---
title: "iOS App Maintenance & Updates — Develak"
description: "iOS app maintenance by Develak: updates for every new iOS release, bug fixes, crash monitoring, dependency upgrades and App Store compliance for your app."
url: https://develak.com/services/app-maintenance/
language: en
updated: 2026-09-27
source: Develak
translations:
fr: https://develak.com/fr/services/maintenance-application-ios.md
---
Canonical page:
# iOS app maintenance that keeps your app current
Develak maintains iOS apps after launch: updates for every new iOS and Xcode release, bug fixes, crash monitoring, dependency upgrades, App Store compliance and new features. We maintain our own catalogue of 34 apps the same way, and we also take over apps built by other teams.
[Start a project](https://develak.com/contact/) [Explore our apps](https://develak.com/apps/)
- iOS updates
- Bug fixes
- Crash monitoring
- Compliance
- New features
## Why does an iOS app need maintenance?
An iOS app is never finished. Apple ships a major iOS version every year, new devices and screen sizes appear, Xcode and the App Store raise their requirements, and APIs get deprecated. An app nobody maintains slowly breaks, slips in search results and collects poor reviews.
Maintenance keeps the app healthy: compatibility with each new iOS, crash and bug fixing, dependency updates, privacy and App Store policy changes, and the small improvements users ask for. It is also where much of an app’s growth happens, through regular, well-prepared releases.
We maintain our own apps continuously, so the yearly iOS cycle is routine for us. Our [App Store submission checklist](https://develak.com/blog/app-store-submission-checklist/) sums up what Apple checks on every update.
### At a glance
- **Service**: Ongoing maintenance of iOS apps
- **Covers**: iOS updates, fixes, crashes, dependencies, compliance
- **Format**: Ongoing partnership, sized to your roadmap
- **Takeovers**: Apps built by other teams are welcome
- **Tooling**: Xcode, TestFlight, App Store Connect
- **Our practice**: 34 apps of our own, maintained in production
Guides to go further
- [App Store submission checklist](https://develak.com/blog/app-store-submission-checklist/): Guide
- [SwiftUI vs Flutter vs React Native](https://develak.com/blog/swiftui-vs-flutter-vs-react-native/): Guide
## What iOS app maintenance covers
Preventive work, quick fixes and steady improvements — in a single plan.
- **New iOS & Xcode releases**: We test your app on each iOS beta, fix what changes and adopt new features when they help your users.
- **Bug & crash fixing**: Crash reports and App Store reviews monitored, issues reproduced and fixes shipped.
- **Dependency & SDK updates**: Swift packages and third-party SDKs kept current — or removed when an Apple framework does the job better.
- **App Store compliance**: Privacy manifests, required-reason APIs, new review guidelines and SDK requirements handled in time.
- **Performance & stability**: Launch time, memory, battery and responsiveness reviewed as the app and its data grow.
- **Small features & improvements**: Regular improvements based on user feedback, shipped in predictable, tested releases.
## A year in the life of an iOS app
Apple’s calendar sets the rhythm: betas in June, a new iOS in September, point releases through the winter. Here is what we do at each step.
- Jan – Mar — Features from your roadmap
- Apr — New SDK required
- Apr – May — Rebuilt with the new SDK
- Jun — WWDC · iOS betas
- Jun – Sep — Tested on the betas, updated for the new iOS
- Sep — New iOS
- Oct – Dec — iOS x.1 and x.2
- Oct – Dec — Fixes and new APIs
- Jan – Dec — Crash reports, reviews and App Store compliance, all year
- **Ahead of September**: We build and test your app on the iOS betas all summer, so the changes it needs are known before the new iOS reaches your users.
- **Apple’s deadlines, handled**: Each spring Apple raises the SDK required for new uploads, and privacy and review rules keep moving. Your app stays eligible.
- **Quiet months, used well**: Between iOS releases, the time goes to crash reports, reviews and the features on your roadmap.
## Who needs an app maintenance plan?
Any app with users. The only question is how much maintenance, not whether.
- **Apps built by someone else**: Your developer moved on or your agency closed. We take over the code and get it back into shape.
- **Growing apps**: Your app has traction; you need steady releases without hiring a full-time iOS developer.
- **Business‑critical apps**: Your customers depend on the app. It has to keep working with every new iOS release.
## What you receive
A healthy app, a clear release history and no surprises at the next iOS update.
[Start a project](https://develak.com/contact/)
- Regular, tested releases on TestFlight and the App Store
- Compatibility with each new iOS version
- Crash and bug fixes
- Up-to-date dependencies and SDKs
- Privacy and compliance updates
- Release notes for every version
- Technical notes kept up to date
- A roadmap of recommended improvements
## How we maintain your app
From the first audit to a steady release rhythm.
