Enhancing reliability: revitalizing Oddschecker's UK mobile experience
Summary
How Momentum transformed Fair Play Sports Media's Oddschecker UK app from a crash-prone platform to a reliable digital experience, ensuring consistent performance for over 45,000 monthly users through strategic technical improvements.
Setting the scene
Digital reliability isn't just a technical metric—it's a fundamental element of user trust. When Fair Play Sports Media approached Momentum about their Oddschecker UK app, they faced a critical challenge: frequent crashes were undermining user confidence and preventing people from accessing important information.
The problem was particularly severe on Android, where crash rates were significantly affecting the user experience. Fair Play Sports Media needed a partner who could methodically address these stability issues while ensuring the platform remained accessible to all users, regardless of their technical expertise.
Momentum's mission to make technology accessible aligned perfectly with this challenge: after all, an app can't be accessible if it doesn't stay running long enough to be used.
What we were up against
The Oddschecker UK app faced several technical hurdles that needed systematic resolution:
Critical Android Stability Issues
The Android version suffered from frequent crashes, creating a frustrating experience that prevented users from accessing essential features and information when they needed it most.
iOS Performance Gaps
While more stable than its Android counterpart, the iOS app still experienced reliability issues with crash-free sessions hovering around 97-98%—short of the excellence users expect.
Backend Communication Failures
When backend services experienced issues, the app would crash entirely instead of gracefully handling these scenarios, leaving users completely cut off from the service.
Three things that had to work perfectly
After analyzing the app's performance data and user feedback, we established three primary goals:
Systematically eliminate crash-causing issues on Android by targeting the top 10 crash sources in each release cycle, creating a methodical path to stability.
Elevate iOS crash-free sessions above 99.5%, ensuring near-perfect reliability for Apple device users through comprehensive error handling.
Implement resilient architecture that allows the app to function even when facing backend communication challenges, maintaining core functionality during server issues.
How we got it done
Improving app stability required more than quick fixes—it demanded a comprehensive strategy focused on both immediate improvements and long-term reliability.
Data-Driven Prioritization
We began by analyzing crash reports to identify and rank issues by impact and frequency. This allowed us to target the most disruptive problems first, creating maximum improvement with each release.
Systematic Release Cycles
Rather than attempting to fix everything at once, we implemented a methodical approach that targeted the top 10 crash-causing issues in each release. This created a steady cadence of improvements that users could experience with each update.
Collaborative Backend Integration
We worked closely with Fair Play Sports Media's backend team to implement robust error handling throughout the app. This collaboration ensured that backend issues would be managed gracefully rather than causing crashes.
Modern CI/CD Implementation
We established a robust CI/CD pipeline using GitLab that automated testing and deployment processes. This infrastructure caught potential issues before they reached users and streamlined the release process.
Under the hood
To achieve the desired improvements, we utilized the following technology stack:
Native Development
We maintained the native approach for both platforms, using Java for Android and Swift for iOS. This allowed us to implement platform-specific optimizations and take full advantage of each operating system's capabilities for error handling and performance.
GitLab CI/CD Pipeline
Our CI/CD pipeline automated testing, build processes, and deployment, ensuring consistent quality across releases. This infrastructure was crucial for maintaining the fast-paced release schedule needed to address stability issues quickly.
Crash Analytics Integration
We enhanced crash reporting and analytics tools to provide more detailed insights on issues affecting users. This data-driven approach allowed us to identify patterns and prioritize fixes effectively.
What it took to get there
Our implementation focused on systematically addressing the most critical issues while building a more resilient application architecture:
Error Handling Overhaul
We implemented comprehensive error handling throughout the application, ensuring that unexpected situations were managed gracefully rather than causing crashes. This included handling network failures, backend communication issues, and unexpected data formats.
Backend Resilience
Working with the backend team, we implemented failover mechanisms that allowed the app to continue functioning with cached data even when backend services were unresponsive. This significantly improved the user experience during server maintenance or outages.
Memory Management Optimization
Many crashes, particularly on Android, stemmed from memory management issues. We systematically identified and resolved these problems, implementing more efficient data handling and resource management throughout the app.
Framework Updates
We updated outdated frameworks and libraries to their latest stable versions, eliminating compatibility issues and improving overall system stability. This modernization addressed numerous bugs, particularly with social media integrations.
The complexities beneath the surface
Throughout the project, we faced and overcame several significant challenges:
Balancing Quick Wins with Architectural Improvements
The Android app’s stability was vastly improved by systematically addressing crash-causing issues, resulting in a more reliable and user-friendly experience.
Improved iOS Performance
Crash-free sessions on iOS improved to 99.95%, setting a new standard of reliability for the app.
Enhanced User Experience
Crash-free sessions on iOS improved to 99.95%, setting a new standard of reliability for the app.
Framework Modernization
By updating the app’s frameworks, we eliminated numerous bugs and improved the overall functionality and compatibility of the app, particularly with social media integrations.
Streamlined Release Process
The implementation of a CI/CD pipeline ensured that updates were delivered efficiently and without disruption, maintaining the app’s stability and reliability.
Promoting Responsible Gambling
The app was equipped with features and resources that encouraged users to gamble responsibly, reflecting Fair Play Sports Media’s commitment to a healthy and sustainable betting environment.
What we achieved together
The improvements to the Oddschecker UK app delivered measurable results that directly impacted user experience:
- Crash-free sessions on iOS improved from 97-98% to an impressive 99.95% over a 90-day period, nearly eliminating disruptions for Apple users.
- Android crash rates saw a dramatic reduction through the systematic elimination of top crash causes, significantly improving the experience for users on Google's platform.
- Backend error handling improvements ensured that server-side issues no longer resulted in app crashes, maintaining functionality even during backend disruptions.
- The improved stability supported a consistent user base of over 45,000 monthly active users who could now rely on the app for timely and accurate information.
"Momentum's methodical approach to stabilizing our Oddschecker UK app transformed the user experience. Their team didn't just fix crashes—they implemented a sustainable system for continuous improvement that has fundamentally enhanced our platform's reliability. The results speak for themselves in our dramatically improved stability metrics and user satisfaction."
What comes next
With core stability issues resolved, Momentum and Fair Play Sports Media are now positioned to focus on enhancing the platform's capabilities. The collaborative relationship between Momentum and Fair Play Sports Media continues, with a shared commitment to making technology accessible and reliable for all users.
Reliability isn’t something you can bolt on later—it has to be built in.
Oddschecker’s transformation shows what happens when you treat technical stability as a product feature, not just a backend concern. With the right structure, team, and tools in place, we helped them turn crashes into confidence—and a fragile mobile experience into a foundation they can grow on.
If you're working with legacy code, scaling under pressure, or shipping faster than your platform can keep up, we can help.
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