App Update Manager

A comprehensive Flutter package for managing app updates across Play Store, App Store, and custom backends with flexible update strategies, background checks, and beautiful UI.

Features

✨ Multi-Platform Support

  • ✅ Android (Play Store with in-app updates)
  • ✅ iOS (App Store)
  • ✅ Custom backend API
  • ✅ Windows, macOS, Linux (custom updates)

🎯 Update Strategies

  • Flexible Updates - User can dismiss and update later
  • Immediate Updates - Blocks app usage until updated
  • Optional Updates - Shows notification but allows continued use

🎨 Customizable UI

  • Beautiful dialogs and bottom sheets
  • Fully customizable colors, text, and icons
  • Dark mode support
  • Material 3 design

🚀 Advanced Features

  • Background update checks with WorkManager
  • Version caching to reduce API calls
  • Release notes display
  • File size information
  • Force updates for critical versions
  • Minimum supported version enforcement
  • Regional rollouts support
  • A/B testing capabilities
  • Analytics integration
  • Network connectivity handling (WiFi-only option)

Installation

Add this to your pubspec.yaml:

dependencies:
  app_update_manager: ^1.0.0

Platform-Specific Setup

Android

Add to android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />

iOS

Add to ios/Runner/Info.plist:

<key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key>
<dict>
    <key>NSAllowsArbitraryLoads</key>
    <true/>
</dict>

Quick Start

Basic Usage

import 'package:app_update_manager/app_update_manager.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();

  // Initialize
  await AppUpdateManager.initialize(
    config: UpdateConfig(
      playStoreId: 'com.yourapp.package',
      appStoreId: '123456789',
      customUpdateUrl: 'https://api.yourapp.com/version',
    ),
  );

  runApp(MyApp());
}

// Check for updates
class HomePage extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      body: Center(
        child: ElevatedButton(
          onPressed: () async {
            await AppUpdateManager.checkAndShowUpdate(
              context: context,
            );
          },
          child: Text('Check for Updates'),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Custom Backend API

Your backend should return JSON in this format:

{
  "latest_version": "1.2.0",
  "current_version": "1.0.0",
  "release_notes": "Bug fixes and improvements",
  "download_url": "https://...",
  "is_forced": false,
  "is_critical": false,
  "minimum_supported_version": "1.0.0",
  "file_size_bytes": 25600000,
  "release_date": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Query parameters sent to your API:

  • platform - Operating system (android, ios, etc.)
  • current_version - Current app version
  • build_number - Current build number
  • package_name - App package name
  • region - Region code (if configured)
  • test_group - A/B test group (if configured)

Custom UI

await AppUpdateManager.checkAndShowUpdate(
  context: context,
  useBottomSheet: true,
  uiConfig: UpdateUIConfig(
    title: 'New Version Available! 🎉',
    message: 'Update to get the latest features',
    updateButtonText: 'Update Now',
    laterButtonText: 'Maybe Later',
    primaryColor: Colors.purple,
    showReleaseNotes: true,
    showFileSize: true,
    customIcon: Icon(Icons.rocket_launch),
  ),
);

Background Checks

await AppUpdateManager.initialize(
  config: UpdateConfig(
    // ... other config
    enableBackgroundCheck: true,
    backgroundCheckInterval: 24, // hours
    wifiOnly: true, // Only check on WiFi
  ),
);

// Check if background update was found
final hasUpdate = await AppUpdateManager.hasBackgroundUpdate();

Force Updates

await AppUpdateManager.initialize(
  config: UpdateConfig(
    // ... other config
    strategy: UpdateStrategy.immediate, // Force immediate update
  ),
);

Analytics Integration

await AppUpdateManager.initialize(
  config: UpdateConfig(
    // ... other config
    enableAnalytics: true,
    onAnalyticsEvent: (event, data) {
      // Send to your analytics service
      FirebaseAnalytics.instance.logEvent(
        name: 'app_update_${event.name}',
        parameters: data,
      );
    },
  ),
);

Configuration Options

UpdateConfig

Parameter Type Description Default
playStoreId String? Android package name null
appStoreId String? iOS app ID null
customUpdateUrl String? Custom API endpoint null
customHeaders Map<String, String>? HTTP headers for API null
strategy UpdateStrategy Update strategy flexible
backgroundCheckInterval int Hours between checks 24
enableBackgroundCheck bool Enable background checking false
showDialogAutomatically bool Auto-show dialog true
enableCaching bool Cache version info true
cacheDuration int Cache duration (hours) 6
requestTimeout int API timeout (seconds) 30
wifiOnly bool Check only on WiFi false
regionCode String? Region for rollouts null
testGroup String? A/B test group null
enableAnalytics bool Enable analytics false

UpdateUIConfig

Parameter Type Description
title String? Dialog title
message String? Dialog message
updateButtonText String? Update button text
cancelButtonText String? Cancel button text
laterButtonText String? Later button text
backgroundColor Color? Background color
primaryColor Color? Primary color
titleStyle TextStyle? Title text style
messageStyle TextStyle? Message text style
showReleaseNotes bool Show release notes
showFileSize bool Show file size
customIcon Widget? Custom icon widget

API Reference

AppUpdateManager

// Initialize the manager
static Future<void> initialize({required UpdateConfig config})

// Check for updates
static Future<UpdateInfo?> checkForUpdate()

// Check and show update dialog
static Future<bool> checkAndShowUpdate({
  required BuildContext context,
  UpdateUIConfig? uiConfig,
  bool useBottomSheet = false,
})

// Get current version
static Future<String> getCurrentVersion()

// Clear cache
static Future<void> clearCache()

// Cancel background checks
static Future<void> cancelBackgroundChecks()

// Check for background update
static Future<bool> hasBackgroundUpdate()

Examples

Check the /example folder for complete examples:

  • basic_usage_example.dart - Simple implementation
  • custom_backend_example.dart - Custom API integration
  • advanced_usage_example.dart - All features showcase

Testing

// For testing, you can mock update scenarios
final testUpdateInfo = UpdateInfo(
  latestVersion: AppVersion.parse('2.0.0'),
  currentVersion: AppVersion.parse('1.0.0'),
  releaseNotes: 'Test update',
  isForced: false,
);

await showUpdateDialog(
  context: context,
  updateInfo: testUpdateInfo,
);

Troubleshooting

Android in-app update not working:

  • Ensure your app is published on Play Store (internal testing track works)
  • The update must be available on Play Store
  • Test on a real device, not emulator

iOS App Store link not opening:

  • Verify your App Store ID is correct
  • Ensure url_launcher can open App Store URLs

Background checks not working:

  • Verify workmanager is properly initialized
  • Check Android battery optimization settings
  • iOS has strict background execution limits

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines and submit pull requests to our repository.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues, feature requests, or questions:

  • Open an issue on GitHub

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history.

Libraries

app_update_manager