Mobile App Update Strategies: Why and How Often Should an App Be Updated?

Introduction

With mobile apps becoming a staple in everyday life and opening up endless opportunities for new streams of revenue for companies, more and more businesses are turning to mobile app development. However, many business owners make the mistake of thinking that they can take a backseat once their app is released. However, what they fail to realize is that building a mobile app is not a one-time process, and releasing regular updates is vital to drive continuous growth and scaling of their application. 

Because of ever-changing technology and audience needs, updating apps regularly has become essential to ensure that the apps remain relevant and successful for a long time.   However, without a solid and well-thought-out mobile app update strategy, businesses risk overwhelming users with excessive features, ultimately losing their competitive edge in a crowded market. By properly planning and executing a strategic app update, app owners can introduce innovative features and functionality to their app as well as showcase their commitment to delivering value to users. In fact, recent studies show that apps with consistent updates see a 75% increase in user satisfaction, highlighting the importance of app updates more than ever.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the essentials of mobile app updates, from understanding their significance to successfully planning and implementing them in your application. 

Understanding Mobile App Updates

Mobile app updates have long gone from being a luxury to a basic necessity of post-launch maintenance to keep your app relevant and engaging among the audience. A mobile app update is a linchpin in maintaining the functionality, security, and user experience of an application. In addition to that, these updates also ensure that your app remains compatible with the latest operating systems, fix bugs, and address security vulnerabilities that might put user data at risk. 

Beyond technical fixes, a mobile app update can also be used to introduce new features, enhance existing functionalities, and improve app performance to meet users’ evolving expectations. By regularly updating your app, you show that the app is actively maintained and encourages continued usage among your users.

While a mobile app update is a cornerstone for scaling your application, strategically planning and executing, it is essential to cut down the disruption among users and maximize its impact. In order to plan your strategy the right way, it is important to know all about app updates and their different types, and therefore, let’s examine them more closely below.

Types of Mobile App Updates

Mobile app updates can happen with various intensities, from trivial changes, such as fixing the bugs in your app and making minor performance optimizations, to major upgrades, like introducing new features and even updating the app’s interface. Based on the intensity, a mobile app update can be typically divided into two main categories: minor updates and major updates. By understanding the differences between these types, you can properly devise your mobile app strategies.

• Minor Updates

Small but significant improvements like bug fixes, performance optimizations, or slight adjustments to user interface elements are the minor updates that you can do to an app. They are usually released more frequently as they require less development time. 

• Major Updates

Major updates include significant changes like improving the functionality of the app, updating the existing design or introducing new features to keep your app fresh. While major updates should happen less frequently, they require more planning and development.

Also Read: Top Website Maintenance Strategy 

Why is It Essential To Update Your App?

With recent studies revealing that at least 50% of users expect their app to be updated once a month, regular app updates have become extremely vital for maintaining a strong user base and ensuring the long-term growth of your application. In fact, as per the latest Statista study, around 97% of mobile apps are being updated in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store every year. Here is a graph showing the frequency of mobile app updates in Google Play Store:

By keeping your app up-to-date with the right mobile app updates, you can ensure that it remains user-friendly and competitive in a fast-evolving market. Here are the main factors that substantiate why app updates are such an essential part of post-launch maintenance.

Maintaining Security and Fixing Bugs

With the risk of cyber threats increasing by the day and user data becoming more susceptible to breaches, it is important for you to regularly do a mobile app update, protect any confidential information of your users, address vulnerabilities in securities as well as fix bugs. This proactive approach can help mitigate potential risks and build trust and credibility among users. 

Improving the Overall App Performance

As technology evolves, new devices are constantly being introduced, and operating systems frequently roll out significant updates, which can impact how your app performs and decline its functionality. By updating your app according to these changes, you can make sure that it runs smoothly, enhances speed, reduces load times, and increases battery efficiency across all devices and software versions.

Enhancing User Experience

A mobile app update is a great way to refine the app’s user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) according to the latest industry standards and trends. Along with changes like simplifying navigation, improving design aesthetics, or adding new features, you can also listen to user feedback and their pain points to address them in your updates.

