Developer Gone, App Half Finished? Find Out What Is Worth Saving

Secure the accounts before anything else. Check who holds the code repository, the hosting or cloud account, the domain and DNS, the Apple and Google developer accounts, the database and backups, and the billing for paid services. Send the developer a written request for anything held in their name, keep it polite and specific, and keep paying for any service the live app depends on until it is in your name. Then get the code assessed before agreeing to more work with anyone.

Usually, yes, provided we can get the source code and build it. The Discovery Audit tells us whether the existing work is a sound base to finish on. If it is, finishing is normally faster and cheaper than starting again. If parts of it are not, we say which parts, why, and what replacing them would cost, so you are choosing between real options rather than guesses.

Fix it when the foundations are sound and the problems are local: a broken feature, missing tests, a fragile deployment or an outdated library. Rebuild a part when it costs more to repair than to replace, or when the foundations, such as the data model, security model or chosen platform, cannot support what the product needs. A full rebuild is the exception, not the default, and our rewrite vs refactor guide explains how that call is made.

We can't compel anyone to hand anything over, and whether you are entitled to the code depends on your contract and on who owns the copyright. What we can do is list exactly what to request, explain technically why each item is needed, and supply facts for your lawyer if it becomes a dispute. If the code cannot be recovered, we assess what can be rebuilt from the live app, the database and your designs. This is general information, not legal advice.

Generally, yes. Apple and Google both support transferring an app between developer accounts, and the app keeps its listing, ratings and reviews. On Apple's side, the account holder of the sending account starts the transfer and the receiving account holder accepts it, and TestFlight testing must be turned off first. On Google Play, the current owner submits a transfer request in Play Console and the receiving owner approves it. Both require the current account holder to take part, so it helps to keep that relationship civil.

Yes, as long as the code can be exported or accessed. AI built apps often get a long way quickly and then stall at authentication, payments, permissions, data integrity or hosting. We review them like any other codebase, keep what is sound, fix insecure defaults and exposed keys, and move parts onto a maintainable setup where the original tool is the limit.

It depends on the size and state of the system, which is why we price it after the Discovery Audit rather than before. The Discovery Audit is a fixed fee, credited in full against the work that follows. You then receive a fixed price Schedule of Work with three options, The Minimum, The Recommended and The Complete, so you can choose between stabilising the system, finishing the most important features, or completing the full scope. We don't publish rates.

Securing accounts and getting access usually moves as fast as the previous developer responds. The assessment of a single app typically takes one to two weeks once we have the code. Stabilisation and finishing work is timed in your Schedule of Work, because it depends entirely on what the assessment finds.

No. Our job is to describe the code as it is and fix it, not to assign fault. If you need an independent view for a dispute, a separate code audit can document what was delivered against a professional standard, but whether anyone breached an agreement is a question for your lawyer.

Then we say so in the assessment, with the reasons, and the options are clear: rebuild on a sound base, switch to an off the shelf product that now covers the need, or stop. Even then, the existing work is rarely wasted. The data, designs, business rules and lessons from the first attempt make a second build faster and better scoped.

No. We are based in Five Dock, Sydney, and take over projects from anywhere in Australia, working remotely during Sydney business hours. In person sessions in Sydney are easy to arrange when they help, for example to walk through how your team actually uses the system.

Not until you know why it is late. A short independent assessment of the code, the remaining scope and the delivery process tells you whether the current team can finish with a reset plan or whether switching costs less. Switching midway has its own costs, so secure your accounts and code first, then decide on evidence. Sometimes the answer is to stay and fix the process, and we will say so.

Start with an inventory of everything the app depends on, then move each item into your own name. That covers the code repository, hosting or cloud account, domain and DNS, Apple and Google developer accounts, database and backups, API keys, paid service billing and design files. Ask the outgoing developer for build and deployment notes. We then build and deploy the app from scratch to prove the handover is complete.

Compare what was billed with what was delivered, and an independent review can tell you. We can assess the code against the features you paid for, check how much of it actually works, and estimate what the remaining work should involve. That gives you facts for a conversation with your developer. Whether anyone breached an agreement is a question for your lawyer; we supply the technical findings.