15+ years focused on mobile · 100% Perth-based team · Enterprise and government experience · iOS, Android, back ends and APIs
Every app ages
Every app turns 40 the day you press Publish
If life begins at 40, every app hits 40 the day you press Publish. From that moment every digital layer your app relies on to function—the frameworks, libraries, APIs, operating systems, and even deployment infrastructure—begins to decay.
The first signs of an ageing app won't necessarily be a broken feature. It could simply be your team's hesitation making a change, from fear of unanticipated side effects. It could be lost lore about the release pipeline. Or every CTO or Ops manager's worst nightmare: a security breach using an unpatched exploit, and the resulting financial or reputational damage.
A sliding scale of engagement
We'll meet you where you are
No matter the state of your digital assets, Adapptor can help. We've designed a kind of sliding scale of engagement, which will meet you where you are.
Pathway 01 — Get clarity
Independent assessment of code, architecture, dependencies, security, user needs, market context, and support capability.
Pathway 02 — Modernise the foundation
Strengthen the technical foundation through application, framework, back-end, API, data, integration, security, testing, release, and maintenance work.
Pathway 03 — Rethink the product
Reconsider the wider product, including service design, user journeys, business processes, and technical architecture.
Repair, migrate or rebuild
Start with a review. Then choose the right path.
If all you need is a thorough review of the health of your app, start with App Review & Recommend. You get a detailed assessment of the state of your app, which can serve as the foundation for decisions about its future.
The same review can also feed into an engagement with Adapptor to modernise your app. But even here, you have options. Depending on the state of your app, budget, risk appetite, and roadmap, we might suggest repair, migration, or a complete rebuild.
Repair and migration are on a spectrum, and can include updating dependencies, replacing high-risk components, and refactoring selected areas while preserving the existing user experience.
There are times when 'Rewrite the code from scratch' is one of the Things You Should Never Do (famously done by Netscape in 1998). But software engineering has come a long way in 25+ years, and a rewrite is often the best choice. Today's tooling can reduce the cost and risk of a rebuild, and grant you the most flexibility to position your app for the future.
What you should expect
A foundation built to age well
Regardless of the approach, a successful modernisation should grant:
No modernisation in a vacuum
Keep users moving while your app moves forward
No modernisation effort happens in a vacuum. Your users will want to continue using your app while we're uplifting it. If it's just the app being updated, key questions are: Will users be forced to log in again? Will releases be staged before they go wide? Will user-owned resources be automatically upgraded, or are there decisions users need to make? How do we communicate that? And if the app modernisation is a parallel project, how do we manage drift between the market release and the modernised version?
If modernisation also includes API, infrastructure, and CI, the picture can quickly get complicated. We need to consider data migration, service compatibility and continuity, and rollback strategies. Adapptor has a wealth of experience in managing this kind of complexity. Again, stick to best practice and lean on the tools. Declarative IaC like Terraform, strict linting and code review guardrails, comprehensive test coverage, plus secret sauce monitoring and automation.
After release
Release day is another beginning
Release day for your modernised app is another beginning. Yes, we've just minted another 40-year-old, and while we can't guarantee it Won't Die, your app is now set up to age well. We put as much of a premium on its post-launch life as release—monitoring, crash and incident triage, security advisories; and product roadmaps, usage insights, new features, UX and accessibility improvements, integrations, optimisation, tested releases, and ongoing product and technical leadership.
No vendor lock-in
Your app. Your code. Your choice.
It's worth noting that we're allergic to vendor lock-in, and build assuming you are too. You own the source code, documentation, CI configuration, and anything else that should be portable. Our success is calibrated on being of net value to you.
So what now?
Dip your toe in the water
If you just want to dip your toe in the water, let us review where you are, and where you want to go. We could start with a chat, shared source code, or a comprehensive roadmap. Advice is free, and a rising tide lifts all boats.
Interested in knowing more?
Let us know a little more about your idea and we can have a call to discuss.
Modernising an existing app involves technical, operational and product decisions. These are some of the questions organisations ask before getting started.
What is mobile app modernisation?
How do we know whether to repair, migrate or rebuild the app?
Can Adapptor take over an app built by another developer or agency?
Do we need access to the source code?
Can you modernise the app in stages?
Can the existing app remain available during the rebuild?
Can you migrate Xamarin, Cordova or Ionic apps?
Does a technical rebuild require a complete redesign?
Can Adapptor modernise the back end and APIs as well?
How long does mobile app modernisation take?
How much does a mobile app rebuild cost?
Who owns the source code and intellectual property?
How do you manage security and quality?
What happens after the modernised app is released?
Does Adapptor work with government organisations?
