Mobile App Updates: Secrets of Successful Releases

How to set up automatic mobile app updates without unpleasant surprises when releasing new versions? The BuildApps team successfully applies the CI/CD approach to work on digital products. It helps to detect errors in a timely manner, ensure stability, and improve the quality of mobile apps.

Using tools like Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions helps reduce the time to release updates and makes the development process more efficient.

Find out how we achieve this in the following material!

CI/CD is a popular approach in DevOps that combines two key methodologies: CI (Continuous Integration) – continuous integration of changes in the code and CD (Continuous Delivery) – automated delivery of updates. This allows developers to regularly implement new features and fixes with minimal risks.

Modern applications are developed on various technologies and platforms, so it is important that the process of integration and testing is as efficient as possible. The main goal of CI/CD is to automate the build, testing, and deployment of software, enabling teams to focus on improving code quality and enhancing product security.

While working on new mobile applications with .NET MAUI, we developed a pipeline for quickly building builds. This pipeline is used by the entire BuildApps team for projects. This feature is our implementation of the CI/CD process when working on launching and testing applications on .NET MAUI.

Previously, things were different: every time a developer made any changes, they manually created a build:

• IPA file for iOS;
• AAB file for Android.

Then, they manually uploaded these builds to Play Store for iOS and Google Play Console for Android. Only after that could people test the application.

This complicated the development process:

• it took a lot of time because there could be different testing environments;
• it required the developer to focus in a multitasking environment;
• it did not eliminate human error.

Now, we apply the process of automating build creation. This feature will be useful for all products in release, where features are being finalized, and active development is ongoing.

The main tool we chose for our work is Azure DevOps, and we use all pipelines there. However, if our client prefers GitHub, we practice using GitHub Actions.

This is usually the standard scheme we follow, and we insist on it. It will greatly reduce time spent when the development phase is active.

For example, we’ve finished working on a feature, set up the pipeline, and now we have one button that generates a build for Android and one button for iOS. That is, we made some changes, pressed one button, and the build was automatically generated on a virtual machine and uploaded to Google Play Store and Apple Play Console.

Now the mobile app is available for testing. Builds are also automatically updated on testers' phones and other devices if the “Automatic App Update” feature is enabled.

No need to manually build anymore, and there is no impact from human error. From the moment the build creation starts to the moment it is ready for testing, it takes 10 minutes.

An additional advantage is the ability to configure pipelines in such a way that depending on the branch from which the build is created (from development or release), we use the appropriate environment:

• testing;
• production.

Advantages of working with a pipeline:

• higher quality product development;
• reduced time expenditure;
• simplified workflow;
• avoidance of human error;
• more detailed testing.

Our approach to working on digital products allows us to identify errors in a timely manner, ensure stability, and improve the quality of mobile apps. Using tools like Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions helps reduce the time for releasing updates and makes the development process more efficient.

The experienced BuildApps team is ready to bring your ideas to life!

Want to get a mobile app quickly, with high quality, and without unnecessary hassle? We are here to help!

We specialize in end-to-end app development – from creating the design to launching the release.

Trust your idea to BuildApps, and we will deliver everything at the highest level!