6 biggest risks of not updating your app

, Content Marketing Manager

The world is going mobile and your app is competing with millions of others.

But with great power comes great responsibility.

Believing that once your app is released, the work is over, couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s important to understand the significance of mobile app updates. Updating mobile apps is essential to keep your users and maintain a sense that your business still exists and is doing well.

The user experience is ruined

As we’ve explained before, a compelling user experience is crucial for the success of your mobile app.

Apps that look haphazardly created or as though developers aren’t attempting to solve specific problems within the program rarely retain their audiences. More often than not, they get forgotten quickly.

By frequently updating your app, you not only keep it relevant and up to date, but also show users that you genuinely care about their experience and want to improve it.

In the competition for the best app, regularly updating yours with thoughtful new features shows users that you’re genuinely concerned about their needs.

Going dark is a brand killer

Regardless if it’s Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store, users can see the last time you updated an application.

If the user feels that the design is old-fashioned and sees that it hasn’t been updated in quite some time, it looks as though your company is stagnant. Users are left wondering whether the company is still in business and whether they’re serious about maintaining their own app. These are doubts no business wants to be associated with.

This is especially important as the expectations for mobile apps keep evolving. When a new feature is added to the world of apps and takes off, it’s no longer an added-value, but becomes the standard that other apps have to live.

Features like this are changing the environment of every app genre, and updates can help you stay on top of recent trends.

Customer loyalty means nothing to you

As a developer, you should be actively seeking user feedback. While apps are tested before release, there are bound to be some glitches and errors that slip through the cracks.

Even a small bug can lead to a comment that becomes featured on app reviews. By resolving complaints as soon as they are brought up, you’ll build trust with your user base.

So read user reviews on app stores, ask users to rate your app internally, or encourage responses via email. Whatever you choose to do, keep a close eye on comments and fix problems as quickly as possible.

Nothing to brag about

From the moment an app is released, developers should be constantly looking to add new and improved features to make the end-user experience that much better.

As you reach certain milestones, it’s important to let users know. Not only for the sake of transparency, but these updates can also rejuvenate users and create more engagement.

It often happens that users download an app and then forget to use it. When you schedule a new update around a milestone, you remind users that the app exists in the first place and also welcome them back with new features that drive interaction.

Out of sight, out of mind

When you update your app, you’re giving users a reason to engage with it. The moment you invite them to see what new things you’ve done, you’re bringing your brand back to their top of mind.

Every time you update your mobile app, you have an opportunity to send out a relevant

push notification announcing current developments. You can let your users know about these new features and how your app has enhanced its usability.

Leaving users susceptible to hackers

The main reason anyone has for creating updates is to stay protected from security threats. Older software will continue to have the same bugs and exploitable holes in the code that allow hackers and cybercriminals to get into.

This is made even more serious by the fact that all of these exploitable entry points have generally been made public once hackers find them.

And sadly, as quickly as developers find ways to fix exploitable holes in their software, hackers have found new ones. It’s a never-ending game of cat and mouse that software companies are caught up in with cybercriminals in order to protect your consumers.

Stagnant apps don’t survive

The reality is that apps must be updated on a regular basis to keep them fresh and functioning. Just like you wouldn’t release an app with a known bug, updates keep your app secure and allow you to remove issues that come to your attention.

Understand that updating your app isn’t a suggestion but a requirement to stay relevant.

Seizing opportunities to improving your app is a continuous process that follows along with changes and developments in the market.

Ready to update your app? Contact us today and learn how our testers can help.