If the product crashes, will users forgive me?

Brother, you've hit the nail on the head with this question; every product person has pondered this sleeplessly.

The answer is: it depends. Don't dismiss this answer as evasive, because whether users forgive you truly doesn't depend solely on "the crash" itself, but on many other factors.

You can imagine it like going to a newly opened restaurant.

Scenario 1: You're among the first customers, during a soft opening. The food arrives, and one dish is a bit too salty. You tell the owner, who immediately replaces it, apologizes profusely, and even gives you a discount on the bill. Would you be angry? Most likely not. You might even think the owner is great and decide to come back.

This corresponds to your product having just launched, with a few minor bugs, like a button not responding or an occasional crash. As long as you react quickly and have a good attitude, fix it promptly, and communicate sincerely with users (e.g., by posting an announcement saying, "We're aware of the issue, and our engineers are working hard to fix it"), most early adopters will forgive you. They have a "try new things" mindset and a higher tolerance.

Scenario 2: This restaurant has been open for a long time, boasting three Michelin stars. You take an important client there for dinner, and after the meal, both of you end up in the hospital with food poisoning. The owner just calls to say, "Sorry about that." Would you forgive him? Not only would you not, but you might even report him to the consumer protection agency.

This corresponds to your product being very mature, with many users, perhaps even a paid product. Then, an update causes all users' data to be lost, or core functionalities become completely unusable, and it can't be fixed for one or two days straight. In such a situation, users not cursing you to death would be a blessing. Forgiveness? Highly unlikely. Especially data loss – that's a cardinal sin, absolutely untouchable.

So, to summarize, whether users will forgive you mainly depends on these points:

1. The "nature" of the crash: Is it an occasional app crash, or does it brick the user's phone? Does a feature just not work, or does it delete something I painstakingly created? The latter is a devastating blow, essentially equivalent to a "breakup."
2. Your "attitude": After an incident, do you play dead, or do you immediately come forward to admit the mistake, apologize, and inform them of the repair progress? User patience is like a phone's battery level; every effective communication charges them up. Silence and blame-shifting, however, are like unplugging their charger.
3. The "value" of the product: Is your product irreplaceable? If users heavily rely on your product and there are no good alternatives on the market, they might curse you while grudgingly waiting for you to fix it. But if your product is dispensable, then sorry, they'll uninstall it immediately and switch to a competitor's.
4. The "frequency" of crashes: Is it the first major issue in a year since launch, or does it crash every other day? The former is an "accident," the latter is "garbage." No one will continue to use a "garbage" product.

So, don't get too hung up on the question of "will it crash?", because as long as code is written by humans, there will inevitably be bugs, and it will inevitably crash. You should focus your energy on:

• Prevention: Test thoroughly; don't push obvious issues live.
• Contingency planning: If it crashes, how should I respond quickly? How do I notify users? How do I fix it urgently?
• Protecting user data: This is your lifeline.

As long as you treat users with respect, as living individuals rather than just backend data, then even if the product occasionally has issues, they'll be willing to give you a chance. The real fear is treating users like fools.