Do You Need to Update Your App?
Little-by-little
Before we continue directly to the question of the app updates and their frequency, some things should be understood: not all changes or modifications to your product are caused by the extreme necessity "to polish" the finished product, just as it isn’t always caused by the changes in the market as a whole (here we do not mean the mobile market), and even the operating system. This statement is equally valid for both Android and iOS devices.
Often this is caused by the need to improve device or OS version support. We are trying to say that working perfectly on an older version of the OS, the program can fail even to start on a new one. Developers need to properly refer to this fact and ensure the relevance of the product permanently if you do not want to have your application in the back of the markets. These things are very critical for the business in general and for the individual brand in particular.
Operating systems are constantly improving, introducing new functionality (such as interface improvements) and "patching holes" - a legacy that often closes workarounds for disabling penetration into your device and stealing personal data.
Read also: How to market your app
Updates for apps
Analyzing the update strategy, we are talking about general examples, trying to popularize and simplify some points. We understand that every business and its processes are a unique phenomenon, so we provide some "abstract" facts, which indeed have a real justification - all this has been learned in practice on personal projects.
Well, now when we have shed light on some points, it is time to move on to more tangible issues and understand why it is necessary to make frequent updates for your applications and services.
• Showing frantic activity
Did you know that users are paying attention if their favorite applications have been not updated for a long time? In case this is accompanied by a great release and transition to a new operating system version which radically changes the entire user interface, it gets even more important. If you are not reacting to these changes quickly enough, the application will automatically become outdated and not stylish, it can scare not only new but also quite active users. At this point, your customers may wonder if it is worth cooperating with you, since it is not clear whether or not you are working at all.
• People like new things
People just love everything new, from icons and fonts to refining the design and adding new features or improving response of the program. In addition, this is an excellent opportunity to remind the client about yourself and show that you care, don’t forget to update the app and add new features.
Speaking of content, the more relevant information is offered your application, the higher becomes the loyalty of users who use your application. The loyal audience of one application is the almost ready base for your next product or service that does not need to attract new users "from scratch" because they will notice that you have developed something else. This will greatly save your time and money.
What do we have in the end? Frequent updates and actual content lead to a loyal audience that will support your next product provided that you build application functionality and keep listening to your audience.
• Bug fix
It's hard to say, but all developers (even such famous ones like Google and Apple) are updating their applications at this point too. No, not just because of a large number of bugs in their programs or errors in the code, but let's be honest with each other - applications are written by people and some of the errors may be present. After analysis and inspection of the code, developers are trying correct it. And it is remarkable, because in this case, we are committed to improvement and "perfect code". Customers will appreciate this approach.
• Security
With each new release, many developers boast security breach closure in their systems. In our opinion, this can be considered like one of the main reasons for the upgrade. Nobody would like if his data may be stolen or exposed to the network, right? The reasons for these corrections can be completely different, but in the context of this article we will not consider them, we leave this topic for another time.
Read also: Create winning push notifications strategy
Benefits of updating your app
Summarizing all the facts above, we note that frequent updates have beneficial effects on the overall assessment of the company:
• Deep integration with the system and other services (such as a "share" button to hack up info through social networks, or "show on map") allows you to reach a wider audience.
• Working on safety improvements and design (in this case, usability) will lead to a friendly mood with customers. They may start to trust your company more and feel your care.
Why do many users like to upgrades?
• Error and inaccuracies corrections. Your clients want to use an excellent, balanced and comprehensive application that will work flawlessly. Corrections help in achieving this goals.
• Improved performance and response of the app. At this point, you can look back again on the previous par., but with a small correction. Sometimes it is necessary to add new features and functions in your application so that it becomes more convenient and simple for the user. After all, the main purpose of the app development in this particular case is to make customer's life easier, achieve business goals and at the same time establish closer relations.
• User experience total improvement. It is important to ensure that the old content does not stagnate and do not interfere with the new one, if the search of one article takes hours, this application will not benefit anybody. In other words - improve your application.
And finally, a few words about the frequency of app updates, how often you need to update your application. It depends on how dynamic your content is, the width of your audience and its age/interests/preferences. But do not forget that your customers are not your experimentative, and will hardly tolerate the daily updates.
Much depends on the factors that most influence on the life and behavior of your customers: new operating system or hardware release, new trends in design and usability. A lot of things. But we here, in Erminesoft, love these challenges and are happy to help you solve this problem. Just leave a message and we will contact you lightning-fast!
Read also: How to find the best mobile app development company?
Conclusion
Today, the mobile market is growing fast and your application will have to compete with a large number of other software. Part of this may be competitors applications, part - an application-by-night. But all of this can hinder your growth and brand awareness, and for customers - to complicate the search.
It is worth noting that if you have decided to release the application, a difficult job for maintenance and support of your software product lay down on your shoulders, even if you are an individual freelance developer. If you want your users not to forget about you or your business, there is one way out - it is essential to constantly update your app.
