How Do You Plan for App Updates After Launch?

Most people think launching an app is the finish line—I mean, you've spent months building it, testing it, getting it through app store review. Its finally live and people are downloading it. Job done, right? Wrong. Actually, this is where the real work begins, and honestly, its one of the biggest misconceptions I see in this industry. The launch is just the starting point; what you do after launch determines whether your app thrives or becomes one of those forgotten downloads sitting in someone's phone gathering digital dust.

Here's the thing—apps aren't like websites where you can quietly update things in the background without anyone noticing. Every single update you push needs to go through app store review, needs to be carefully planned, and needs to consider users who might still be on older versions of your app. I've seen brilliant apps fail because the team had no plan for what came after launch. They burned through their budget on the initial build and had nothing left for updates, maintenance, or responding to user feedback. That's like building a shop and never restocking the shelves or fixing the door when it breaks.

Planning for app updates isn't an afterthought—it should be part of your strategy from day one, before you even write the first line of code.

The truth is, your app will need updates. Not might need them—will need them. Operating systems change, user expectations evolve, bugs appear that you never spotted in testing, and new features become necessary to stay competitive. Whether you're building a simple utility app or a complex fintech platform, post-launch planning is what separates apps that succeed from those that slowly fade into obscurity. And trust me, having a solid plan for app updates makes everything easier—budgeting, timeline management, keeping your users happy, and actually sleeping at night knowing you're not scrambling every time Apple releases a new iOS version.

Understanding the Reality of Post-Launch App Development

Here's what nobody tells you about launching an app—pressing that submit button to the App Store isn't the finish line, its actually more like the starting gun. I mean, I've watched clients celebrate their launch day with champagne and confetti, and whilst I'm always happy for them, there's a part of me thinking "right, now the real work begins."

The first few weeks after launch are honestly a bit chaotic; you're going to get user feedback you never expected, bugs are going to appear that somehow slipped through testing (they always do), and people will use your app in ways you never imagined. Its just the nature of releasing something to thousands—or hopefully millions—of real users. Your beautiful, carefully planned app is now in the wild, and users dont care about your development timeline or your original vision.

Most apps need their first update within 2-4 weeks of launching. That's not a failure, that's just reality. You'll be fixing issues, responding to user reviews, and probably adding small features that suddenly seem obvious once real people start using your product. And this pattern continues for months, sometimes years if your app is successful.

What Changes After Launch

Your priorities shift dramatically once you've launched. Before launch you were focused on getting features built and making sure nothing broke;after launch you're juggling multiple concerns at once:

• Responding to critical bugs that affect user experience
• Monitoring crash reports and performance metrics daily
• Reading user reviews and identifying common complaints
• Tracking which features people actually use (versus what you thought they'd use)
• Planning improvements based on real data rather than assumptions
• Keeping up with operating system updates from Apple and Google

The apps that succeed long-term are the ones that treat launch as the beginning of a relationship with users, not the end of a project. You're committing to ongoing improvement, regular updates, and continuous learning about what your users really need. That requires planning, budget, and a mindset shift from "building an app" to "running an app business."

Building Your Update Schedule and Timeline

Right, so you've launched your app—congrats! But here's the thing: that was just the beginning. Now you need to figure out when and how often you're going to update it, and honestly, this is where a lot of app owners get it wrong. They either update too frequently (annoying users with constant notifications) or not enough (letting their app stagnate whilst competitors race ahead).

I typically recommend a structured approach that balances three types of updates: minor fixes, feature updates, and major releases. Minor fixes—things like bug patches and small improvements—should go out every 2-3 weeks if needed. You don't want users living with annoying crashes or broken features for months. Feature updates, where you're adding new functionality or improving existing ones, usually work best on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule; this gives your development team enough time to build, test, and polish without rushing. Major releases (the big ones that might change your apps entire look or add substantial new capabilities) should happen 2-3 times per year at most.

But here's what really matters: your update schedule needs to match your resources. I've seen companies commit to weekly updates when they only have one developer working part-time. That's a recipe for burnout and poor quality releases. Be realistic about what your team can actually deliver, and build buffer time into your timeline because things always take longer than expected. When planning your ongoing development budget, factor in these resource constraints to avoid overpromising to your users.

