3 reasons to regularly update your mobile application

A mobile application is like… alive. Once created, it must be maintained and updated.
These updates will not only allow to integrate new features, but especially to optimize it and to correct bugs and performance defects that it may encounter.
Here are some necessary explanations.

1. The update of its mobile application is essential

Once created and launched, the mobile application will evolve every day through the uses that are made of it and the technical evolutions.
First of all, the use of this application by its users will reveal dysfunctions, or even problems in the experience.
Without necessarily being blocking, this type of bug is frequent in the experimentation of a mobile application, as the ways of using it or the supports differ so much (screen size, operating system, type of smartphone, ..).
In spite of an important testing (pre-launch phase consisting in making sure that the application works properly), it is regular that some dysfunctions appear under the use of hundreds or even thousands of mobile users.
We gave a few ways to work in this direction in two articles that we recommend you to discover: “Mobile application: these reasons that push your users to install another application” & “How to optimize the visibility of your application on the App Store and Google Play?

In addition to these “experience issues”, other “more technical” bugs can be encountered, notably due to the technical-technological evolution of devices and operating systems.
A regular watch is then necessary to know and anticipate the evolutions that could disrupt the proper functioning of its mobile application, and create a strong dissatisfaction of very volatile users. A single iOS or Android update may be enough to cut your application of a functionality, or even of its general operation.
This “curative” maintenance work is essential to the proper functioning of the application and to respect the development hours spent to design it.
By creating it, you now have the duty to keep it up to date and to make it accessible to all your users as soon as it is launched.

2. The update of its mobile application is profitable

Besides being indispensable, the second “feature” of the update is its positive impact on your entire application.
This update will allow you to evolve the content and integrate new features to continue to surprise and bring value to your users. These developments can breathe freshness into your value proposition and revitalize the interest of a fringe of your most interested mobile users.
The very fact of updating your application is also a perfect communication context to invite a dormant old user base, or new ones who have not yet taken action, to take action.

You can prepare a communication campaign around a major (evolutionary) update, offering an important new feature, and which can act as a recruitment campaign for new mobile users.

In a similar idea, don’t forget that updating your application regularly has a positive impact on your “score” in the different stores.
This is effectively proof that it’s still building and hasn’t been released without any follow-up behind it. Valuing a support and a growth ambition, it is a signal taken into account by Android or iOS and that will participate in the work of natural referencing in-store.

3. The update of its mobile application is strategic

As discussed in the two main parts above, this update is strategic. But, like any strategy, it is necessary to correctly frame and implement it.
To make the most of this update, you have to communicate on it, but be careful not to disturb your community. Indeed, to want to do too much, we often end up obtaining the opposite results of those we hoped.
It is therefore important not to make too many updates, which would imply a download on the client’s side, and which could therefore bore him or call into question the credibility of the application.
So, think about building an update plan (except for the critical ones) that will allow you to spread out their implementation (and therefore their cost and impact) while controlling the communication that is done.
This point highlights the need for all your teams to work together: developers, integrators, communicators, “content creators”, and ultimately the users.

Also read : The 8 best softwares to develop a mobile video game

Where designing and developing a “proper” mobile app is a real obstacle course, one must keep in mind that the finish line will never be crossed. Living and evolving, the mobile application must be maintained and improved to continue to seduce and therefore exist through the devices of your customers.
If you want to design a mobile application, or dig into the subject of maintaining your application, you can contact our best mobile designer-developers on Coder.com.