1. **Audit & takeover**: We review the code, build setup, dependencies, crash reports and reviews, and list the risks by priority.
You get: Prioritized risk list
2. **Stabilize**: Urgent fixes first: crashes, build warnings, outdated SDKs and anything that would block a submission.
You get: Stable build
3. **Plan**: We agree on a rhythm: preparation for each iOS release, fixes and a short list of improvements.
You get: Release rhythm
4. **Release**: Tested builds on TestFlight, then App Store submission with clear release notes.
You get: Tested release
5. **Monitor**: Crashes, reviews and App Store Connect metrics watched between releases, with a summary of what changed.
You get: Change summary
## The maintenance toolkit
Apple’s own tools, used every day on our catalogue.
[The full toolbox](https://develak.com/about/#tech)
- **Xcode**: Builds, new SDKs and migration tools.
- **TestFlight**: Every build tested before release.
- **App Store Connect**: Crashes, reviews and release management.
- **Xcode Organizer**: Crash logs, hangs and energy reports.
- **Instruments**: Performance, memory and battery profiling.
- **Swift Package Manager**: Dependencies kept current.
- **Privacy manifests**: Required-reason APIs declared.
- **Swift concurrency**: Safer, modern asynchronous code.
## Apps we keep improving, release after release
Our own catalogue is maintained continuously. The version numbers and update dates below come live from the App Store:
[See all 34 apps](https://develak.com/apps/)
- **[Pillio](https://develak.com/apps/pillio/)**: Pill Reminder & Tracker
Version 1.6.0, updated August 10, 2026
Health · iPhone · Rated 4.5 out of 5 from 89 ratings
- **[SimplyTask](https://develak.com/apps/simplytask/)**: To-Do & Reminder
Version 1.9, updated June 6, 2026
Productivity & Utilities · iPhone
- **[Xlocalize](https://develak.com/apps/xlocalize/)**: Localize xcstrings
Version 1.5.1, updated August 15, 2026
Developer Tools · Mac
- **[Appviary](https://develak.com/apps/appviary/)**: App Sales Dashboard
Version 1.3, updated August 22, 2026
Developer Tools · Mac
## App maintenance: your questions
What app owners ask before handing over maintenance.
**Ask your question** Not covered here? Write to us — we answer every message ourselves.
[contact@develak.com](mailto:contact@develak.com)
### How much does iOS app maintenance cost?
It depends on the size of the app and on how often you want to release. After an initial audit, Develak sizes a recurring plan to your roadmap, so you pay for the work your app actually needs.
### Can you take over an app built by another developer or agency?
Yes. We start with an audit of the code, build setup, dependencies and crash reports, fix what is urgent, then continue with regular maintenance. We need access to the source code repository and to your App Store Connect account.
### What happens to my app when Apple releases a new iOS version?
Most apps keep running, but some features can break, look out of place or trigger new warnings. We test your app on the iOS betas Apple releases after WWDC each June, fix issues before the public release — usually in September — and adopt new features when they add value.
### Why update an app that works?
Because the platform moves. Apple periodically requires apps to be built with recent SDKs and introduces new privacy rules, and older dependencies stop compiling. Regular updates also show users that the app is alive, and let you answer their feedback.
### How fast do you fix a critical bug?
Critical issues — a crash at launch, broken purchases, a rejected update — always come first. The expected response is agreed when we set up your plan, because it depends on your app and your users rather than on a one-size-fits-all promise.
### Does maintenance include new features?
Yes, small ones. Maintenance plans usually mix preventive work with small improvements; larger features are scoped separately so they never crowd out essential updates.
### Do you maintain Mac apps too?
Yes. Develak publishes and maintains its own Mac apps, Xlocalize and Appviary, alongside its iPhone and iPad apps.
## Related services
[All services](https://develak.com/services/)
### [iOS app development](https://develak.com/services/ios-app-development/)
Native iPhone and iPad apps in Swift and SwiftUI, built end to end and released on the App Store.
### [App Store Optimization](https://develak.com/services/app-store-optimization/)
Keyword research, titles, screenshots and localized metadata that help people find — and download — your app.
### [App localization](https://develak.com/services/app-localization/)
Your interface, App Store listing and screenshots translated and adapted for each market, with String Catalogs.
## Keep your app in great shape
Tell us about your app and how it is maintained today. We’ll suggest a plan that fits.
[Start a project](https://develak.com/contact/) [contact@develak.com](mailto:contact@develak.com)
---
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