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iOS app rescue and modernization: stabilise, migrate, keep shipping
For companies with an iOS app that has become slow to change, unreliable or abandoned. I stabilise the app, modernise it step by step, and get releases flowing again.
Signs your iOS app needs rescuing
- Legacy UIKit code that nobody wants to touch, and a SwiftUI migration that never started.
- Crashes and performance problems showing up in reviews or crash reports.
- Outdated dependencies that block new Xcode or iOS versions.
- App Store problems — rejections, missing compliance, or a build you can't ship.
- An abandoned app — the original developer is gone and nobody understands the code.
- Maintenance debt — every release breaks something else.
- Slow feature delivery because the architecture fights every change.
- No confidence that a new iOS release won't break the app.
Stabilise first, then modernise step by step
Most apps don't need a rewrite. I'll tell you honestly when they do.
Audit
Review of the codebase, architecture, dependencies, crash data and App Store status. You get written findings and a prioritised plan.
Stabilise
Fix the crashes and blockers, update SDKs and dependencies, and get the app back to a state where you can ship reliably.
Modernise
Migrate to SwiftUI incrementally, screen by screen alongside existing UIKit code. Clean up architecture where it pays off. No big-bang rewrite.
Hand over or continue
Documentation and a codebase your team can own — or ongoing maintenance and feature work with me.
What you can expect
- A clear written assessment of the app's condition and risks.
- A prioritised plan: what to fix now, what can wait, what to leave alone.
- Regular builds so you can see progress and test on your own devices.
- Updated App Store compliance, so releases stop getting blocked.
Experience keeping apps alive
I maintain 25+ live apps across iOS versions, on a shared Swift package with pinned versions and app-by-app upgrades so a change in one place can't silently break another. I wrote about the practice in shared UI kits across apps and SwiftUI in production.
Questions about taking over an app
Can you take over an app someone else wrote?
Yes. Taking over unfamiliar code is where an audit helps most: I map how it works, what's risky and what it will cost to change before committing to a plan.
Do I need to rewrite my UIKit app in SwiftUI?
Usually not. UIKit and SwiftUI coexist well. I typically migrate the screens that benefit most and leave stable UIKit code alone.
Will the app stay live while you work?
Yes. The goal is continuous, low-risk releases — not a long freeze followed by a big-bang launch.
How is the work priced?
Typically an audit first, then fixed-scope phases or time-and-materials with a not-to-exceed ceiling, depending on how well the work can be defined up front.
What do you need to start?
Read access to the repository, App Store Connect access (or crash and review data), and a short description of what's hurting most.
Related services
Is your app holding you back?
Send a few lines about the app and what's going wrong. I'll tell you honestly whether it needs a rescue, a rewrite or just a tune-up.