Most clients come to us after a developer has left, an offshore team has stopped responding, or a freelancer has moved on. We take over where others left off. You get a UK-based team, a shared Slack channel, and someone who actually knows your app.
Most apps don't fail from bad code on day one. They fail slowly: an iOS update that breaks the login screen, a payment gateway that stops sending webhooks, a security vulnerability that nobody notices until it's too late. Keeping a live app healthy is a specific job, and it's one most teams aren't set up to do properly or efficiently.
We take over apps from offshore teams, departing developers, and freelancers every month. It's the most common way we start working with a client. You don't need to have built your app with us. If it's live and it needs someone reliable to look after it, that's enough.
App Care retainers start at £675/month. Every client gets a shared Slack channel with a named contact and agreed SLA response times. No ticketing systems, no email queues, no waiting 48 hours for someone to acknowledge a simple question.
The most common reasons clients come to us:
• Developer leaving or retiring: We do a structured handover, document what we find, and provide continuity without gaps.
• Offshore team frustration: Timezone friction, slow responses, inconsistent quality — we're UK-based, same timezone, on Slack.
• Freelancer who's become unreliable: Named contact, SLA response times, cover when you need it.
• App launched but no plan for what comes next: Proactive OS updates, security patches, monitoring from day one.
• Growing user base outpacing current support: Scalable team with documented processes and staging environments.
• Coming out of an App Rescue: App Rescue clients transition to App Care with the same team — no handover needed.
The onboarding fee is typically £500 to £1,000 depending on complexity. It covers the code review, documentation build, and pipeline setup. After that, you move to a rolling monthly retainer. Three months minimum initially, then monthly with no long-term lock-in.
Written by Gareth Reese, Founder and CTO of Foresight Mobile. Gareth oversees App Care engagements and has led the transition of dozens of apps from offshore teams, freelancers, and departing developers to ongoing UK-based support.
An actionable four-week plan with clear deliverables and an unbeatable £3,500 price point, credited against your first development sprint.
Total client time commitment: 5-7 hours across 4 weeks
We meet with your key stakeholders to understand your business goals, user needs, and technical constraints. You'll share any existing research, designs, or documentation you have.
Our engineering team assesses the technical feasibility, identifies integration points with your existing systems, and evaluates architecture options.
We determine whether Flutter, native development, or another approach makes the most sense for your specific requirements.
We create clickable prototypes so you can experience your app before it's built. You'll test navigation flows, validate the user experience, and gather feedback from stakeholders.
Alongside this, we prioritise features based on business value and technical complexity, mapping out a phased delivery plan with a detailed cost estimate.
You receive your complete Gameplan pack, plus a presentation walkthrough with Q&A. Your team walks away with everything needed to make a confident decision.
A named team who knows your app inside out. Available over Slack, responsive when things go wrong, and proactive enough that most things don't.
No hidden costs, no long-term lock-in after the initial three months, and everything included in one monthly price. App Care retainers start at £675/month for a standard support package covering a single-platform app. Pricing depends on the app's complexity, the platforms covered (iOS, Android, or both), whether backend infrastructure is included, and the SLA response time you need.
The initial commitment is three months, to make the onboarding investment worthwhile on both sides. After that, you're on rolling monthly. No annual contracts, no penalty for leaving. We want clients to stay because the service is good, not because they're contractually stuck.
Everything is included in the retainer price: OS updates, security patches, monitoring, crash investigation, App Store compliance, and your Slack channel. There are no surprise invoices for "urgent" work that should have been caught proactively.
From £675/month • 3-Month Initial Period • Rolling Monthly After • No Hidden Costs
Maintenance and new features from the same team that already knows your codebase, or maintenance only if that's all you need. Some clients genuinely just need OS updates, security patches, and someone to call when something breaks, and that's a perfectly valid requirement.
The advantage of using the same team for both is obvious: there's no handover friction, no re-explaining the codebase, and no "that wasn't our bug" conversations when a new feature introduces an issue. Feature work is scoped and priced separately from the retainer, so you always know what you're paying for maintenance versus development.
