into big problems.
This is where the real challenge begins.
You Built the App. Now What?
Here’s the thing: building an app is just the beginning. It’s like buying a car if you don’t service it, it won’t last. That’s where mobile app maintenance services step in.
Think of maintenance as your app’s checkup. It’s where things get patched, improved, and kept in sync with changing platforms like iOS and Android. These services keep your app fast, secure, and useful to the people relying on it.
A few things maintenance typically includes:
- Fixing bugs that pop up after launch
- Updating code for OS compatibility
- Rolling out new features as your users give feedback
- Monitoring performance and crash reports
- Keeping third-party tools and APIs current
No one wants to download an app that crashes or lags. That’s how users disappear. Fast.
Why Apps Fall Apart Without Ongoing Support
Apps aren’t static. The phones they run on change. User expectations shift. Competitors release updates. If your app doesn’t grow with those changes, people move on.
You might be thinking:
“Do I need to spend more after development is done?”
Short answer: yes, if you want the app to stay useful.
It’s like this:
- No updates? Your app may stop working on newer phones.
- No fixes? Those reviews will start hurting your App Store visibility.
- No performance tweaks? Expect bounce rates to spike.
Small maintenance costs today can prevent huge losses later.
Building with the Long Game in Mind
If you haven’t started building your app yet, great. You still have time to plan for the full cycle, not just the launch. If you’ve already launched, it’s not too late to shift your focus.
Some of the smartest companies do two things:
- Budget for 12 months of post-launch maintenance from the start.
- Set up monthly or quarterly reviews to evaluate performance, gather user feedback, and plan improvements.
Apps that live long and thrive tend to follow this cycle:
- Build
- Launch
- Monitor
- Improve
- Repeat
Choosing the Right Development Team
If you’re still looking for developers, consider teams that understand more than just code. A game development company might surprise you—they often bring a level of polish and creativity that traditional app developers overlook.
These teams work daily on engagement. They think about attention spans. They know how to use animations and feedback loops in a way that keeps users interested. Even non-gaming apps benefit from that kind of mindset.
Ask the team questions like:
- What happens after the app is launched?
- Do you offer support for bug fixes or OS updates?
- How do you handle user feedback and feature rollouts?
If their answers don’t include any plan beyond delivery, that’s a red flag.
What Ongoing Support Really Looks Like
Here’s a simplified version of a typical maintenance plan:
Monthly:
- Bug fixes based on crash reports
- Minor UI tweaks
- Server health checks
Quarterly:
- Compatibility updates (for new devices or OS versions)
- Feature enhancements based on user feedback
- Performance optimization
Annually:
- Full audit of codebase and user data trends
- Major feature release or redesign if needed
Depending on your app’s scale, maintenance might cost 15–25% of your original development cost per year. So, if your app cost $40,000 to build, you’d likely spend $6,000–$10,000 per year to keep it running well.
But What If You’re a Startup?
If you’re bootstrapping, you may not have the budget for a full-service maintenance team.
Here’s what you can do instead:
- Prioritize stability in your MVP (minimum viable product)
- Work with a developer who builds with maintenance in mind (clean code, good documentation)
- Set aside at least a basic buffer for emergency bug fixes
And—this one’s big—don’t try to ignore user feedback. People are quick to share what they love and what they hate. Make a habit of reading reviews, checking analytics, and replying to support tickets.
Real-World Wins: A Quick Example
A small Toronto-based business created a quiz-based learning app for kids. They worked with a game dev team because they wanted a playful, game-like feel.
The launch went well, but the real success came from what they did next:
- They patched small bugs within 48 hours of getting the first few reviews.
- They added a “daily challenge” feature based on parent feedback.
- They rolled out new content monthly to keep kids coming back.
Within six months, the app went from 1,000 to 30,000 users and had a 4.8-star rating. That didn’t happen just because they built a good app—it happened because they kept improving it.
A Few Final Thoughts
Let’s be honest: apps don’t magically stay relevant. They need care. Attention. Adaptability.
If you’re investing time and money into an app, don’t stop at the launch. Think beyond it. Whether you start with a game development company or another team, what matters most is what you do after the release.
Keep improving. Keep listening. Keep updating.
That’s how apps grow. That’s how they last.