Create a rolling 12-week roadmap that you review every month—this gives you enough planning visibility without locking you into decisions too far in advance. The app industry moves fast, and flexibility is more valuable than rigid long-term plans.

Also, think about seasonality. If you're an e-commerce app, you definitely don't want to push a major update during Black Friday weekend. Plan your bigger releases around quieter periods when you can properly monitor performance and respond to issues quickly. Its just common sense really, but you'd be surprised how many teams get caught out by poor timing!

Prioritising Features and Bug Fixes

Right, so you've got your update schedule sorted—but now comes the tricky bit. What actually goes into each update? I mean, you've probably got a list as long as your arm with feature requests from users, bugs that need fixing, and ideas from your own team. The question is: which ones do you tackle first?

Here's the thing—not all bugs are created equal, and neither are features. A bug that crashes your app every time someone tries to checkout? That's a drop-everything-and-fix-it situation. A cosmetic issue where a button is slightly off-centre on one specific device model? Yeah, that can wait. I use what I call the impact-versus-effort framework, which sounds fancy but is actually dead simple. You're basically asking two questions: how many users does this affect, and how long will it take to fix?

The Priority Matrix

Over the years I've found its helpful to categorise updates into four buckets based on urgency and impact. This keeps things clear when you're deciding whats next:

• Critical fixes—crashes, security issues, payment failures, anything that breaks core functionality
• High-value features—things your users are actively requesting that will improve retention or revenue
• Quality improvements—performance tweaks, UI polish, minor bugs that dont break the experience
• Nice-to-haves—experimental features, aesthetic changes, things that would be cool but aren't urgent

The honest truth? Your first update after launch should focus almost entirely on critical fixes and addressing any issues that users discover in real-world usage. You can't predict everything in testing—no matter how thorough you are. Once your app is stable, then you can start rolling in those shiny new features everyone's been asking for. But stability comes first, always. This is where proper maintenance planning and budgeting becomes crucial—you need resources allocated specifically for these priority fixes.

Managing User Feedback and Feature Requests

Right, so your app is live and people are actually using it—which is brilliant—but now you've got feedback coming in from everywhere. App store reviews, support emails, social media messages, and if you're really lucky, some angry tweets! The question isn't whether you should listen to user feedback (you absolutely should), its how you manage it without losing your mind or your budget.

Here's the thing; not all feedback is created equal. I've seen clients want to rebuild entire sections of their app because three users complained about a button colour. Three users! Meanwhile, there's a crash affecting 20% of Android devices that nobody's talking about because users just quietly uninstalled. You need a system to categorise feedback properly—bug reports go in one bucket, feature requests in another, and general moaning in a third (yes, that's a real category). This categorisation process is essential when you're allocating resources for app updates and maintenance.

Setting Up Your Feedback Pipeline

Start by choosing one place where all feedback gets collected. Could be a project management tool, a spreadsheet, or dedicated feedback software—doesn't really matter as long as everything ends up there. Every piece of feedback should get tagged with its source, priority level, and how many users have mentioned it. That last bit is key because when 50 people ask for the same feature, that's different from one person's pet peeve.

The users who take time to give you feedback are your most engaged customers, but they're also just one segment of your audience—don't let the loudest voices drown out the silent majority's actual behaviour in your analytics.

Deciding What Makes the Cut

Every quarter, review what you've collected and ask yourself: does this align with our apps core purpose? Does it benefit the majority of users or just a vocal minority? What's the development cost versus the potential impact? Sometimes the best answer to a feature request is "no, that's not what this app does"—and thats perfectly fine. Actually, it's more than fine; it's smart product management.

You'll also want to close the feedback loop. When you implement something users asked for, tell them! A simple "you asked, we built it" message in your update notes makes people feel heard and keeps them engaged with your app's development.

Planning Technical Maintenance and Performance Updates

Right, let's talk about the unglamorous side of app development—the stuff that keeps your app running smoothly but never makes it into marketing materials. Technical maintenance isn't exciting, I'll give you that, but ignore it and your app will start performing like a three-legged horse trying to win the Grand National.