We won't push feature development on clients who don't need it. If you're happy with the app as it is and just want it kept healthy, we'll tell you that's the right call.
Maintenance-Only Plans Available • Feature Work Scoped Separately • Same Team for Both • No Upsell Pressure
Same timezone, plain English communication, and delays flagged before they become problems. If you're moving from an offshore team, the transition is usually straightforward: we review the codebase, document what we find, set up proper version control and deployment infrastructure if needed, and take it from there.
If the codebase needs cleanup work (and it usually does), we scope that separately so you know what you're paying for. That shouldn't be a differentiator, but it consistently is.
Same Timezone • Plain English Communication • Codebase Cleanup • Proper Documentation
Crashes and performance issues get caught before users report them. We monitor your app using Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry, and Datadog, seeing the stack trace, device, OS version, and user journey that led to each crash.
Our target is a crash-free rate above 99%. When a new crash pattern appears (often after an OS update or a backend change), we investigate and fix it before it affects a significant number of users. You'll get a monthly summary of app health, crash trends, and anything we fixed or flagged.
For apps with backend infrastructure, we also monitor API response times, error rates, and server health. A slow API is just as damaging to user experience as a client-side crash.
Firebase Crashlytics • Sentry • Datadog APM • Monthly Health Reports
Your app stays protected against known vulnerabilities without you tracking updates yourself. We monitor the entire dependency tree, from payment gateways to authentication providers, and apply security patches on a schedule. Critical fixes are deployed immediately; routine updates are batched, tested, and released monthly.
We also run periodic security scans using tools like Snyk and SonarQube to catch vulnerabilities in your own code, not just the libraries. If something needs attention, we fix it and tell you what we did.
Dependency Monitoring • Critical Patch Response • Monthly Update Cycle • Security Scanning
Compatibility with new iOS and Android releases is tested months before they go public, so issues are caught before users see them. Both Apple and Google can remove apps that don't keep up, and guideline changes are equally important to track.
Apple's review policies evolve regularly: privacy manifests, SDK requirements, data handling declarations, and API deprecations. Google Play has its own compliance cycle around target API levels, data safety sections, and content policies. We track these changes and handle the updates proactively.
The alternative is finding out when Apple pulls your app from the store, or when users start reporting crashes after updating their phone. Neither is a good morning.
iOS and Android Beta Testing • App Store Guideline Compliance • SDK Updates • Privacy Manifest Management
Message a named developer who knows your app directly on Slack, and get a reply during UK working hours. No ticketing system, no generic support email, no explaining the context from scratch every time.
Clients consistently tell us this is the thing they notice most after switching from a previous team. If you've been raising support requests and waiting two days for an acknowledgement, this will feel different.
For critical issues outside working hours (app down, payments broken), we offer 24/7 emergency response. That's not a business-hours problem, and we don't treat it like one.
Named Contact • Direct Slack Access • UK Working Hours • 24/7 Emergency Response
Days to get started, not weeks, even if documentation is thin or the previous developer has already left. We do a code review, document what we find (including anything that needs immediate attention), set up our own monitoring and deployment pipelines, and make sure we understand how the app is meant to behave.
If there's a departing developer available, we'll use some of their remaining time to ask questions and fill in gaps. If there isn't, we work from the code.
The onboarding fee is typically £500 to £1,000 depending on the app's complexity. After that, you move into a rolling monthly retainer with no long-term lock-in after the initial three months.
Code Review • Documentation Build • Pipeline Setup • Developer Knowledge TransferEvery App Care retainer includes proactive monitoring as standard. We set up Firebase Crashlytics, Performance Monitoring, and platform-specific tools (MetricKit for iOS, Android Vitals for Android) during onboarding. Automated alerts in your dedicated Slack channel notify you of crash rate spikes, performance regressions, or API failures before users report them.
Monthly health reports summarise crash-free session rates, performance trends, and upcoming OS compatibility risks. For apps on our Standard or Premium tiers, we include 24/7 monitoring with on-call escalation for critical production issues.
