Mobile App Maintenance Outsourcing | iOS and Android

Last updated: November 11, 2026

A mobile app is never finished. Every year Apple and Google release new operating system versions, change store policies and raise minimum API levels, while third-party SDKs, payment providers and backend services change underneath the app. Without continuous maintenance, crash rates rise, reviews fall and sooner or later the store blocks updates. 360 Soft provides mobile app maintenance and development outsourcing from Istanbul: a team that keeps your iOS and Android apps compatible, stable and secure, and continues to ship improvements under agreed service levels.

Mobile App Maintenance and Development Outsourcing

What mobile app maintenance outsourcing is and who needs it

Mobile app maintenance outsourcing means handing the ongoing care of an existing app to an external team with defined scope, response times and reporting. It suits companies whose original agency has moved on, product teams that want their in-house developers to focus on new features, and businesses whose app is important but does not justify a full internal mobile team. We work with native apps (Swift, Kotlin), cross-platform apps (Flutter, React Native) and the APIs behind them. Teams range from a single developer to 200+ people and can work remotely, on-site or hybrid.

Scope: OS cycles, store compliance, stability and development

Area	Typical tasks
OS and device compatibility	Testing on new iOS and Android betas, fixing breaking changes, supporting new screen sizes and devices
Store compliance	Google Play target API level updates, App Store review guideline changes, privacy manifests, data safety forms, account deletion requirements
Stability and performance	Crash and ANR monitoring with tools such as Firebase Crashlytics or Sentry, root-cause fixes, start-up time and memory optimisation
Dependencies and SDKs	Updating libraries, analytics, push notification, payment and map SDKs; removing deprecated APIs
Security	Dependency vulnerability checks, certificate and key management, secure storage, OWASP MASVS-oriented reviews
Releases	Build pipelines (CI/CD), versioning, staged rollouts, store listing updates, release notes
Feature development	Small and medium enhancements, A/B tests, UI improvements, integration with new backend services
Backend and API support	Maintaining the APIs and admin panels the app depends on

Standards and regulations

Mobile apps must follow the platform rules of Apple and Google, which change several times a year. On the data side, apps processing personal data of users in Türkiye fall under KVKK, apps used in the EU or UK under the GDPR and UK GDPR, and sector apps may have additional requirements, for example banking and payment rules or health data rules. Accessibility expectations (WCAG-based) are increasingly part of contracts, and the European Accessibility Act applies to many consumer apps in the EU. Local rules in the buyer’s country always apply, and we align our work with your compliance requirements.

Delivery models

Maintenance retainer: a monthly hours bucket for compatibility, fixes and small changes, with agreed response times.
Dedicated mobile team: iOS, Android or cross-platform developers, QA and a team lead working only on your product.
Managed service: 360 Soft owns stability, releases and store compliance under SLAs.
Project-based: a defined scope such as a major OS upgrade, a rewrite to Flutter or a redesign.

Process

Assessment: code review, build reproducibility, dependency and SDK inventory, crash data, store warnings and open issues.
Proposal: scope, team, delivery model, SLAs and a prioritised technical backlog.
Onboarding: access to repositories, store accounts, monitoring tools and backend; knowledge transfer from the previous team.
Stabilisation: fixing the most frequent crashes, updating outdated dependencies, meeting pending store deadlines.
Continuous maintenance: regular release cycle, OS beta testing, monitoring and monthly reports.
Improvement: features, performance work and UX improvements according to your roadmap.

SLA and KPIs

Targets are agreed per app during assessment. The table lists common indicators, not promised results.

KPI	Description
Crash-free users / sessions	Share of users or sessions without a crash, tracked per release
ANR rate (Android)	Application-not-responding events, a factor in Play visibility
Response and resolution time	By priority, for example critical production issues versus minor bugs
Store compliance deadlines met	Target API, policy and SDK deadlines handled before the cut-off date
Release frequency and lead time	How often and how quickly changes reach users
Store rating trend	Average rating and review sentiment over time
Regression rate	Bugs reintroduced by new releases

Pricing factors

We do not publish prices; we quote after the assessment. The main cost drivers are:

