From development to production: seven tips to optimize mobile app deployments

The process of deploying updates to mobile apps is more complex than for web apps due to the involvement of official app publication platforms like Google Play and iOS App Store, which offer little control over update publication and require users to upgrade their apps before receiving updates. To overcome this, developers can employ various techniques such as regular production release trains, mobile-focused CI/CD tools, caching app dependencies, running build jobs in parallel on multiple VMs, automating deployment to app stores and testing platforms, deploying experimental features or updates under feature flags, and monitoring releases for crashes. By implementing these strategies, developers can make the mobile app development life cycle more forgiving of bugs and ensure timely fixes are delivered to users.