How Can I Tell If My App Building Platform Is Safe?

Choosing a platform to build your mobile app means trusting that service with your business data, your users' information, and often your entire digital presence. The problem is that many app building platforms look professional on the surface but have serious security weaknesses hidden underneath, and by the time you discover these issues (sometimes through a data breach or service failure), it's often too late to protect yourself or your users without significant cost and disruption.

Platform security isn't just about protecting data, it's about protecting your reputation and your ability to operate your business without interruption.

After building apps for over a decade, I've seen businesses lose customer data, face regulatory fines, and even shut down entirely because they chose a platform without properly checking its security standards. The reality is that most people focus on features and pricing when selecting an app building platform, but security should be the first thing you evaluate... because a single breach can cost you tens of thousands of pounds in fines, lost business, and damage control.

Check What Security Certifications The Platform Actually Has

Security certifications tell you whether independent experts have checked the platform's security practices and found them acceptable. Look for ISO 27001 certification, which shows the platform follows proper information security management practices, or SOC 2 Type II compliance, which means auditors have verified their security controls over time.

The thing is, many platforms will mention security on their website without having any real certifications to back up those claims. When I evaluate a platform for clients, I always ask to see the actual certification documents, not just a logo on the homepage (learned that the hard way after a client chose a platform that displayed certification badges they didn't actually hold). This is similar to how you should decode warning signs in developer portfolios - claims need verification.

• ISO 27001 - Information security management standard
• SOC 2 Type II - Security and availability controls audit
• PCI DSS - Required if handling payment card data
• GDPR compliance certification - Shows proper data handling for UK and EU users
• Cyber Essentials Plus - UK government-backed security standard

Some platforms might be too small to afford expensive certifications but still have good security practices. Ask them about their security policies, data encryption methods, and whether they conduct regular security testing. A platform that takes security seriously will happily discuss these topics in detail, whilst one that doesn't will give vague answers or try to change the subject.

Look At How The Platform Handles Your User Data

Your app will collect information about your users, from email addresses and names to potentially sensitive data like health information or financial details. The platform you choose will have access to all of this data, so you need to understand exactly what they do with it, where they store it, and who else might be able to see it.

I worked with an education client who discovered their previous platform was storing student data on servers in a country with weak privacy laws, which violated their contractual obligations to parents. They had to move everything to a new platform and notify thousands of families... not a conversation anyone wants to have. Understanding the real cost of ignoring user consent helps put these compliance requirements in perspective.

Ask the platform where their servers are physically located and whether your data stays in the UK or EU. GDPR requires proper safeguards for data transferred outside these regions, and platforms that store data in the UK generally face stricter oversight.

Read the platform's privacy policy carefully, particularly the sections about data sharing and third-party access. Some platforms reserve the right to use your data for their own purposes like training algorithms or marketing to your users, which creates both privacy concerns and competitive risks.

Test If The Platform Keeps Its Software Updated

Software vulnerabilities get discovered constantly, and platforms need to patch these security holes quickly to keep your app safe. A platform that's slow to update or ignores security patches will eventually expose your app to attacks that could have been prevented. This is particularly critical when considering cross-platform security frameworks, which often have more complex update requirements.

You can check how seriously a platform takes updates by looking at their security announcement page or changelog. Good platforms publish regular updates and clearly communicate when they've fixed security issues. They should be updating their core software at least monthly, with critical security patches applied within days of discovery.

Warning Signs Of Poor Update Practices

When I review platforms for security, I look for several warning signs that suggest they're not keeping up with necessary updates. If the platform is still using old versions of databases, programming languages, or frameworks that are no longer supported, that's a major red flag (I've seen platforms running PHP versions that were officially end-of-life years ago).

How To Check Update Frequency

Ask the platform how often they deploy updates and what their process is for handling urgent security patches. A professional platform will have a clear schedule and emergency procedures. They should also notify you before major updates that might affect your app, giving you time to test and adjust if needed. Just as you should test features before adding them to your app, platforms should thoroughly test their updates.

Check whether the platform forces updates or lets you stay on old versions indefinitely. Staying on outdated versions might seem convenient, but it leaves your app vulnerable to known exploits that attackers actively scan for.

Find Out Who Really Owns Your App Code

This might surprise you, but some app building platforms claim ownership of the apps you create on their service, or at least parts of those apps. This means you might not be able to move your app elsewhere without rebuilding it from scratch, and you could face legal issues if you try to use similar features on a different platform.

Understanding who owns your code and data before you start building can save you from being trapped with a platform that no longer meets your needs or poses security risks you can't escape.

I've helped businesses who wanted to leave platforms after security concerns arose, only to discover they didn't own their own code and couldn't export it. They had to rebuild their entire app on a new platform at huge expense, losing months of development time. This is one area where trademark clearance for mobile app developers becomes crucial to protect your intellectual property rights.

Read the platform's terms of service carefully, particularly sections about intellectual property and ownership. Look for phrases about licensing, derivative works, and what happens to your app if you stop paying for the service. Some platforms give you a licence to use the app they've built but retain underlying ownership.

The best platforms give you complete ownership of your app and data, with clear rights to export everything if you choose to leave. They might retain ownership of their core platform code (which is reasonable), but anything specific to your app should belong to you.

See How The Platform Deals With Payment Information

If your app accepts payments, the platform needs to handle card details and financial information securely. This is one of the most regulated areas of app development, and getting it wrong can result in hefty fines and loss of your ability to process payments. Understanding security features like card controls gives you insight into the complexity of payment security.

