App maintenance guide: costs, SLAs, and support agreements
The article breaks mobile app maintenance into six work types—bug fixes, security patches, OS compatibility, SDK updates, regression testing, and backend upkeep—and flags 2026 deadlines such as Apple's Xcode 26/iOS 26 SDK requirement and Google Play's API level 36 target. It warns that most SLAs promise only response times, not restoration, and that the widely cited '15–20% of build cost per year' rule has no published data behind it.
What this means for indie developers：Indie developers should plan for mandatory OS/SDK upgrade deadlines and demand restoration targets, not just response times, in maintenance contracts.