I've been developing mobile apps since 2018, and there's something I've noticed over the years: no matter how simple an app starts out, certain capabilities tend to become necessary sooner or later.

The MVP Misconception

When starting a new mobile app, one of the first questions is usually: What's the minimum we need to build before launching?

That's a fair question. The whole point of an MVP is to validate an idea without spending time building things nobody might ever use.

But I think there's an important distinction we sometimes overlook: keeping an app simple doesn't mean leaving out the things it needs to run reliably in production.

I can probably guess what you're thinking: Why build something you don't need yet?

I agree. I'm not suggesting we add features just because they might be useful someday. But after working on different mobile projects, I've noticed that certain needs keep coming up.…