# App maintenance cost: what you pay for after delivery
Source page: https://dfygames.com/guides/app-game-maintenance (published 2026-10-19, updated 2026-10-19) · Topic: Buying an app
Cite as: DFY Games, "App maintenance cost: what you pay for after delivery", updated 2026-10-19, https://dfygames.com/guides/app-game-maintenance

**Quick answer:** After delivery, the fixed fees are small: Apple's developer program costs $99 a year and Google Play charges $25 once. The real app maintenance cost is work: updating for new iOS and Android requirements and store policy changes, SDK updates, hosting and monitoring if the product has a server, and user support. A single-player game with local saves needs far less upkeep than an app with accounts, payments and integrations.

- Apple Developer Program: $99 per year
- Google Play registration: $25 one-time
- DFY game bug-fix window: 30 days after delivery
- Biggest variable: Backend and integrations

## What maintenance actually covers

| Item | Why it comes up | Applies to |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Developer account renewal | Apple's program is $99 a year; Google's $25 registration is paid once | Every app and game |
| Build tool and SDK requirements | Apple and Google raise the minimum toolchain and target versions regularly | Every app and game you want to keep updating |
| Store policy changes | Data safety, privacy, ads and families rules change, and existing apps must comply | Every app and game |
| Third-party SDK updates | Ad, analytics and payment SDKs ship new versions and retire old ones | Anything with ads, analytics or payments |
| Hosting and database | Server, storage and backups billed by usage | Apps and games with accounts, cloud saves or shared data |
| Monitoring | Crash reports, uptime checks and error alerts | Everything; essential with a backend |
| Support | User emails, store review replies, refund requests | Everything with real users |
| New content and features | Levels, events or new screens | Optional; a growth decision rather than upkeep |

Sources: Apple Developer, "Enrollment" https://developer.apple.com/support/enrollment/; Google Play Console Help, "Get started with Play Console" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435?hl=en; Google Play Console Help, "Data safety section" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10787469?hl=en-GB; Google Play, "Families Policies" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9893335?hl=en

## OS updates and store deadlines you cannot skip

Two current examples show how this works. According to Apple's upcoming requirements page, since April 28, 2026 apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later using the iOS 26 SDK. According to Google Play's target API policy, new apps and app updates must now target Android 16 (API level 36), and existing apps had to target at least Android 15 (API level 35) by August 31, 2026 to stay available to new users on newer Android versions.

Neither change breaks an app overnight. They mean that the next time you want to ship a fix or a new feature, the project may first need upgrading to the current tools, and an app left alone long enough becomes harder to find and install. Plan one upgrade pass a year for each platform.

## Why games and apps age differently

A single-player game that saves progress on the phone has no server to pay for or watch. Its upkeep is mostly the yearly toolchain update, ad and analytics SDK updates, and store policy checks. That is the shape of most [focused mobile games](https://dfygames.com/games).

An app with accounts, payments and integrations has moving parts outside the phone. Servers need patching and backups, payment and calendar providers change their APIs, and someone has to notice when a sync fails at 2am. The more of the [app scope tiers](https://dfygames.com/guides/mobile-app-development-cost) you climb, the more maintenance becomes an ongoing service.

## What DFY Games covers after delivery

For game packages, DFY Games fixes bugs reported within 30 days of delivering the submission-ready build at no cost. A bug is a reproducible defect against the acceptance checklist on a supported device and OS version. Supported versions are the minimums agreed in your blueprint, by default the two most recent major versions of iOS and Android at blueprint approval. Changes required by later OS or policy updates, new features and new content after that window are new work, quoted separately. The full wording is in the [terms](https://dfygames.com/legal/terms).

For [custom apps](https://dfygames.com/apps), the written scope states the bug-fix window after delivery. Ongoing maintenance, OS updates and new features can be added as a separate agreement, priced against your actual backend and integrations.