Factor	Effect
Number of platforms and apps	iOS, Android, tablets, wearables and white-label variants add effort
Technology and code quality	Legacy code, missing tests or outdated frameworks require stabilisation first
Release frequency	Frequent releases need more QA and pipeline work
Response times and coverage	Extended hours or 7/24 on-call increase cost
Backend responsibility	Including APIs and admin panels broadens scope
Compliance requirements	Banking, health or public sector apps require more security work

In-house, freelancer or outsourcing

Criterion	In-house	Freelancer	Outsourcing (360 Soft)
Continuity	Risk when a developer leaves	High risk	Replacement process and documentation
Skill coverage	Limited to the people you hire	Usually one platform	iOS, Android, cross-platform, QA, backend
Scalability	Slow	Limited	From 1 to 200+ people
Accountability	Internal	Individual	SLA-based contract

Mobile App Maintenance and Development Outsourcing — overview

Risks and mitigations

Knowledge loss: documentation of architecture, build and release steps from day one.
Store account risk: accounts and signing keys stay owned by you; we work with delegated roles.
Regressions: automated tests, QA on real devices and staged rollouts.
Missed deadlines: a compliance calendar tracking OS releases and store policy dates.
Vendor lock-in: code in your repositories, standard tools and an exit plan.

Security, data protection, NDA and IP

Staff sign NDAs; access uses your accounts with MFA and least privilege. We sign a B2B service agreement with IP assignment, so all code and assets belong to you. For EU, UK and international clients we sign a GDPR data processing agreement with Standard Contractual Clauses (UK IDTA where relevant); for Turkish data a KVKK-compliant agreement. Test data is anonymised where possible.

Illustrative scenario: a target API warning in Google Play

Illustrative scenario: a retailer’s Android app receives a Play Console warning that it must target a newer API level before a deadline, otherwise updates will be blocked. The original agency is no longer available. Our team reviews the code, updates the build tools and outdated SDKs, fixes permission and background-task changes required by the new API level, tests on a device matrix and releases through a staged rollout before the deadline. Afterwards the app moves to a monthly maintenance retainer with a compliance calendar. This example illustrates the approach and does not describe a specific client.

Provider selection checklist

Experience with both iOS and Android, native and cross-platform
A clear process for OS betas and store policy changes
Crash monitoring and reporting included in the service
CI/CD and staged rollout practice
QA on real devices, not only emulators
Store accounts and signing keys remain under your ownership
IP assignment, NDA and GDPR/KVKK data processing terms
Replacement process and documentation
Ability to scale for larger feature projects

Frequently asked questions

Can you take over an app built by another agency?

Yes. We start with an assessment of code, build process, dependencies and crash data, then plan knowledge transfer and stabilisation.

Which technologies do you support?

Native iOS (Swift, Objective-C), native Android (Kotlin, Java), Flutter and React Native, plus the APIs and admin panels behind the app.

How do you handle new iOS and Android versions?

We test on beta versions, fix breaking changes early and release compatible versions before the public OS release where possible.

What about Google Play target API requirements?

We track the deadlines in a compliance calendar and update the target API level, SDKs and permissions in time.

Do you also develop new features?

Yes. Maintenance retainers can include small enhancements, and dedicated teams can deliver larger features.

Who owns the code and store accounts?

You do. Code is in your repositories, IP is assigned to you, and store accounts and signing keys stay under your control.

How do you monitor stability?

With crash reporting tools such as Firebase Crashlytics or Sentry, plus monthly reports on crash-free users, ANRs and open issues.

Can you provide 24/7 support for critical apps?

Yes. On-call or 7/24 shift coverage can be agreed for business-critical apps.

How fast can you start?

Typically within 1–2 weeks after approval and access set-up.

What is the smallest engagement?

A monthly hours bucket for maintenance. You can scale to a dedicated team later.

How do you protect user data?

Through NDAs, least-privilege access, anonymised test data and a GDPR or KVKK data processing agreement.

Contact

Tell us about your apps, platforms, current issues and upcoming store deadlines, and we will propose an assessment, team and maintenance model. Call or WhatsApp us on +90 850 335 10 87, write to info@360-soft.com, message us directly on WhatsApp, or use the form on our contact page. 360 Soft Marketing Yazılım ve Danışmanlık Ltd. Şti., Nidakule Ataşehir Batı, Barbaros Mah. Begonya Sk. No:1 D:2, 34746 Ataşehir/İstanbul.

Türkçe: Türkçe sürüm