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Keelwork
App rescue

Your developer went quiet. Your app doesn't have to.

We take over apps that stopped getting updates. We find out what you own, get the code and store accounts into your name, and either fix the app or tell you honestly that a rebuild is cheaper. Fixed price, founder-led: the person who audits your app is the person who fixes it.

Book a 20-minute callHow a rescue works
Sound familiar?

The signs an app needs rescuing.

Silence

Your developer stopped replying

Or the agency closed, or the offshore team moved on mid-project.

Stale

No update in over a year

Every month without updates makes the next one harder and more expensive.

Reviews

Users report crashes and failed logins

Payment errors, blank screens, OTPs that never arrive. Your reviews tell you first.

Ownership

You don't hold the keys

The App Store account, the code or the server login is in someone else's name.

Stuck

A small change has become a big quote

A one-line fix now needs an upgrade nobody has costed.

Unfinished

95% done, and stalled

The app almost works, but the last 5% (payments, store approval) never shipped.

Why it's urgent in 2026

An app nobody updates is falling behind both app stores.

Neither store removes your app for being old, but both make it harder to fix and to find.

Apple: since 28 April 2026

Every app update must be built with Xcode 26 and the iOS 26 SDK. An app last built in 2024 can't ship even a one-line fix until it's been upgraded.

Google Play: since 31 August 2026

Updates must target Android 16 (API 36). Existing apps targeting Android 14 or lower are no longer shown to new users on newer Android phones.

Sources: Apple Developer · Google Play Console Help

How a rescue works

Audit first. Then fix, or rebuild if that's cheaper.

You know the full cost before any fix starts, and whatever we find is documented and yours to keep.

  1. Step 1

    Rescue audit from $2k

    We map who owns what (store accounts, code, servers, keys), check whether the app still builds, list what's broken, and recommend fixing or rebuilding, with a fixed quote.

    Credited in full toward the fix or rebuild

  2. Step 2

    Stabilise fixed quote

    Upgrade to the current Apple and Google requirements, fix the crashes and failures your users report, move every account into your name, and ship an update.

    Milestone dates in the contract

  3. Step 3

    Keep it healthy from $400/mo

    A Care plan: OS updates, store requirement changes, monitoring and fixes, so it doesn't go stale again. Or a full rebuild if the audit says that's the better value.

Prices in US dollars, excluding taxes.

What the audit gives you

A clear picture, in writing, that you own.

Ownership map

Who holds every key

Apple and Google accounts, code repositories, servers, domains, payment and API keys, and how to move each into your name.

Health check

Does it still build?

Toolchain and SDK versions, store compliance, the crashes and failures behind your reviews, and security gaps.

Decision

Fix or rebuild, priced

Both options compared on cost and risk, with a fixed quote for the one we recommend.

Proof

We ship to the stores, and keep apps shipping.

Two apps in production, both built by us.

Telead Services, Guyana

When Apple flagged two review-guideline issues, we fixed and resubmitted the app the same day. Live nationwide on iOS, Android and web.

Read the case study

BrightMinds, India

Subscription data from Apple and Google is synced so that late or out-of-order store events can never cut a paying student's access short.

Read the case study

FAQ

Questions buyers ask us

We don't have the source code. Can you still help?
Usually, at least partly. The first job is recovering access: your previous developer may still hand it over, and App Store and Google Play listings can be transferred into your own accounts. If the code really is gone, the audit documents everything the current app does and we quote a rebuild, so nothing is lost in the move.
Our old developer owns the App Store or Google Play account. Is that a problem?
It's common, and fixable. Both Apple and Google let an app be transferred to another account without losing its reviews or users. We'll take you through it step by step and make sure everything ends up in your name.
Our app isn't built in Flutter. Can you still take it over?
We audit any app. Fixes are where we're strongest in Flutter. For other stacks, the audit says plainly whether we're the right team, or whether a rebuild is better value over the next two years.
Will you tell us to rebuild just to win a bigger project?
No. The audit compares fixing with rebuilding on cost and risk, and recommends the cheaper path that's safe. If your current developer can still do the work, we'll say that too.
Who owns the code?
You do, fully. It lives in your GitHub and your cloud accounts from day one, with documentation and a handover at the end.
How do payments work?
The audit is paid up front and credited in full toward your build. The build is paid 40% at the start, 40% at beta, and 20% at launch. After launch you choose a Care plan (from $400/mo) or a Growth plan (from $2.5k/mo), or neither.
You're in India. How does the time difference work?
Gulf clients: we overlap your whole working day (India is 1.5–2.5 hours ahead). Australia: your afternoon is our morning. Caribbean: you get a written update every day and calls in your evening. Everyone gets a working demo every week.

Tell us what's stuck. We'll tell you what it takes to fix it.

A 20-minute call with Ritesh, the founder. No sales team, no obligation.

Not ready to talk? Send a short message · ritesh@keelwork.studio

Book a 20-minute call