Gaining a Competitive Edge

In today’s era of cut-throat online competition, businesses must continuously introduce new innovations within their app to stay relevant. By updating an app with new features, design improvements, or integrations, you can differentiate your app from competitors and meet evolving user needs. Regular updates also signal to users that your app is actively maintained, fostering loyalty and encouraging long-term engagement.

Mobile App Update Strategies to Keep Your Application Fresh

Let’s face it: without a properly devised mobile app update strategy, updating your app could have little impact or even undermine the progress that you have already made. By developing a robust mobile app update strategy with careful planning and a structured approach, you will be able to not only align with the technical requirements but also go above and beyond by fulfilling user expectations. Below, we have broken down the mobile app update strategy into three parts: Planning and implementing, testing and releasing, and finally, the frequency of updates so that you can gain a clear understanding and create an effective mobile app update strategy.

Strategy 1: Planning and Implementing Mobile App Updates

Proper planning and execution are the two most important factors that can make or break your app update. If you are a business owner thinking about how to update apps, you should start by identifying and planning the features or elements you want to improve. You should identify the ongoing issues with apps that need to be updated, as well as how to bring about quality improvements that can enhance the user experience.

Technical Considerations

One of the core components during a mobile app update is the technical considerations, which include assessing how updates will impact the app’s performance across different devices, operating systems, and network conditions. When developing your update, you should ensure that it is compatible with the latest OS versions and third-party integrations so that the app functionality is not disrupted.

User Experience Considerations

Improving your user’s experience (UX) should hold a significant emphasis in your mobile app update strategy. By keeping user satisfaction in mind throughout planning for updates, you can make sure that you are improving rather than complicating the user journey. The end goal of any update is that you are offering new value to your users without overwhelming them with unnecessary changes.

Strategy 2: Testing and Releasing Mobile App Updates

Before releasing a mobile app upgrade, it is vital to conduct thorough testing to ensure that everything works as expected. By thoroughly testing beforehand, you can prevent issues like crashes, slow performance, or compatibility problems that could potentially frustrate the users. Proper testing with real devices and scenarios can make way for a smooth release strategy that significantly reduces the risk of errors.

Types of Testing

Before rolling out an update, rigorous testing must be carried out to guarantee optimal performance and a smooth integration of new features. This testing can be approached in several ways, including unit testing (to check individual components), integration testing (to ensure that different app parts work together), and user acceptance testing (to ensure that the app meets end-user expectations). In addition to this, you can also conduct performance testing to confirm that your application performs well under varying load conditions.

Releasing the Update

Whenever you are releasing a mobile app update, you should put a lot of thought into the right time. Before any major updates, inform your users in advance about what it entails and how it benefits them to increase their anticipation. A small tip while releasing updates is doing it during off-peak hours to minimize disruptions among users and ensure a smoother rollout.

Also Read: Evolution of testing and importance of Manual Testing in modern times.

Strategy 3: How Often Should an App Be Updated?

The timing and frequency of app updates play a pivotal role in maximizing the impact of your mobile app update. The frequency depends on several factors like the nature of your app, user expectations, the type of updates, and the intensity of the updates being released. If you update apps often, it will throw off the user experience and overwhelm them with unnecessary changes, leading to app abandonment. Hence, you should follow a well-paced mobile app update frequency so that your app stays relevant and functional.

Monthly App Updates

If your app requires regular performance improvements or small feature enhancements, monthly updates are your best bet. These updates should not only address minor bugs and security patches but can also make minor tweaks to the user interface without significant changes. This frequency will help keep the app fresh and provide optimal performance among users.

App Feature Release Updates

Are you unsure on how often you should introduce major updates like new features or enhancements? Considering the extensive testing frequency and the planning that is required for major updates, they should be released less frequently and more carefully. These feature updates are critical for keeping the app competitive in the market and meeting the evolving needs of users, but they should be properly planned ahead of time for adequate testing and error-free release.

App Update Based on User Feedback

It goes without saying that user feedback is a valuable source of information from which you can understand and identify where your application needs improvement. If your users report consistent bugs, request specific features, or highlight any issues with its usability, then the updates should be planned to address these concerns. 

App Update in Line with Your Milestones

You can align your mobile app update with key business milestones like rebranding or marketing campaigns to boost their overall success rate. These milestone-driven updates must be planned in advance in order to maximize their impact, and they should be aimed at supporting promotional efforts or business objectives. 

