As we know, Ionic Framework is an innovative development framework for structuring hybrid mobile applications. It provides a set of tools for building native iOS and Android applications, and mobile-ready Progressive Web Apps, using familiar web libraries, frameworks, and languages. Building web and mobile apps is quick and easy with this Framework. we won’t go deeply on the advantages when building a application with Ionic in this article. Let looking at delivery aspect instead of.
How to deliver Mobile application to end users?
There are a few different app delivery options and match to meet your mobile application delivery needs.
- App Stores: The most popular method is to publish your app on platforms like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This involves following their submission guidelines, which include app testing, creating a store listing, and adhering to their policies.
- Enterprise Distribution: For internal company use, apps can be distributed through enterprise app stores or mobile device management (MDM) systems. This method bypasses public app stores and allows for direct distribution to employees.
- Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): PWAs are web applications that behave like native apps. They can be accessed through a web browser and installed on a device’s home screen without going through an app store.
- Direct Download: Apps can be made available for direct download from a website. Users can download the APK (for Android) or IPA (for iOS) files and install them manually. This method is less common due to security concerns and the need for users to enable installations from unknown sources.
- Beta Testing Platforms: Services like TestFlight (for iOS) and Google Play Beta Testing allow developers to distribute pre-release versions of their apps to a select group of testers. This helps in gathering feedback and fixing bugs before the official release.
Using App Stores are so famous way and almost mobile application use it. However, whenever need to public any updates, you need to travel a process that called “submit app for review”. It usually has a gap or delay time. Fortunately, Ionic introduced the Appflow’s Deploy feature. It’s is a powerful cloud platform. For using, you can review on some plans https://ionic.io/appflow/pricing
What is the definition of a “live update”?
A live update is a single download of web resources from the Live Updates service. With support of it, you can send live code changes directly to your users without waiting in line for App Store reviews and approvals. Paired with seamless background updates, they are always upgraded to the latest version. The Live Updates feature only works on binary compatible changes (HTML, CSS, and JS). If you change native code, this doesn’t work.
These web resources are used to replace some or all of the contents of either a standalone web app or the contents of a web app hosted within a native app. An app can receive a live update based on: the CHANNEL_NAME variable configured in your app’s installation of the Live Updates plugin and the native versioning setup for the Web Deploy Build.
How many Live Update methods?
When configuring Live Updates in your Ionic app, you have the option to select one of three update methods: background, auto, and none.
- The auto method: will check for and download an available update as soon as your user opens the app. While the update is downloading, the app will remain on the splash screen. This helps to enforce that all of your users are using the most recent version of your application, as there is no way for them to bypass the update.
- The background method: will check for and download updates while the user is actively using the app. This method typically offers the best experience for your users as the update process is generally invisible. Unlike the auto method, it does not enforce that all users are using the most recent version of your app. This is because the minimum background duration has to be met in order for the update to begin.
- The manual (none) method: If you wish to control when updates occur, this allows you to instruct the plugin to check for, download, extract, and apply live updates as part of your business logic. An example use case for this method is in an app that offers a “Check for Updates” button in a settings menu. Additionally, because the update logic lives entirely within the web layer of your app, it can be difficult to revert to a previous live update version if any of this logic is changed and shipped out as an update.
In this article, I just wanna introduce and share to you about Ionic Live Update generally. For detail on how to setup it, we will have another topic to discuss more about it. However, if you’re interested in, can refer to this link.
Reference
https://ionic.io/docs/appflow/deploy/intro
https://ionic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001657093-Common-Questions-About-Appflow-Live-Update
https://ionic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/16373952459799-Live-Update-Methods-Overview