You’ve invested considerable time and resources to create an amazing app — but it crashes every time a Windows update is released. To say you’re frustrated would be an understatement. Late last year, Windows 10 updates caused app crashes left and right. Users reportedly had to re-enter their app credentials each time they re-started Windows 10. Fortunately, this bug has been fixed.
Still, how can you make sure your app maintains its functionality through succeeding Windows updates? Read on to find out.
Keep Your App Updated
If you’ve built a custom app for your employees or customers, implementing proactive measures to avoid Windows update disruptions is a must. To start, make sure you’re performing regular updates on your app.
As a developer, you know that the work of creating an app is never done. However, to maintain the credibility of your brand in the long term, consistent maintenance is important. With new software being released every day, it’s important to keep on top of industry trends and ensure that your app is keeping pace.
Besides, your employees and customers expect updates. Infrequent updates can lead users to doubt the quality of your app. So, it’s a good idea to update every 30-40 days. Tell users that you’re updating to enhance the UI interface, introduce new features, or release fixes for app bugs. And — ask for feedback. You’ll get a granular view of user preferences and wish-lists. It’s a gold mine of data you can leverage to make your app better and more relevant for your users.
Check the App’s Storage Size
Essentially, size and loading speed can make or break your app when it comes to Windows updates. Ideally, your app won’t monopolize hard drive or mobile bandwidth — that could lead to huge challenges. Note that the App Store limits the size of the apps users can download over a mobile connection. In addition, mobile devices have limited storage and user data plans may not adequately cover long download times.
A large file download can overload operating systems and cause crashes. Make sure your app isn’t causing a data bandwidth bottleneck, as that’s a sure-fire way for it to crash during a Windows update.
Test Your App With Different Anti-Virus Software
Sometimes, when Windows releases a security patch, it can cause app instability and crashes. Before releasing your app, test it on multiple platforms using different anti-virus software. You want to make sure that antimalware or third-party endpoint security options won’t cause glitches on your app.
Ideally, you’ll want to disable third-party antivirus programs during app updates. After the update is complete, you can enable them again. Meanwhile, consider using Microsoft Defender to protect app security during updates.
Make Sure Nothing Is Crippling your App’s Performance
Regardless of when Windows updates are released, you want to make sure nothing is stunting the performance of your app. If your app performs real-time data streaming, you’ll want to optimize end-to-end performance.
Here’s why:
- The COVID-19 crisis has precipitated a staggering rise in video streaming over smartphones. Users are streaming sports events, musical performances, and concerts over mobile devices. Since Q1 2020, streaming has increased by 12% and traffic has increased by 30-50% across mobile and fixed devices.
- Movie and video streaming have increased by leaps and bounds. Youtube users watch over one billion hours of video every day on the platform. In 2021, the number of OTT (over-the-top) video service users in America will reach 198 million (up from 170 million users in 2017).
- As of 2020, 29% of video time is now spent on mobile devices.
Poor end-to-end performance can affect how your app holds up during Windows updates. This is important because 37% of users will think negatively of a brand if its mobile app crashes or causes errors. In addition, nearly 50% of users will remove the app altogether. To maintain user satisfaction with performance levels (and prevent Windows update crashes), you’ll want to implement mobile application performance monitoring.
How Entrance Consulting Can Help
Reach out and contact us today, and we can walk you through all the steps needed to safeguard your app from any new Windows updates that may affect it. At Entrance, we build custom apps and are familiar with the challenges of doing so.
Our team can provide guidance at every step of the process — from the creation of your app to its maintenance years down the road. We can help make sure your app will continue impressing users for the long term!