Update as the Market Trends and Conditions Change

Market trends and external conditions evolve rapidly, and they dictate the need for regular app updates so that your application stays competitive and continues to attract users without falling behind the competition. By proactively updating your application, you can ensure that it stays up to date with all the necessary technical advancements.

Also Read: Cost of Mobile App Maintenance in 2024 and Why It’s Important

Best Practices for Mobile App Updates – Infographic

Factors to Consider When Scheduling New Releases

When it comes to scheduling an app update, you need to be mindful of several important factors to ensure that the update goes smoothly and creates a positive impact on your business. Considering these nuances will not only help in crafting a proper strategy but will also facilitate a seamless release that maximizes the effectiveness of your app update. Below are the key elements to keep in mind when scheduling a new mobile app update.

• Regularly Reviewing User Feedback

By constantly hearing your users’ opinions and feedback about your application and updating accordingly, you can not only improve user experience but also enhance their satisfaction and build a strong trust among them. 

• Monitor Your Competitors

Analyze your competitors for gaps or opportunities where your app can stand out. A well-timed update that introduces features that your competitors lack can make your app the preferred choice.

• Staying in Tune with the Market 

Keep your app relevant to emerging market trends, as this increases its appeal to users. With users looking for new and exciting features and technologies in mobile apps, staying in tune with a mobile app update is indispensable in today’s world.

• Operating System Updates

Even if you miss out on other modifications, one update that you should not stay away from if you want to preserve the functionality of your app is optimizing for operating systems and their regulations. 

• Remove Unnecessary Features

Updating your app is not only about introducing new features. At times, you can also use analytics to identify which feature is not being utilized by users and remove it from your application altogether.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, a well-thought-out and strategic mobile app update can serve as a cornerstone for extending the app’s lifespan, retaining its users, and attracting new ones. By carefully planning updates, aligning with market trends, and prioritizing performance improvements, you can enhance user satisfaction and stay ahead of the competition. 

Looking for Expert App Updates and Post-Launch Support Services?

Are you searching for a trusted app development company to ensure your app is consistently updated and scaled effectively? Then, APPWRK IT Solutions is the ideal partner for you. As a leading app development and AI-driven digital transformation company, we have successfully completed more than 200 projects across various industries. 

For example, we recently launched the upgraded version of one of our projects, Rehab for Wrestling, a comprehensive rehabilitation app designed specifically for wrestlers, and have deployed them on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store which significantly benefited its owners and expanded their user base exponentially.

Contact us at APPWRK IT Solutions and schedule a free consultation with one of our experts today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What are updates? 

A: Mobile app updates are new modifications made to an application to improve its functionality, performance, and user experience. These updates can include fixing bugs, adding new features, improving security, optimizing the app’s performance, or ensuring compatibility with the latest operating systems and devices. By keeping apps updated, businesses can maintain user engagement as well as ensure a seamless experience with their audience.

Q: How do you update your apps?

A: Mobile app updates are made through the respective app stores (Google Play Store for Android and the Apple App Store for iPhone). The update process involves developers releasing a new version of the app, which is then reviewed and approved by the app store before becoming available for users to download. Updates can include new features, bug fixes, performance improvements, or security patches. Users are notified of the available updates, and they can either automatically or manually update the app via the store interface.

Q: What are the best practices for creating a mobile app update strategy for iPhone apps?

A: When creating a mobile app update strategy for iPhone apps, focus on a few best practices like ensuring compatibility with the latest iOS versions and Apple’s development guidelines, which change frequently, prioritizing performance improvements, security patches, and user experience (UX) enhancements, using beta testing to get feedback on new features before a public release and schedule updates during low-traffic times to minimize disruption and communicating clearly with users about what each update offers and how it benefits them.

Q: How to develop an effective mobile app update strategy for Android apps?

A: To develop an effective application update for android apps, ensure that the update is compatible with multiple versions of the Android operating system. You should also test across a range of devices, plan updates to address both user feedback and market trends, establish a predictable update schedule, and consider using a phased rollout for updates. These are essential factors to update an android phone app. Communication with users through release notes and notifications is key to driving engagement.