App Stores

Over-the-air updates

Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates Documentation

Over-the-Air (OTA) updates allow you to push updates to your app without requiring users to download a new version from the app store. This is a powerful feature that enables rapid iteration and fixes.

This documentation will guide you through configuring OTA updates in your project._createMdxContent

Prerequisites

Before configuring OTA updates, ensure your project set up and configured with EAS :

terminal
pnpx eas init

EAS configuration

Expo starter comes with 2 channel: preview and production.

ChannelEnvironment VariableAuto IncrementDistributionAndroid Build TypeiOS SimulatorOTA Update Channel
previewAPP_VARIANT=previewYesStoreNot specifiedNot specifiedpreview
productionAPP_VARIANT=productionYesStoreapp-bundleNot specifiedproduction

Push an OTA Update

  1. Make Changes to Your App: Modify your codebase as needed.

  2. Publish the Update: Run the following command to publish your changes to the relevant channel (e.g., production, preview):

terminal
pnpm ota:production
terminal
pnpm ota:staging

Managing Update Channels

Using channels allows you to manage which users receive updates. For instance, you can use the preview channel for testing new features internally before pushing them to the production channel for all users.

Expo Update Channels

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