App Care retainers cover keeping the existing app healthy. Feature development is costed separately, either as fixed-price mini-projects or as additional development days. The advantage of using the same team for both is that there's no handover friction, no re-explaining the codebase, and no confusion about responsibility when something goes wrong. Many of our App Care clients also commission new features when they need them.
Completely fine. Some clients want active feature development, but others genuinely just need OS compatibility updates, security patches, and someone to call when something breaks. We have a plan for that. It's the most straightforward version of App Care, and there's nothing wrong with wanting it. We won't push feature work on clients who don't need it.
Yes. Most of our App Care clients came to us after working with a different developer or agency. The onboarding process exists specifically for this. We do a code review, set up proper version control and deployment infrastructure if it's not already in place, and document the architecture. This usually takes two to five days. We've taken over apps built in Flutter, React Native, native iOS (Swift), native Android (Kotlin), and various backend stacks.
Three months initially, to make the onboarding investment worthwhile on both sides. After that, we move to rolling monthly with no long-term lock-in. We want clients to stay because they're happy with the service, not because they're tied into a contract.
Yes. Every client on an App Care retainer gets a shared Slack channel with a named contact. Not a ticketing system, not a generic support email. You message us directly and we respond during UK working hours. Most clients tell us this is the thing they notice most after switching from a previous team. If you've been waiting 48 hours for acknowledgement of a simple question, this will feel different.
Retainers start at £675/month for a standard support package. The exact cost depends on the complexity of the app, the number of platforms (iOS, Android, or both), whether you need backend infrastructure included, and the response time SLA you need. The onboarding fee (£500 to £1,000) is separate and covers the initial code review, documentation, and pipeline setup. We'll discuss your actual needs before recommending a plan. We don't oversell.
Core maintenance covers: iOS and Android OS compatibility updates (we test against beta releases before they go public), App Store and Google Play guideline compliance, critical bug fixes, security patches, third-party dependency updates (payment gateways, analytics, push notifications), and monitoring through tools like Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry, and Datadog. Every client also gets a shared Slack channel with a named contact and agreed SLA response times. Feature development is scoped separately. The retainer covers keeping your existing app healthy.
Very common. Clients moving from offshore teams, typically in India, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, or Australia, usually cite the same combination of issues: slow response times, timezone friction, inconsistent quality, and difficulty getting straight answers about what was actually changed and why. If that sounds familiar, the transition to a UK-based team is usually straightforward. We review the codebase, document what we find, and take it from there.
We can usually start a handover within a week or two of first contact, depending on availability. The handover itself takes a few days. We need access to the codebase, the app store accounts, any third-party service credentials, and ideally some time with the departing developer to ask questions. If the handover is rushed (notice period is ending soon), we'll prioritise getting the critical things documented first and fill in the gaps over the following weeks. Get in touch as soon as you know the timeline.
Yes, and this is probably the most common way we start working with new clients. We have a structured handover process: we review the codebase, document what we find, set up our own monitoring and deployment pipelines, and make sure we understand how the app is meant to behave before we start actively managing it. If the documentation is thin (which it usually is), we build it ourselves during onboarding. The onboarding is a one-off fee, typically £500 to £1,000 depending on complexity. After that, we move to a rolling monthly retainer.
App Care support runs during UK office hours. For critical issues (complete loss of service, login failures, payments broken) we respond within 2 hours and attempt a fix the same day.
Most issues don't reach you as emergencies because we catch them first. Every retainer includes proactive monitoring via Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry, and Datadog. When a new crash pattern appears, often triggered by a backend change or an OS update, we investigate before it affects a significant number of users.
For critical issues that do come through, we prioritise triage immediately within office hours. If a fix requires an app store submission, we submit the same day and request expedited review where available. For server-side issues, same-day resolution is the target. We'll keep you updated throughout. Not a ticket number and silence.
An unmaintained app doesn't stay stable. It degrades relative to its environment. Both Apple and Google have policies to remove apps that go too long without updates: Google after approximately two years, Apple after three years for apps with low download counts.
