over-the-air update | Glossary

Like changing a menu board without closing the cafe, it lets you ship new app code to users without waiting for the app stores.

Picture swapping the pages in a binder while the office stays open. An over-the-air update sends new app code and images to installed apps without a full store release.

This helps fix bugs and tweak screens quickly, which keeps momentum when you spot issues after launch. There are limits: it updates shared app code and media, not the deeper pieces that are baked into the iOS and Android builds.

In practice you publish an update to a server. When the app starts, it checks for a newer bundle, which is the set of files the app runs, downloads it, and uses it on the next launch or right away if you allow it.