Here's the thing—every app needs regular technical updates even if you're not adding new features. Operating systems change (looking at you, Apple), security vulnerabilities get discovered, and third-party services you depend on release new versions. I've seen apps break completely because they were still using authentication methods that got deprecated. Not a good look when your users cant log in.

Performance updates are a different beast altogether. Your app might work fine with 100 users, but what happens when you've got 10,000? Things slow down, databases get bloated, API calls take longer—basically everything that was acceptable becomes bloody awful. You need to monitor this stuff constantly, not just when people start complaining in reviews. This ongoing monitoring and maintenance is exactly why you need to plan your post-launch budget carefully from the start.

Key Areas for Regular Technical Maintenance

• Security patches and vulnerability fixes—these should happen as soon as they're available, not when its convenient
• Operating system compatibility updates—usually twice a year when iOS and Android release major versions
• Third-party SDK updates—payment processors, analytics tools, push notification services all need updating
• Database optimisation—cleaning up old data, improving query speeds, managing storage efficiently
• API improvements—reducing response times, handling errors better, caching where possible
• Memory leak fixes—apps that gradually use more and more memory until they crash need serious attention
• Battery and data usage optimisation—nobody wants an app that drains their phone in three hours

Actually, one of the most common mistakes I see is treating technical maintenance as optional. Its not. Schedule it just like you'd schedule feature development—maybe dedicate 20-30% of your development time to keeping things running properly. Trust me, fixing problems before they become emergencies is way cheaper than emergency fixes at 2am on a Sunday.

Coordinating App Store Submissions and Reviews

Right, so you've got your update ready to go—now comes the fun part of actually getting it into your users hands. And let me tell you, this process can be a bit frustrating if you dont know what you're doing. Apple's App Store and Google Play have very different review processes, and understanding both is key to planning your release strategy properly.

Apple's review process typically takes anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, though I've seen it go longer during busy periods (especially around major iOS releases when everyones submitting updates). Google Play is usually much faster—sometimes your app goes live within a few hours. But here's the thing—Apple's reviewers actually test your app, which means they might reject it for all sorts of reasons you didn't anticipate. I've had apps rejected for having placeholder content in screenshots, for referencing Android in the release notes (yeah, that happened), and once for a button that didn't do anything even though it was clearly labelled "coming soon".

Planning Your Submission Timeline

You need to build buffer time into your release schedule; if you promise users a feature will launch on Friday, submit to Apple at least a week before—more if its a major update with significant changes. For Google Play you can be more flexible, but still give yourself a few days cushion. One trick I use is submitting to Apple first, and once that's approved, I submit to Google Play so both platforms go live around the same time. Users notice when one platform gets updates before the other, and they aren't shy about complaining.

Common Rejection Reasons to Avoid

Most rejections come down to a handful of issues that are easily preventable if you know what to look for:

• Crashes during the review process—test on actual devices, not just simulators
• Broken links or incomplete features that you've mentioned in the app
• Privacy policy issues or missing data usage explanations
• Screenshots that don't accurately represent the current version
• In-app purchase problems or subscription flows that aren't clear
• Using private APIs or undocumented iOS/Android features

The metadata you submit matters too. Your release notes should be clear and written for actual humans, not just a list of "bug fixes and performance improvements" every single time. Users want to know whats new, what you've fixed, and why they should be excited about updating. I always write release notes that are specific—"Fixed the issue where the app would crash when uploading photos over 10MB" is much better than "stability improvements".

Always keep a version of your app ready to submit that fixes any critical bugs from your current live version. If you discover a major issue, you don't want to wait for your big feature update to go through review—submit a quick patch version immediately and get it out there fast.

One more thing—use phased rollouts when they're available (both stores offer this now). Start with a small percentage of users, watch for crash reports and negative reviews, then gradually increase the rollout if everything looks good. It's saved me from pushing out updates with major bugs to my entire user base more times than I'd like to admit. The app stores aren't going anywhere, so taking an extra day or two to make sure your updates smooth is always worth it in the long run.

