When your company invests in a custom app, you’ll be given the option of subscribing to an app maintenance plan. While you might view this as an optional add-on —app maintenance is essential to keeping your app functional and secure.
Rather than viewing it as an extended warranty, think of app maintenance like the subscription model used by cloud services: a continuous process that ensures your app evolves alongside new technologies and remains aligned with your business needs.
Whether for business process apps used by your teams, or customer-facing solutions, maintaining your apps is an absolute necessity.
At Big Fish, we’ve identified ten key dangers of neglecting app maintenance. Be sure to consider them carefully before deciding on a plan for maintaining your app.
10 Dangers of Saying No to App Maintenance
1. Crashing Apps Impact Critical Operations
Apple and Google release major updates to their operating systems each year, which can disrupt how your business apps function. These updates are designed to improve functionality and introduce new features, but they can also cause existing apps to crash or malfunction.
At Big Fish, we ensure that the apps we maintain are tested and updated against pre-release versions of these updates. This allows us to catch potential issues before they affect your users.
2. Outdated Security Leaves Your Business Vulnerable
In 2024, cybersecurity threats are more sophisticated than ever, especially for business apps that handle sensitive data, from customer records to financial transactions.
While new versions of iOS and Android include critical security patches, apps that aren’t updated leave your company exposed.
An app maintenance plan ensures that your app is equipped with up-to-date security protocols and patches —critical for protecting your business reputation.
3. Accumulating Technical Debt is Increasingly Expensive to Pay Down
Every app accrues technical debt over time. Technical debt includes unaddressed bugs, outdated code or old frameworks that haven’t been updated.
This debt might not be noticeable immediately, but it compounds, making future updates and improvements more time-consuming and costly.
Without regular maintenance, technical debt can reach a point where new features become difficult to implement and performance suffers. A maintenance plan ensures technical debt is paid down over time. This allows your app to grow and adapt more quickly.
4. Third-Party Integrations Fail, Disrupting Your Workflow
Business apps often rely on third-party services for crucial features, such as ERP systems, payment gateways and cloud-based storage. As these third-party providers update their APIs or services, your app must stay compatible.
An app maintenance plan ensures your app continues to integrate smoothly with these external systems. Without it, you risk downtime, broken integrations and major disruptions in your business processes.
5. Lack of Performance Data Means Problems Go Unnoticed
An app maintenance plan includes performance monitoring that tracks how your team interacts with the app and identifies potential issues before they affect your business. This data can answer questions, such as:
- How many people are downloading and using the app?
- Which app features are most-used, least-used?
- Are there any crashes, and when are they happening?
Performance monitoring provides insights that drive continuous improvement, helping you keep your business competitive. Without this data, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to improve.
6. Incompatibility with New Devices Slows Employee Efficiency
As businesses and users adopt new devices—whether smartphones, tablets, or specialized hardware—your app must work across all of them. Failing to maintain compatibility can result in lost productivity.
Imagine employees getting the latest iPhone, only to find your app’s interface broken or key features unusable. App maintenance ensures smooth operation across new hardware, enabling your workforce to stay productive.
7. Stale Features Limit Your Competitive Edge
The pace of technological change is relentless. What was innovative a few years ago might now be standard—or outdated. Without regular updates, your business app risks falling behind, limiting your ability to stay competitive.
For example, AI, new automation tools, reporting dashboards, or other integrations could be essential to getting the most out of your investment. A maintenance plan ensures your app stays with the times, continually evolving to meet your company’s changing needs.
8. Lagging UX and Accessibility Impact User Satisfaction
In the business world, user satisfaction directly correlates with productivity. If the interface is clunky or outdated, employees spend more time figuring out how to use the app rather than completing tasks. Worse, if the app doesn’t meet modern accessibility standards, you could be limiting who can use it effectively.
Regular maintenance ensures that your app is optimized for user experience, keeping your employees efficient and satisfied while meeting accessibility standards that support a diverse workforce.
9. Out-Dated App Store Presence Affects Business Credibility
Your app’s last update date can reflect your company’s commitment to staying current and reliable. Prospective partners and clients may view an app that hasn’t been updated in years as a red flag.
Keeping your app updated makes a statement about your company’s commitment to continuous improvement. An app maintenance plan ensures your public-facing technology assets always reflect this commitment to excellence.
10. Brand Perception and Trust Erode Without Regular Updates
Your business app is an extension of your brand. If it isn’t regularly updated to meet industry standards or user expectations, it can damage your company’s image. A poorly functioning app might lead clients, partners, or employees to question your commitment to quality.
A well-maintained app, on the other hand, projects professionalism, reliability, and innovation. By regularly updating features, design, and performance, you ensure your brand remains strong in a competitive market.
Final Thoughts
Investing in a custom app is a long-term commitment, and choosing an app maintenance plan ensures your app stays secure, functional and relevant.
While app maintenance is critical, it’s worth noting that businesses with strong internal IT resources may opt to handle maintenance in-house.
If this is not the case, relying on an external partner like Big Fish ensures the expertise and consistency required to keep your app running smoothly.
