A store email you cannot act on
The app was built by a freelancer or a small agency. It worked, and for a while they kept it updated. Then they became hard to reach, took a job elsewhere, or closed. Now you get an email from Apple or Google saying the app must be updated to meet new requirements by a deadline, or it will stop being available to new users.
You do not have the code. You are not sure who owns the developer account. You have a login for something called Firebase but no idea what it does. The app still works, for now.
Why this happens so often
When a small business commissions an app, it is natural to let the developer set everything up. They create the developer accounts in their name, keep the code on their laptop or in their own repository, sign up for the hosting and services on their card, and hold the signing keys.
None of this matters while they are around. It matters a great deal when they are not. The app is yours in principle, but everything needed to change it sits with someone you can no longer reach.
App stores also keep moving. Both Apple and Google regularly raise the minimum requirements for apps they accept updates to, so an app that is not updated periodically eventually cannot be updated without catch-up work.
What being stuck costs
| Missing piece | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Source code | No changes at all, even a small fix |
| Developer account access | Cannot publish updates or respond to store notices |
| Signing key (Android) | Updates may not install over the existing app without a key reset process |
| Hosting and back-end logins | Server problems nobody can fix; bills to someone else's card |
| Third-party service accounts | Maps, payments or notifications stop when a plan lapses |
The worst outcome is the app vanishing from the store, or its back end going offline when an unpaid hosting account is closed. Users then open an app that no longer works at all.
How we get you back in control
- Access audit. We list everything the app depends on: code repository, Apple and Google developer accounts, signing keys and certificates, back-end servers, databases, and services like Firebase, Stripe, maps and push notifications. For each one, we find out who controls it.
- Recovery. Where the developer can be reached, we arrange a proper handover. Where they cannot, we work through the stores' account transfer and recovery processes, and the providers' own ownership procedures, using the business evidence you have.
- Code check. Once we have the source, we confirm it builds and matches the version in the store. If the code is missing, we assess whether the app can be rebuilt from the back end and the live app's behaviour.
- Catch up. We update the app to current store requirements, current framework versions and supported libraries, and release a maintenance update.
- Ownership set-up. Every account moves into your business's name, with your email and card. Code sits in a repository you own, and keys are stored in a business password manager.
- Ongoing plan. We agree a light maintenance routine so the app keeps pace with store changes, whether we do it or someone else does.
Where you end up
You own your app properly: the code, the accounts, the keys and the servers are all in your business's name. The store notice gets dealt with. Updates can be made again, by us or by anyone you choose, because nothing depends on one person's laptop.
The next time a developer moves on, it is an inconvenience rather than a crisis.
You also have a written list of what the app depends on and what each piece costs to run, which makes future decisions easier. Adding a feature, changing supplier or retiring the app becomes a planned choice rather than something forced on you by an email from an app store.
Is this your situation?
- The person or firm who built your app is no longer available
- You do not have the source code, or are not sure you do
- App store accounts are in the developer's name
- You have received a store notice about required updates
- Hosting or service bills go to someone else's card
- Nobody can make even a small change to the app