Budgeting for Ongoing Development Costs

Here's what nobody tells you about app development costs—the launch is just the beginning. I mean, sure, you've spent your budget getting the app built and into the stores, but that's honestly just the entry ticket. The real ongoing costs? They can surprise even experienced business owners if they haven't planned properly.

From my experience working with clients across different industries, I typically recommend setting aside 15-20% of your initial development cost each year for maintenance and updates. So if your app cost £50,000 to build, you're looking at roughly £7,500-10,000 annually just to keep things running smoothly. That might sound like a lot, but its actually quite reasonable when you break down what needs doing. Understanding these ongoing app maintenance costs is crucial for sustainable app ownership.

This budget needs to cover several things: bug fixes that inevitably crop up, compatibility updates when Apple and Google release new operating system versions (which happens every year), security patches, server costs if you're storing user data, and any small feature improvements you want to add. And that's before we even talk about bigger updates or new features.

But here's the thing—these costs aren't fixed. A simple content app will cost less to maintain than a complex fintech application with real-time data and payment processing. Your specific needs will vary based on your apps complexity, how many active users you have, and how frequently you want to push updates. When you're planning your post-launch maintenance budget, consider these factors carefully to avoid unexpected expenses down the line.

I always tell clients to think of it like owning a car rather than buying one. You wouldn't buy a car and expect never to service it, right? Apps are the same—they need regular care and feeding to stay relevant and functional. The businesses that succeed with mobile apps are the ones who plan for this from day one, building ongoing development costs into their business model rather than treating it as an unwelcome surprise later on.

Measuring Success and Planning Future Versions

Right, so your app is live and you've pushed out a few updates. But here's the thing—how do you actually know if its working? I mean really working, not just "it hasn't crashed yet" working. After years of doing this, I've learned that measuring app success is less about vanity metrics and more about understanding user behaviour patterns; the numbers that actually tell you something useful about your apps health.

You need to track the metrics that matter for your specific app. Daily active users (DAU) and monthly active users (MAU) give you a sense of engagement, but the ratio between them is what's really interesting—it tells you how sticky your app is. Session length matters too, though what constitutes a "good" session varies wildly depending on whether you've built a banking app (short sessions are fine) or a gaming app (longer is usually better). And don't forget retention rates; I typically look at Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30 retention to see where users are dropping off.

The best apps evolve based on what users do, not just what they say they want

But honestly? Data without context is just noise. You've got to look at your conversion funnels, see where people are getting stuck, and understand why certain features get used whilst others get ignored. I use tools like Firebase Analytics and Mixpanel to track user journeys, but the real skill is knowing which patterns to look for. When you spot a drop-off in your onboarding flow, that's not just a number—its telling you exactly where your next update needs to focus. And when planning future versions, this data becomes your roadmap; it shows you what features to double down on and what to retire gracefully. This data-driven approach to updates is precisely why proper budgeting for ongoing app support is so important—you need resources to act on these insights.

Conclusion

Look—planning for updates after launch isn't something you do once and forget about. Its an ongoing process that needs to be part of how you think about your app from day one. I've seen too many developers treat launch day like its the finish line, when really it's just the start of a much longer journey. The apps that succeed are the ones that keep evolving, keep listening to their users, and keep adapting to changes in technology and user expectations.

Here's the thing; your first version will never be perfect. And that's okay. Actually, its more than okay—it's expected. What matters is having a solid plan for how you'll handle updates, how you'll prioritise what needs fixing first, and how you'll budget for the ongoing work that needs to happen. Because make no mistake, the work never really stops. You'll need to fix bugs that slip through testing, add features users are asking for, update for new OS versions, and keep your app running smoothly as your user base grows.

The most successful approach I've seen is treating your app like a living product rather than a finished project. Set up regular update cycles, create systems for gathering and processing user feedback, and budget for at least 15-20% of your initial development cost each year for maintenance and updates. Its not the most exciting part of app development but honestly? It's what separates apps that last from apps that get abandoned after six months.

And remember—every update is a chance to re-engage your users, show them you're actively improving their experience, and give yourself another opportunity to get discovered in the app stores. That's pretty valuable when you think about it. Your launch might be the beginning of your apps story, but its your updates that determine how that story ends.