Before removal becomes a risk, you'll see earlier signs: login flows break after an OS update, a payment gateway stops sending webhooks, a security vulnerability appears in a third-party dependency that nobody patches. These aren't hypothetical. They're the most common reasons clients come to us after a period without proper maintenance.
The practical risks are: App Store or Google Play removal, security vulnerabilities in outdated dependencies, compatibility failures with new iOS and Android releases, and App Store guideline violations that can lead to suspension. An app that hasn't been touched in 12 months isn't stable. It's 12 months behind.
Support covers the human-facing side: responding to user queries, investigating bug reports, and advising on how to use the app. Maintenance covers the technical side: code changes, OS updates, security patches, and dependency upgrades.
In practice, the two overlap. A user reports that push notifications stopped working. That starts as a support query and becomes a maintenance task when we identify that a library needs updating. On an App Care retainer, both are included. You don't need to pre-classify every issue before contacting us.
The distinction matters mostly for scoping. If you only need someone to handle user queries and light troubleshooting without touching the codebase, that's a lighter arrangement than a full maintenance retainer. We'll tell you which one makes sense for your situation.
Most maintenance activities occur without any downtime using our rolling update process for backend services. For major updates requiring brief app downtime, we schedule these during off-peak hours (typically weekends) and provide 1 week advance notice via email and in-app notifications.
Planned maintenance typically takes 30-60 minutes maximum. Our serverless architecture ensures that 95% of updates happen transparently without user disruption. When downtime is necessary, we coordinate with your team to minimize business impact and provide real-time status updates throughout the process.
SLAs are tailored to each client, but we work to four standard severity levels. The most critical (complete loss of service or users unable to log in) gets a 2-hour response with a same-day fix attempt.
All support runs during UK office hours. The four levels cover the standard range from total service outage down to cosmetic issues and low-priority requests, with response and resolution targets that scale accordingly. We agree the full SLA during onboarding so there are no surprises.
If you have specific requirements (regulatory obligations, higher-risk user bases, tighter windows) we can discuss a custom arrangement. We'd rather match the SLA to what your app actually needs than sell a fixed package that doesn't fit.
Running a mobile app in the UK costs £675 to £2,500+ per month depending on complexity, platform, and the level of support you need. Foresight Mobile's App Care retainers start at £675/month for standard support (OS compatibility, security patches, critical bug fixes, monitoring). The mid-tier sits at £1,500/month and adds monthly performance reporting, priority bug fixing with a 24-hour SLA, and minor UX updates. Enterprise pricing is custom and includes 24/7 emergency response, quarterly penetration testing, and fractional team access for feature work. There's also a one-off onboarding fee of £500 to £1,000 to cover the initial code review, documentation, and pipeline setup. Apps built in Flutter, React Native, Swift, or Kotlin are all covered. In our experience, maintenance costs typically run at 15 to 20% of original build cost per year for active apps.
Mobile apps experience software entropy. Even if your code doesn't change, the ecosystem around it evolves constantly. APIs deprecate, iOS 26 and Android 16 introduce breaking changes, security vulnerabilities emerge in third-party libraries, and user expectations shift. An app left untouched for 12 months isn't stable; it's broken relative to its environment.
With mobile commerce reaching $4 trillion in 2025, downtime isn't an inconvenience. It's lost revenue. Performance expectations are ruthless: apps must load in under 2 seconds and maintain 60fps animations. Privacy regulations like CCPA 2026 and the European Accessibility Act create legal obligations. Without maintenance, apps lose 30% of users within 6 months due to crashes, security issues, or outdated UX. Google removes apps not updated for 2+ years; Apple after 3 years with low downloads.
In 2025, your mobile app is likely your primary revenue engine. For mobile-first businesses, it's where transactions happen, where users engage, where your brand lives. Maintenance isn't a cost centre. It's revenue continuity insurance.
