Why has Self Financial's mobile app experienced a sudden 30% increase in crash rates for iOS users in the past week?

Introduction

Self Financial's mobile app has experienced a sudden 30% increase in crash rates for iOS users in the past week. This significant spike in crashes poses a critical issue that requires immediate attention and a systematic approach to identify and address the root cause. I'll analyze this problem using a structured framework that covers issue identification, hypothesis generation, validation, and solution development.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Given the sudden nature of the increase, I'm thinking there might have been a recent app update. Has there been any iOS app release in the past 1-2 weeks?

Why it matters: Recent updates often introduce bugs or compatibility issues. Expected answer: Yes, there was an update released 10 days ago. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on changes in that update.

• Considering the specificity to iOS, I'm wondering about potential iOS version conflicts. Are the crashes concentrated on specific iOS versions?

Why it matters: iOS version-specific issues can indicate compatibility problems. Expected answer: Crashes are more prevalent on iOS 15 and above. Impact on approach: We'd investigate iOS 15+ specific changes or features.

• Looking at user segments, I'm curious if this affects all users equally. Are new users experiencing higher crash rates compared to existing users?

Why it matters: Different crash rates among user segments could point to onboarding or first-time use issues. Expected answer: New users have a 50% higher crash rate. Impact on approach: We'd focus on new user flows and first-time experiences.

• Thinking about system changes, has there been any backend infrastructure updates or API changes recently?

Why it matters: Backend changes can sometimes cause unexpected client-side issues. Expected answer: A new API version was rolled out two weeks ago. Impact on approach: We'd investigate the interaction between the new API and the iOS app.