Operation
04.04 Continuous

Maintenance & Updates

Operating systems, libraries and store requirements move. Software nobody maintains ages quietly.

  • Dependencies
  • Store requirements
  • Security

How it works

Maintenance is the least popular line in any quote and the one whose absence costs most.

What comes up regularly

Security updates for the libraries in use. New operating system versions that change behaviour. Store requirements demanding a target SDK or new privacy declarations. Certificates and keys that expire.

How we do it

In small steps, regularly, with the tests from the build phase as a safety net. An update that passes the suite is a matter of minutes. Fifty backed-up updates at once are a week’s project with an uncertain outcome.

Security

We track advisories for the libraries you actually run. Anything critical goes in promptly rather than at the next scheduled round.

What you see of it

Little, and that is the point. You get a short summary of what changed and why. When maintenance becomes visible, something has usually already been left undone.

What we need from you
  • A small, fixed budget per month. Maintenance in bursts costs more than maintenance in passing.
  • A contact for sign-off when an update affects how something is used.
What you get

Software that runs on current devices and systems, with the state of its dependencies documented.

If you skip this

Apple and Google regularly require new minimum versions. Leave it untouched for two years and the update is no longer an afternoon but a project — and until then your app may drop out of the store.

Questions about this step?

A conversation costs nothing and takes half an hour. Afterwards you will know whether we are a fit.