The economics are stark: user acquisition costs continue to outpace inflation, making retention the primary lever for profitability. A well-maintained app that adapts to user feedback and new OS capabilities creates a barrier to exit. Conversely, an app that remains static experiences software entropy, and its perceived value declines relative to competitors who evolve. Regular security updates protect against supply chain attacks (Log4j-style vulnerabilities in obscure dependencies can compromise everything). By investing in stewardship, you're not just preventing problems; you're creating opportunities to leverage new platform features (Dynamic Island, Live Activities, AR capabilities) that keep your app feeling native and modern.
We'll communicate directly with your previous agency to facilitate the smooth transition of your investment to both yourself and Foresight. You'll receive all of the code and credentials you need to work with any agency you choose going forward. We can either communicate directly with the developers or agency, or advise and direct the process through yourself to ensure that we have everything you need to continue making your app a success.
You've got a working app and nobody reliable to look after it. Maybe your developer handed in their notice. Maybe the offshore team stopped responding. Maybe the freelancer who built it has gone quiet at the worst possible time.
App Care onboarding gets you from that situation to a UK-based team who knows your codebase inside out, with a shared Slack channel and agreed response times. The onboarding fee is typically £500 to £1,000 depending on complexity. After that, you're on a rolling monthly retainer from £675/month with no long-term lock-in after the initial three months.
We start with a short call to understand what your app does, what platforms it runs on, and what the handover situation looks like. Then we request access to the repository (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket), your App Store Connect and Google Play accounts, and any backend infrastructure. If a departing developer is still available, we'll use some of that time to fill in gaps. If not, we work from the code.
We review the architecture, third-party dependencies, security posture, and anything that looks fragile. If there's technical debt that needs fixing before we can support the app properly, we scope that separately so you know what it'll cost. We also build internal documentation covering how the app is structured, where the critical logic lives, and how deployments work.
We instrument the app with Firebase Crashlytics and Sentry for crash reporting, and set up Datadog for backend API monitoring where applicable. We configure CI/CD pipelines, TestFlight distribution for iOS builds, and deployment processes that don't rely on a single developer's laptop. Snyk and SonarQube scans catch dependency vulnerabilities and code-level security issues before they become incidents.
Your retainer covers OS updates, security patches, App Store compliance, crash investigation, and proactive monitoring. Feature work is scoped and priced separately so you always know what you're paying for. The initial commitment is three months, then rolling monthly with no long-term lock-in. You stay because the service is good, not because you're contractually stuck.
Your app, your way. Here's how we make it happen.
Our process begins with a comprehensive project plan and a transparent, fixed cost agreement. This ensures you know exactly what you're getting and how much it will cost, eliminating any unwelcome financial surprises. Regular progress calls with live demos give you a front-row seat to your app's development, keeping you informed and involved at every stage.
We're not just here for the build, we're here for the long haul. From navigating the App Store maze to providing ongoing technical support, we're with you all the way. Our expertise doesn't end at launch; we offer cost-effective maintenance plans and helpful guidance to ensure your app continues to thrive and evolve with your business. Your success is our success, and you can count on us every step of the way.
We believe the best apps are born from real user experiences. That's why user testing is at the core of everything we do. We involve real people from your target audience throughout the development process to ensure your app is intuitive, engaging, and truly meets their needs. Their honest feedback helps us to refine and enhance your app, resulting in a product that's not only user-friendly but loved by your users.
You know your business inside and out and we know how to make successful tech businesses. With years of hands-on CTO and app development experience, we're experts at understanding your needs and crafting innovative solutions that fit your budget and exceed expectations. Our collaborative process and hands-on prototyping ensure your final product isn't just an app – it's the realisation of your vision.
Our founder has been making mobile apps since 2003, before they were even called apps! Founded in 2017, we've got quite a few projects under our belt and a wealth of experience to call upon. Our core development team have been with us since the start, and one of the reasons we're considered the most experienced Flutter app development company in the UK.
We believe in the power of face-to-face collaboration. That's why we encourage you to visit us at our Manchester offices whenever you like. We're a friendly bunch, and we thrive on the energy and clarity that comes from an in-person chat. Building strong relationships is key to our collaborative approach, and we want you to feel comfortable dropping by for a brainstorming session, or just for a brew if you fancy.