## Who is responsible for what

| Responsibility | Owner (you) | Studio during bug-fix window | Studio under a maintenance agreement |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Developer account renewals and fees | Yes | No | No |
| Hosting, payment and service bills | Yes, in your accounts | No | No |
| Defects against the acceptance checklist | Report them | Fixes them | Fixes them |
| OS, SDK and policy updates | Decide and fund them | No (new work) | As agreed |
| Monitoring and alerts | Receive them | No | As agreed |
| User support and review replies | Yes | No | As agreed |
| Truthful store and data disclosures | Yes, as publisher | Prepares inputs | As agreed |

Because the accounts and files are yours, you can also give maintenance to another developer. That only works if the handover was complete; see [who owns the code and art after a build](https://dfygames.com/guides/code-art-ownership) for the checklist.

## How to budget without a made-up percentage

Rules of thumb that express maintenance as a fixed share of the build price ignore the thing that drives it: what the product connects to. A better method is to list each item from the first table that applies to you, then ask for a quote with defined response times for the work items and pay the usage-based ones directly.

| Product shape | Main upkeep work | What makes it grow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single-player game with local saves | Yearly toolchain and target API update, ad and analytics SDK updates, store policy checks | Number of ad and analytics SDKs, and live content you choose to add |
| App with data on the phone only | Yearly toolchain update, permission and privacy checks | Phone features used, such as camera, location or notifications |
| App with accounts and a server | Server patching, backups, monitoring, account deletion and support | Number of users, stored files and roles |
| App with payments or subscriptions | Payment SDK updates, failed payment handling, store subscription changes | Number of payment routes and refund rules |
| App with outside integrations | Fixes when a calendar, CRM or POS provider changes its API | Number of integrations, and two-way syncs in particular |

Yearly maintenance calendar:
- [ ] Renew the Apple Developer Program before it lapses
- [ ] After Apple's yearly major iOS release, test the app on the new version
- [ ] Before Google's yearly target API deadline, update the Android target level
- [ ] Update ad, analytics and payment SDKs to supported versions
- [ ] Recheck the App Store privacy details and Google Play Data safety form
- [ ] Review hosting bills, backups and error logs (if you have a backend)
- [ ] Reply to store reviews and clear the support inbox
- [ ] Decide whether new content or features are worth a release

Ready to scope an app with maintenance in mind? The [app quote form](https://dfygames.com/apps/quote) asks what you expect after launch, so the quote can include it.

## FAQ

**How much does app maintenance cost per year?**
The fixed part is Apple's $99 yearly fee; Google's $25 is paid once. The rest depends on scope: a local-save game needs a yearly update pass, while an app with a backend and integrations needs hosting, monitoring and ongoing developer time.

**Do I have to update my app every year?**
To keep shipping updates, yes in practice. Apple and Google raise their build and target requirements regularly, and Google limits availability of apps that fall behind.

**Does DFY Games include maintenance?**
Game packages include bug fixes for 30 days after the submission-ready build. OS and policy updates, new features and content after that are quoted separately, and app maintenance is a separate agreement.

**Does a mobile game need a server?**
Most single-player games with local saves do not. Accounts, cloud saves, leaderboards and multiplayer add server costs and upkeep.

**Can someone else maintain my app after handover?**
Yes, if you hold the project files, signing credentials and accounts. A complete handover is what makes switching developers possible.

## Related
- Service page: [Custom mobile app development](https://dfygames.com/apps)
- [App source code ownership: who owns the code and art after a build](https://dfygames.com/guides/code-art-ownership)
- [Mobile app development cost: a practical scope guide](https://dfygames.com/guides/mobile-app-development-cost)

## Sources
- Apple Developer, "Enrollment" https://developer.apple.com/support/enrollment/
- Google Play Console Help, "Get started with Play Console" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435?hl=en
- Google Play Console Help, "Data safety section" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10787469?hl=en-GB
- Google Play, "Families Policies" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9893335?hl=en
- Apple Developer, "Upcoming Requirements" https://developer.apple.com/news/upcoming-requirements/
- Google Play Console Help, "Target API level requirements for Google Play apps" https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/11926878?hl=en

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