Service
App rescue and maintenance: take over an existing or AI-built app, fix rejections, keep it updated
ODEL takes over apps that are stuck: prototypes built with Lovable, Bolt, Cursor or another AI tool that need to become real apps, apps abandoned by a previous developer or agency, apps rejected by App Review, and live apps that need regular updates. Work starts with an audit: ODEL reads the code, checks who owns the Apple and Google accounts, runs the app and gives a written answer on what to keep, what to fix and whether a rebuild is cheaper. Then fixes, review resubmission and an optional maintenance plan for OS updates, SDK upgrades, store policy changes and small features. You work with the developer who does the work, and the code and accounts stay yours. ODEL maintains its own 20 live apps the same way: DishBook is on version 2.2.0, and PillBuddy, HealthLog and Unvay all shipped updates in October 2026.
Who it is for
- Founders with an AI-built prototype that works in a demo but not in the stores
- Owners whose developer or agency disappeared or stopped answering
- Apps stuck in App Review rejections
- Live apps that need iOS and Android updates, SDK upgrades and small features each month
When we are not the right fit
- Apps whose source code you cannot get at all: without the code, the realistic option is a rebuild, and we will say so
- Large legacy systems with many services and no documentation on a fixed short deadline
- 24/7 on-call support with guaranteed response times: a managed services firm fits better
What you get
- Written audit: code quality, security issues, dependencies, store status and ownership
- Keep, fix or rebuild recommendation with reasons and a quote
- Checklist to move the app, bundle ID and store listing into your own accounts
- Fixes for crashes, privacy issues and App Review rejections
- Resubmission and replies to App Review
- Upgrades for new iOS and Android versions and expiring SDKs
- Source code moved into a repository you own
- Optional monthly maintenance with a written log of changes
How the project runs
- 01
Access and ownership check
We find out where the code, the bundle ID, the store listing and the backend live, and who controls each one.
- 02
Audit
Code read, app run on devices, review history checked. You get a written report and a quote for each option.
- 03
Move to your accounts
Code into your repository; if the app sits in someone else's developer account, we plan the app transfer to yours.
- 04
Fix and resubmit
Crashes, rejections and blockers first, then resubmission and follow-up with App Review.
- 05
Maintain
Optional plan for OS releases, SDK deadlines, policy changes and small features.
Technology
- Swift and SwiftUI
- React Native and Expo
- Capacitor
- Node.js
- PostgreSQL and Supabase
- App Store Connect and Play Console
- Sentry and PostHog
Apps we built and run
Live products ODEL designed, built and publishes. They show the work better than any promise.
Questions about working with us
Can my AI-built app be finished, or does it need a rebuild?
It depends on what the tool generated: whether there is a real backend with access rules, whether secrets are exposed in the client, and whether the app runs on a phone at all. Many developers on Reddit treat a vibe-coded app as a working spec rather than a codebase. ODEL audits it first and recommends keep, fix or rebuild in writing, with a quote for each.
My app is in my old agency's Apple account. How do I get it back?
Ask the account holder to transfer the app to your own Apple developer account through App Store Connect. If the agency has closed its account, the app can disappear from the store, as one company described on Apple's developer forums after its agency closed in 2024. Enroll your own account now so the app has somewhere to go, and keep the source code in your own repository.
How much does app maintenance cost per year?
It depends on how often the app changes, how many SDKs and platforms it uses, and the backend. ODEL quotes a monthly plan after the audit. Vendor blogs repeat a rule of thumb of 15 to 20 percent of the original build cost per year (Cleveroad and Space-O, 2026); it is a planning heuristic, not a study. Fixed costs include the Apple Developer Program at 99 USD per year.
Why was my app rejected under 4.3 spam?
Guideline 4.3 targets apps that duplicate other apps, including many near-identical apps from one account or apps built from a shared template. Guideline 4.2.6 adds that template-generated apps are rejected unless submitted by the content provider. The fix is usually real differentiation in features and design and submission under your own account, not a resubmit of the same build.
My developer says they lost my files. What now?
Ask for whatever exists: the repository, the store build history and the backend. If nothing comes back, a rebuild is often faster than recovery. To prevent it next time, the code should live in your own repository from the first commit, as it does in every ODEL project.
Who will I actually talk to during the project?
The developer who designs and builds your app. ODEL is a one-person studio run by Oguz Delioglu, so there is no account manager between you and the code: you get answers from the person writing it and test builds on your own phone at each milestone. The trade-off is capacity: ODEL takes on a small number of projects at a time.
Related services
Tell us about your project
Tell us what you want to build. Your brief comes straight to the developer who would build it, and you get a written reply by email.
- No cost and no commitment for the first conversation
- A written scope and a fixed quote or a phased plan
- You own the app, the code and the store accounts