Topic guide · 27 pages

How do you keep a live app healthy, or take one over from another team?

Updated 5 November 2026 · every page on this topic, checked against our own builds

Quick answer

A live app needs regular work even when nobody adds features: security updates, store and phone OS changes, backups and monitoring. If the team that built it has gone, start with the code, accounts and access, then an audit before anyone changes anything. Read what maintenance involves and the agency handover checklist.

In November 2026 we ran dependency security updates across seven live apps, and in August 2026 we handed Trainr's platform to its incoming developer with a written record of every system. The pages below cover both directions: looking after an app, and picking one up.

Start here

Every page on maintenance and takeover

Looking after a live app

ServicesMaintenance & SupportMonthly updates, fixes and monitoring from the engineers who know the code
Fixed-price offersApp Maintenance Plans & PricingMaintenance plans and what each covers
ArticlesWhat App Maintenance Involves After Launch: Real FixesThe recurring work a live app needs
ServicesDeployment & HostingServers, deploys, backups and alerts
ServicesQA & TestingTesting before each release
ServicesCloud MigrationMoving servers or cloud without losing data
ArticlesMoving an App to a New Server Without Losing DataA step-by-step plan for a safe move

Taking an app over

ServicesApp Rescue & TakeoverPicking up an app another team built or abandoned
Fixed-price offersCode AuditA five-day, fixed-price audit before you spend more
ChecklistsAgency Handover ChecklistWhat to collect from the outgoing team
ArticlesTaking Over an App From Another Team: First 30 DaysThe first 30 days after a takeover
ComparisonsFreelancer vs Agency vs StudioWho to hand the app to next

Terms to know

GlossarySoftware maintenanceWhat maintenance includes and what it doesn't
GlossaryHandoverA handover that leaves nothing behind
GlossaryTechnical debtShortcuts that charge interest later
GlossaryError monitoringFinding crashes before users report them
GlossaryBackupBackups you have actually restored
GlossarySLAResponse times you can hold a team to
GlossaryVendor lock-inStaying free to change teams or providers
GlossarySecrets managementKeys and passwords kept out of the code
GlossaryAutomated testingTests that catch regressions before users do
GlossaryCode reviewA second pair of eyes on every change
GlossaryStaging environmentA copy of production to test releases on
GlossaryRelease managementReleasing small and often, with a way back
ChecklistsPre-Launch Security ChecklistSecurity checks worth rerunning on an inherited app

Projects

Case studiesTrainrA 27-claim technical review answered, then a written handover
Case studiesFlying Pup FilmsSecurity findings cleared on a live site

Questions people ask about maintenance and takeover

How often does a live app need updates if nothing is broken?

Every month for dependency and security updates, and at least once a year for the stores' new OS and target-version rules, which can block updates if missed. Maintenance and support plans this calendar.

What should I get from a developer who is leaving?

The full source code, every account and key, store and cloud access in your name, a deploy and rollback runbook, and a list of open issues. The agency handover checklist has the full list.

Should a new team rewrite an app they inherit?

Rarely all of it. An audit decides area by area: fix what works, refactor what is risky, rebuild only what cannot be saved. A full rewrite throws away the bugs already fixed.

Which accounts can a founder recover without the old developer's help?

Usually the ones registered to your company's email: the domain, the Apple and Google developer accounts, the cloud account and the payment gateway. Each provider has a recovery route for the verified owner. The source code is the hard part, so check your contract and see taking over an app.

Can you audit an app built in Flutter?

Yes. The code audit covers React Native, JavaScript and TypeScript, and Flutter apps written in Dart. See the code audit.

How do I know a backup actually works?

By restoring it. A backup that has never been restored to a test server is a hope, not a backup. See backup.