The safest approach is when the platform never touches payment card details at all, instead passing users directly to a certified payment processor like Stripe or PayPal. This is called payment tokenisation, and it means sensitive card details go straight from your user to the payment company without passing through your app or the platform.

If the platform does handle payment information, they need PCI DSS certification. This is a set of security standards specifically for organisations that process card payments. Ask to see their PCI compliance documentation and check which level they're certified for (Level 1 is the highest and most stringent).

Be wary of platforms that want you to handle payment security yourself. Unless you have significant technical expertise and budget for compliance, this will likely cost you far more than choosing a platform with proper payment security already built in.

Check If The Platform Has Had Security Problems Before

A platform's security history tells you a lot about how seriously they take protecting your data. Every platform will eventually face security challenges, but what matters is how they respond, how quickly they fix issues, and whether they're transparent about what happened. You can learn more about common threats by reviewing enterprise app security threats that affect businesses.

Search for the platform's name along with terms like "data breach", "security incident", or "vulnerability". Look at security websites like CVE Details or Have I Been Pwned to see if the platform has had reported vulnerabilities. Check tech news sites and forums where developers discuss platform issues.

Set up a Google Alert for the platform's name combined with "security" so you'll be notified if any security issues get reported whilst you're using their service.

1. Search security databases for reported vulnerabilities affecting the platform
2. Check how quickly the platform fixed any past security issues
3. Look at whether they notified users promptly and honestly about problems
4. Read their security incident response policy to understand their procedures
5. Ask the platform directly about their security incident history

Don't necessarily rule out a platform just because they've had security issues in the past. What matters more is how they handled those issues. A platform that discovers a vulnerability through their own security testing, fixes it quickly, and notifies affected users is actually more trustworthy than one claiming to have never had any security problems (because every software has vulnerabilities, the question is whether they find and fix them proactively).

Understand What Happens If The Platform Shuts Down

App building platforms sometimes go out of business, get acquired by other companies, or shut down unprofitable services. When this happens, you need to know whether you can keep your app running and whether you can get all your data out safely.

The worst scenario is when a platform shuts down suddenly without giving users time to export their data or transition to another service. I've seen this happen to smaller platforms that ran out of funding... users logged in one day to find their apps simply stopped working with no warning. This is one reason why understanding the hidden costs of mobile app ownership is so important - you need contingency plans.

• Ask whether you can export your complete app code and database
• Check what format data exports come in and whether it's usable elsewhere
• Find out how much notice they'll give if they plan to close the service
• Look for any guarantees about data availability if the company is sold
• Understand whether your app will keep working or stop immediately if you stop paying

Larger, established platforms are generally lower risk than newer ones, but size doesn't guarantee permanence. Look for platforms that have been profitable for several years, have diverse revenue sources, and ideally are backed by stable funding or parent companies.

Some platforms offer source code escrow services, where your app's code is held by a third party and released to you if the platform fails. This can be worth paying extra for if your app is business-critical.

Review The Real Cost Of Platform Security Failures

When evaluating platform security, you need to think beyond just the immediate risk of a data breach and consider all the potential costs that could hit your business if security fails.

The financial impact of a security breach extends far beyond the technical costs of fixing the problem, touching everything from regulatory fines to lost customer trust that can take years to rebuild.

GDPR fines can reach up to £17.5 million or 4% of your annual turnover, whichever is higher. The Information Commissioner's Office has issued fines ranging from a few thousand pounds for small businesses to millions for larger organisations. Even if you're not directly responsible for the breach because it happened at the platform level, you're still the data controller in most cases and can be held liable.

Direct Financial Costs

Beyond regulatory fines, you'll face costs for notifying affected users (which is legally required within 72 hours of discovering a breach), providing credit monitoring services if financial data was exposed, and potentially compensating users who suffered losses. Legal fees can run to tens of thousands as you respond to investigations and potential lawsuits.

Operational And Reputational Damage

The harder costs to measure are often the most damaging. Users who lose trust in your app will delete it and tell others about their experience. Acquiring new users might cost you 3-4 times more than before as you fight negative reviews and press coverage. Some businesses never recover their previous user numbers after a significant breach. Understanding why users stop sharing your app becomes even more critical when rebuilding after security incidents.

I worked with a healthcare app that suffered a data exposure due to their platform's misconfigured database. The direct costs (notification, legal, fines) came to about £85k, but they lost roughly 60% of their users over the following six months and it took them nearly two years to rebuild trust and return to their previous user base.

Conclusion

Evaluating platform security isn't about finding a platform with zero risk, because that doesn't exist. It's about understanding the specific risks each platform presents and deciding whether those risks are acceptable for your app and users. A platform might be perfectly secure for a simple content app but completely inappropriate for one handling health records or financial transactions.

The platforms that respect your questions about security and provide detailed, honest answers are generally the ones worth trusting. Those that dodge questions, provide vague reassurances, or seem annoyed that you're asking are showing you exactly how they'll behave if a security problem actually occurs.

Take your time with this decision. The few extra days you spend evaluating platform security properly could save you months of problems and thousands of pounds in costs down the line. Your users are trusting you with their information when they download your app, and choosing a secure platform is the first step in honouring that trust.

If you're building an app and want help evaluating whether your chosen platform meets proper security standards, or if you need guidance on any aspect of app development, get in touch with us and we'll be happy to share what we've learned from a decade of building secure, reliable apps.

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