Agency said "we'll use this language for Android" — will that choice lock me into them?

I've been in this industry for years. I've never seen a project sink because of the programming language, but I've seen hundreds of projects thrown away because the code repository's password stayed in the agency owner's personal email. Before the language, settle the question 'who owns the code?' Create the repository yourself and give the agency developer access.

By hybrid, they most likely mean Flutter or React Native. There are thousands of developers in Turkey for both, so you definitely won't be trapped when it comes to hiring devs. Just watch out: some agencies just wrap your website in an app shell (webview) and try to pass it off as a hybrid app. Make them list every single library in the technical proposal.

Here are the most essential protective clauses you should put in the contract: 1) Intellectual property rights belong unconditionally to the client starting from the initial advance payment. 2) Code must strictly adhere to standard linter rules and architectural best practices. 3) A minimum of 6 months of guaranteed free critical bug fixes following project delivery.

We had a similar retail app built last year for 240,000 TL. We parted ways with the agency around month 8 over a maintenance fee dispute. Because the code was stored in our own repo, we hired a freelance developer on an hourly basis; he took over the system in 12 days and we kept going without any downtime.

edit: fixed a few typos.

Does the proposal only specify the language for the mobile app, or does it also state what the back-end admin panel and database will be built with? Even if the mobile side uses a very common stack if the back-office software is tied to a proprietary agency system you'll still end up locked in.

open the repo under your company name from day one and invite the agency... btw have someone you know check the commits every friday. as long as the code is in your hands you're not at anyone's mercy, the language isn't that big a deal.

The idea of 'we'll just hire another developer to pick it up' sounds great in theory, but in practice it doesn't work that way. No developer in the market wants to touch someone else's sloppy code, and whoever steps in will immediately say 'let's rewrite this from scratch.' That's why you need an independent expert to audit the quality of the agency's code while development is still ongoing.

Software development contracts are governed by the provisions of work contracts (eser sözleşmesi). Unless ownership of the source code, transfer of economic rights, and source code access conditions are explicitly defined in the agreement, copyright may legally be presumed to belong to the developer in the event of a future dispute.

Just a heads-up. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

If I were you I'd go this route.

We need to make a distinction here. Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently.

Proven by experience.

This thread is archived.

You're right. Trying to do this alone is the most expensive way.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

I'm curious too.

I completely agree. When you try to change everything at once, nothing settles.

Access credentials should be opened in the company's name, not personal accounts.

i've been dealing with this for a long time. like if it's your first time start small; scaling comes later.

that's all sorry if I went on too long.

I went through the same thing two years ago. If acceptance criteria aren't written when the work is done is open to debate.

Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more... honestly proven by experience.

Following. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

I'm in the same situation, that's why I'm asking. Payment schedules should be tied to project phases, not calendar dates.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.