How The Secret Used Fractional Mobile Support to Maintain and Grow Its Apps

The Background

The Secret is a global media and digital brand built around Rhonda Byrne's work, with books, films, educational content, and mobile experiences used by audiences around the world.

By the time they engaged Lanex in June 2021, their apps were already live. The challenge was no longer only about building software from scratch. It was about maintaining production mobile apps properly, adding new features when needed, and handling the operational realities that come with keeping iOS and Android products healthy over time.

The Challenge

This is a common issue for app-based products after launch.

When you are building a new app, a full-time engineer often makes sense. Once the product is live, the work changes. You still need capable developers, but you may not need 100% capacity every week of the year.

For The Secret, the requirement was ongoing but variable. They needed a capable mobile engineer who could regularly maintain their iOS and Android apps, add features when priorities emerged, manage App Store and Google Play submissions, and deal with the review process that comes with shipping updates.

That kind of work requires more than just coding ability. It requires someone who understands release management, app store operations, and the discipline of maintaining a live mobile product.

What The Secret Needed

The Secret needed a reliable technical partner who could provide:

• ongoing iOS and Android support
• flexible engineering capacity rather than a rigid full-time-only model
• app store and Google Play release management
• feature development when needed
• continuity over the long term

This is exactly where Lanex's non-full-time support model fits.

In addition to full-time engineers, Lanex also offers fractional capacity, including arrangements in the 25% to 75% range. For products that are already live, that can be a much better commercial and operational fit than forcing a full-time structure when the workload does not justify it.

How Lanex Helped

Lanex supported The Secret with ongoing mobile engineering capacity tailored to their actual needs.

Rather than stepping away after launch, we stayed involved to help maintain the apps, support release cycles, and continue product improvements over time. That included both software work and the practical responsibilities around managing app distribution through Apple's App Store and Google Play.

This is an important distinction in how we work.

Some agencies are happy to help during the build phase, then disappear once a product goes live. Others create dependency by holding control over source code, accounts, or intellectual property.

Lanex takes a different approach. We support clients from idea inception through execution, launch, and ongoing maintenance. We do not claim ownership of client IP. The client keeps the design, the source code, and the product. That is built into how we structure our engagements and contracts.

The Result

The Secret has been with Lanex since June 2021, which says a great deal about the value of the model.

The engagement has given them access to capable mobile support over the long term without forcing them into an all-or-nothing resourcing structure. They have been able to maintain their live iOS and Android apps, add features as needed, and keep release operations moving with a team that understands both the technical and operational side of mobile product support.

Why This Matters for Clients with Live Apps

A lot of software partners focus on launch day as the finish line. In reality, launch is when a different kind of work begins.

Apps need maintenance. Stores need managing. New OS changes create new requirements. Reviews, submissions, fixes, and incremental feature work all continue after the first release.

The Secret is a strong example of why flexible post-launch support matters. They did not need to be abandoned after release, and they did not need to over-hire for periods when the workload was lighter. They needed dependable ongoing support from a team that could scale to the actual shape of the work.

That is what Lanex delivered.