How app updates work
There are two types of changes that will determine what kind of update your app will need.
Binary changes
Changing any of the following items/information will require a complete resubmission to app stores, meaning that we would need to create a new build of your app and submit it to the stores:
- Icon
- Launch image
- App’s name
- Title (iOS)
- Description (iOS)
- Keywords (iOS)
- Screenshots (iOS)
- Category (iOS)
- Adding audio content for the first time after the app’s initial submission (installing Radio+ or Podcasts RSS extension)
- Uploading or updating the chime sound for reminders
- New authentication options (Apple and Facebook sign-in option) or removing login protection
- Enabling and configuring in-app purchases
- Installing and configuring the Advertising extension
- Shoutem platform update
- Extension updates – in some cases (eg. if you install Permissions or Onboarding extension)
After you click the Republish button, the builder will automatically send a resubmission email request to our internal review queue from where our publishing team will update your app in the stores with the necessary changes. You will receive an additional notice once the process is completed.
Users will see this as a store-based update, or a new app version. Users who don’t enable automatic app updates must visit the app stores on their devic and make the updates manually.
WHEN SHOULD I CONTACT SUPPORT AFTER I’VE MADE SOME BINARY CHANGES?
You should contact us if you need us to update store metadata or when you perform any other change listed above except for platform updates and app icon changes – those changes don’t trigger a resubmission request once you publish, therefore, it is necessary that you reach out to us so that we can complete the update.
Google Play Store doesn’t require a resubmission when store metadata updates occur, while App Store does (in cases when you change your app screenshots, update the name of your app, change categories, etc.).
Server-Based
These updates don’t require a new app file submission. They are visible to users after you click Republish, or, after a manual app restart on the user’s end after 20 minutes. For example, when you add content to existing categories (i.e. categories created before the app is submitted), changes will update automatically.
However, if you add new Categories or extra menu icons, you must click the Republish button or your changes will not be visible in your live app.
Server-based changes can involve:
- adding an Extension/New screen
- Screen icon changes
- Screen positioning changes
- Design iPhone image change (except App icon and Launch image change)
- Content updates
- and so on…. to sum up, if the change is NOT on the Binary updates list above, the live app can be updated without needing an app resubmission.
If you are not sure what type of change you made in your app, the builder will tell after you hit the Republish button with the following notes:
I. Binary change
II. Server-Based change
