What happens after the release of a mobile app?

Sometimes clients think that releasing the app is the end of cooperation with the software house. But it’s definitely not. The truth is that after a web or mobile app is published, there comes the time for support and maintenance. The app is constantly updated. As a customer, you can also choose another path — further app development. If you plan to make further changes and you have an idea, you can continue to collaborate and implement new features. So, the release can also be just closing one stage of development before another starts. Sometimes it’s important to launch the app as soon as possible because users are waiting for it and then develop further to show new features in next updates. Of course it’s your decision on what happens after the release of a mobile app of yours but here are some ideas on how to make that decision.

For ease of reference, I have divided the article into three sections: for everyone, i.e. what you need to consider and focus on once the app is published, a product support and maintenance scenario and a further development scenario. 

Things you need to take into account

So let’s say your mobile app is released and running. One important thing to do is monitor its performance. Do users like it? Do they download it a lot? Has it proved to be useful and viable? What rates does it get? No matter what was your plan before the release, you should check if it can be implemented. So if you planned to develop the mobile app further from the very beginning (especially if it’s an MVP) you need to know if such an action actually has a chance to be profitable. You should be careful, prepare for that very well and monitor its performance once it’s released. One good advice is to listen to the users of your mobile app and take their feedback into account all the time.

No matter which path you take, if you use the help from a mobile app development company, you’re still involved in the process. No decisions concerning features or designs can be made without your opinion.

Marketing

It’s also essential to take an interest in marketing when it comes to your product. Marketing is actually important in every kind of business. Why would it be less necessary here? 

When the mobile app is launched on App Store and Google Play you should find ways to promote it and encourage users to download and use it. It’s very important to let people know that your mobile app exists and might be useful for them. This is where App Store Optimization (ASO) comes in handy. It’s the process of improving app visibility within the mobile stores and increasing their conversion rates. The higher the visibility of your mobile app, the more downloads you get. Different activities, like changing your app’s name and icon, help to encourage users to click through your app. 

Then the users can give reviews and rates on mobile stores and let you know what features you could change and add or delete from the app. Mobile apps also have different rates from people who have issues with their devices or operating system. Don’t get too much involved. You can’t take care of all the problems the users have. Respond and apply to the feedback that has the potential to be useful in planning the app's future. 

Keeping the application running — maintenance

This is my first scenario: if you don't think about development, after the release the app will be supported and maintained. What does this mean? The team stays with you to make the necessary updates, make sure there are no bugs and monitor app performance. It is not an additional activity. Support and maintenance are included in the contract. It’s a standard operation after the release of the mobile app. 

The functionality of your app is checked at all times. The developers and quality assurance specialists check the performance of the product and give feedback. So are you. You should be able to check the statistics concerning the app downloads, number of active users, users’ opinions. I’d highly recommend creating accounts and fan pages on social media also to get the feedback from users. Having access to this network will give you insight on how to improve your solution. And that’s the purpose, right? 

Updates

If the performance is satisfying, it’s enough just to keep your ear to the ground and update the mobile app regularly. Updates are essential to meet users’ expectations after the release. They’re done to provide users with convenience and joy. Every update makes your solution more up-to-date, modern, user-friendly. So it also makes users know that you really care about them. As the User Experience and User Interface increases, people will be more happy to use your app and more likely to recommend it. And that’s all you need for your business to grow. 

So it doesn’t matter if your app was created in Flutter, native or hybrid, you have to keep it updated as long as it has users and it’s profitable. 

For example, in cooperation with company Onoco, we keep reading ratings from users on mobile stores and developers take time to answer them. We discuss it with our client and draw conclusions on what needs to be changed. Then, in each update new features come and errors are fixed. All to keep users satisfied and happy to use the app.  

Further app development

Second scenario would mostly be for those who created MVP or had planned before to develop the app further. It’s not a bad idea to release the app as soon as possible with the minimum set of features and then develop it further. You can find some hints on whether to develop the MVP in your current situation or not here.

Depending on what your preferences and expectations are, you have two options. You can develop the product in the same company where it was created or hire someone else to do it. This mostly depends on whether you were satisfied with the cooperation or not. Because if everything was fine, it’s better to stick with the same agency. They already have the experience with this particular project. This team has the data needed to create or improve the right solution for you. 

But if the collaboration was rather bad for you, there’s no point in working with them anymore. With good code and documentation you can always go to a different mobile app development company. However, do it right this time and pick the one that will meet your expectations. Here you’ll find some hints concerning changing the partner in mobile app development.

Make your mobile app a real success 

If you have the means and a good idea then go with it and develop your app so it’s even more useful and enjoyable for users. Hearing your app’s users right will lead you to get information about how to improve the performance of your product. They are the ones to be happy here. Enhance the UI and UX, take all the advice from the team into account and start analyses for new features. The best way to take up the functionality of your app is to answer the end users’ requirements. Doesn’t matter if you get the information from the users network through social media, mobile stores or simply talking. What matters is the result. 

So just care about your audience and make your business stand out on the market. 

No matter which option you choose, it’s always important to track your users' behaviour to make your app finely-tuned for them. Learn how to gain users’ reviews and opinions here. Targeting your audience with Firebase can also be helpful in this topic.