Your App is Live. Now What?
The first week after launch is critical. What you do (and don't do) during these 7 days can determine whether your app gains momentum or fades into the App Store abyss.
🎯 First Week Goals
- • Get your first real-user feedback (not friends and family)
- • Identify and fix any crash issues immediately
- • Respond to every review (yes, every one)
- • Establish baseline metrics for downloads and retention
- • Decide if you need an urgent update or can wait
Day 1: Launch Day
You've been approved. Your app is live. Deep breath. Here's what to do on day one:
Verify Everything Works
Download your own app from the App Store. Yes, actually buy/download it like a real user. Test the entire flow. Sometimes builds behave differently in production than in TestFlight.
- • Test login/signup on a fresh account
- • Test in-app purchases (use a sandbox account)
- • Test on the oldest iOS version you support
- • Test on your smallest supported device
Set Up Crash Monitoring
If you haven't already, set up Firebase Crashlytics, Sentry, or similar. Apple provides crash reports in App Store Connect, but they're delayed by 24-48 hours. Third-party tools give you real-time alerts.
Announce (But Don't Over-Hype)
Share the launch on your channels—social media, newsletter, communities you're part of. But be genuine about what the app is. Over-hyping leads to disappointed users and 1-star reviews.
Don't: Check Stats Every 5 Minutes
App Store Connect data is delayed by hours. Refreshing constantly won't make downloads appear faster and will just stress you out. Check once in the morning, once at night.
Days 2-3: Reading the Early Signals
By day 2-3, you should have some initial data. Not much, but enough to spot red flags.
Good Signs
- • Zero crash reports (or very few)
- • Some organic downloads beyond your launch blast
- • Users returning the next day
- • Questions in reviews (shows engagement)
- • Feature requests (people want more)
Warning Signs
- • Multiple crash reports on same issue
- • High uninstall rate (if you can track it)
- • 1-star reviews mentioning same problem
- • Zero engagement beyond day 1
- • "It doesn't work" reviews
Critical Decision Point
If you're seeing crash reports or "doesn't work" reviews, you need to decide: push a hotfix now, or wait and gather more data? Generally, if more than 1% of users are hitting the same crash, fix it immediately.
Respond to Every Review
Yes, every single one. Even the mean ones. Here's why:
- • It shows future users you're responsive
- • Users sometimes update negative reviews after you respond
- • You often learn about real issues you didn't know about
- • It's the right thing to do (someone took time to write)
Days 4-7: Iterate and Plan
By day 4, the launch excitement dies down. Now you're in "normal operations" mode. Here's how to make the most of this week's data:
Categorize All Feedback
Go through every review, support email, and social mention. Create a simple spreadsheet:
- • Bugs: Things that are broken
- • UX issues: Things that confuse users
- • Feature requests: Things users want
- • Compliments: What people like (don't break these things)
Plan Your First Update
Don't rush an update just to "show activity." Plan a meaningful update that addresses the top 2-3 issues from user feedback. If there are no issues, wait—unnecessary updates can introduce new bugs.
Pro tip: Include "Thank you to our early users for feedback!" in your update notes. It encourages more feedback and shows you're listening.
Evaluate Your Launch Channels
Where did your downloads come from? App Store Connect shows search vs. browse vs. referral. If 90% came from your Twitter post and 0% from App Store search, you know where to focus (or that your ASO needs work).
What to Monitor (And What to Ignore)
✓ Monitor These
- Crash rate: Should be under 1%
- Reviews: Read every one
- Day 1 retention: Are people coming back?
- Support emails: Common questions = UX issues
- Conversion rate: Views to downloads
○ Ignore (For Now)
- Total downloads: Meaningless without context
- App Store rank: Fluctuates wildly early on
- Competitor activity: Focus on your users
- Revenue (if freemium): Too early to judge
- Social mentions: Usually just friends week 1
Handling Your First Reviews
Your first reviews matter disproportionately. A single 1-star review when you have 3 total reviews tanks your average. Here's how to handle them:
For Positive Reviews
Thank them genuinely. If they mention a specific feature they love, acknowledge it. Keep it brief—no need to write essays. "Thank you! Glad the [specific feature] is helpful."
For Negative Reviews (Fair Criticism)
Acknowledge the issue. Say you're working on it (if you are). Don't make excuses. "Thanks for the feedback—you're right that [X] could be better. We're addressing this in our next update."
For Negative Reviews (Bug Reports)
Apologize, ask for more details if needed, and offer direct support. "Sorry you hit this issue! Could you email us at support@app.com with your device model? We want to fix this ASAP."
For Unfair Reviews
Someone gives 1 star because "I don't like the color blue." Respond professionally anyway—other users will see you're reasonable. "Thanks for the feedback. We chose our color scheme for [reason], but we're always evaluating design choices."
Never Do This
- • Argue with reviewers publicly
- • Make excuses or blame users
- • Ask friends to post fake positive reviews (Apple detects this)
- • Ignore reviews entirely
Common First-Week Mistakes
Panic-Updating After Every Complaint
One person says "needs dark mode" and you spend 3 days adding dark mode. Wait until you see patterns. If 10 people ask for the same thing, it's worth prioritizing. One request is just one opinion.
Expecting Viral Growth
Most apps don't go viral. A "successful" launch for an indie app might be 100 downloads in the first week. Set realistic expectations based on your marketing reach, not App Store dreams.
Ignoring Crash Reports
"It's only affecting 5 users" — but those 5 users will leave 1-star reviews and never come back. And the crash might be device-specific, meaning it affects ALL users with that device.
Spending Money on Ads Immediately
You don't know if your onboarding works yet. You don't know if users retain. Running ads in week 1 is paying to find problems. Wait until you've validated the product works with organic users.
Abandoning the App After Launch
"Ship it and forget it" doesn't work. Users expect apps to improve over time. If you're not planning to maintain it, be honest with yourself about whether launching is worth it.
Week 1 Survival Checklist
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