AirBuild Flutter SDK

Flutter SDK for two independent AirBuild features — use either or both:

Library	Feature	What it does
package:airbuild/airbuild.dart	Build distribution	Checks AirBuild for a new binary build (APK/IPA) and prompts the tester to install it
package:airbuild/airbuild_code_push.dart	CodePush	Receives Dart-only patches that apply on top of the installed build — no store re-submission

These are separate concerns: the update check asks "is there a newer build?", CodePush asks "is there a patch for this build?". Apps that don't use CodePush never import airbuild_code_push.dart.

Installation

dependencies:
  airbuild: ^0.4.0

flutter pub get

Binary build update check

Call AirBuild.configure() once at startup, then checkForUpdates() anywhere:

import 'package:airbuild/airbuild.dart';

void main() {
  AirBuild.configure(
    distributionKey: 'dk_a1b2c3d4e5f6', // from the AirBuild dashboard
    // baseUrl: 'https://airbuild.dev', // optional — override for self-hosted servers
  );
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

// e.g. on app start or behind a "Check for Updates" button:
final info = await AirBuild.checkForUpdates(
  context: context,           // shows the built-in dialog; omit for a headless check
  currentVersion: '1.0.0',    // your app's version
  appName: 'My App',          // optional — dialog title becomes "My App update available"
);

The SDK handles the whole flow: checks the server → shows a dialog with the app icon, new version, file size and release notes → on "Update", Android downloads the APK and triggers the system installer, iOS opens the install link in Safari (no sideloading on iOS). Analytics events (update_prompt_shown, update_accepted, update_declined, download_started, install_started) are reported automatically.

The distribution key (dk_xxx) is a public identifier — safe to embed, not a secret.

checkForUpdates parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
currentVersion	yes	Your app's version string (e.g. '1.0.0'). Compared against the latest build on the server.
context	no	Build context used to show the default dialog. Omit it to check silently and build your own UI from the returned UpdateInfo.
currentBuildNumber	no	Android versionCode / iOS CFBundleVersion. Auto-detected via package_info_plus when omitted — lets the server distinguish same-version builds (1.0.0+1 vs 1.0.0+2).
appName	no	App name shown in the dialog title.

UpdateInfo

checkForUpdates always returns an UpdateInfo, whether or not a dialog was shown:

Field	Type	Description
hasUpdate	bool	true when a newer build exists — the other fields are only set then
latestVersion	String?	Version of the latest build (e.g. 1.2.0)
latestBuildNumber	int?	Build number of the latest build
buildId	String?	Server-side build id
releaseNotes	String?	Release notes for the build
downloadUrl	String?	Direct APK download URL (Android only)
installUrl	String?	Browser install URL (iOS — the SDK opens it in Safari)
fileSizeBytes	int?	Artifact size in bytes
fileSizeDisplay	String	Human-readable size, e.g. "24.3 MB"
iconUrl	String?	App icon shown in the dialog
minOsVersion	String?	Minimum OS version required
isPasswordProtected	bool	Build needs a password — handled by the web install flow, not the SDK
createdAt	String?	ISO timestamp of when the build was uploaded

Custom update UI

Omit context to skip the built-in dialog and render UpdateInfo however you like:

final info = await AirBuild.checkForUpdates(currentVersion: '1.0.0');
if (info.hasUpdate) {
  // e.g. show a bottom sheet with info.latestVersion,
  // info.releaseNotes, info.fileSizeDisplay, info.iconUrl, …
}

To reuse the SDK's dialog but hook the buttons yourself, call showUpdateDialog directly, and use AirBuild.installUpdate for the install — on Android it downloads the APK inside the app (no browser redirect) and launches the system installer; on iOS it opens the install URL in Safari:

final accepted = await showUpdateDialog(
  context,
  update: info,
  appName: 'My App',
  onUpdate: () => AirBuild.installUpdate(info),
  onLater: () {/* optional — defaults to dismissing */},
);
// accepted == true → user tapped Update, false → Later, null → dismissed

installUpdate accepts an onProgress: (received, total) callback so a custom UI can show download progress during the APK download. total is -1 when the server doesn't send a content length — check total > 0 before computing a percentage:

await AirBuild.installUpdate(
  info,
  onProgress: (received, total) {
    if (total > 0) print('${(received / total * 100).round()}%');
  },
);

UpdateDialog is also exported as a widget if you'd rather embed it in your own route or sheet. download_started/install_started analytics events are reported automatically (download_failed/install_failed on failure).

Android: no setup needed — INTERNET, REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES, UPDATE_PACKAGES_WITHOUT_USER_ACTION, and the FileProvider are declared by the plugin. On first install, Android may ask the user to allow installs from your app (required on API 26+). On Android 12+ (API 31+) updates install through a PackageInstaller session — when your app is its own installer of record, the update applies with no confirmation sheet at all; otherwise the normal system install sheet appears. On Android 11 and below, the system installer sheet always opens (the user taps "Install"). iOS: no setup needed.

CodePush (OTA Dart patches)

Prerequisite: your app binary must be built by airbuild codepush flutter release — the AirBuild CLI compiles the OTA updater runtime into your app. A plain flutter build does not contain the updater. See the Flutter CodePush guide for CLI setup.

How patching works

1. You register a release (airbuild codepush flutter release) and install that exact build on devices.
2. You ship a patch (airbuild codepush flutter patch → promote).
3. The embedded updater checks AirBuild, downloads a binary diff, verifies its hash + signature, and applies it — active on the next app restart.

What patches can change: anything in Dart (lib/, Dart dependencies, --dart-define constants). What they can't: native code, assets, AndroidManifest.xml/Info.plist, plugins' native parts, the Flutter engine itself — those need a new binary build + release.

Update modes — pick one

Mode A: automatic updates (default, zero code)

shorebird.yaml ships with auto_update: true. On every launch, the engine's updater thread checks for patches on the production channel, downloads, verifies, and applies on the next launch — no Dart code needed. This is the recommended default.

You don't need airbuild_code_push.dart at all for this mode (you can still use it to read currentPatch() for diagnostics).

Mode B: manual updates (channels, custom UX)

Set auto_update: false in shorebird.yaml. Now the boot thread does nothing and your code drives everything — including which channel to check:

# shorebird.yaml
app_id: <your-app-id>
auto_update: false

import 'package:airbuild/airbuild_code_push.dart';

final codePush = AirBuildCodePush();           // defaultChannel: 'production'
// or: AirBuildCodePush(defaultChannel: 'staging')

// Fire-and-forget — don't await during startup (initState).
codePush.checkForUpdate().then((status) async {
  if (status == UpdateStatus.outdated) {
    await codePush.update();        // downloads + installs; applies on restart
  } else if (status == UpdateStatus.restartRequired) {
    // a downloaded patch is waiting to boot — prompt the user to restart
  }
});

Channels: the channel name is sent verbatim — checkForUpdate(channel: 'staging') checks the staging channel, channel: 'internal-qa' any custom channel you promoted to. This is the only way to receive non-production patches on a device: the channel: key in shorebird.yaml is stripped at build time, and the boot thread always reports stable (mapped to production server-side).

Zero-wiring option: AirBuildCodePushOverlay

If you just want "check on launch + on resume + every few hours, then prompt to restart", wrap your app in the overlay instead of writing the plumbing yourself (still requires auto_update: false):

MaterialApp(
  builder: (context, child) => AirBuildCodePushOverlay(
    config: AirBuildCodePushConfig(
      channel: 'staging',                 // optional, default 'production'
      checkInterval: Duration(hours: 4),  // Duration.zero disables the timer
      onRestart: () => Phoenix.rebirth(context), // your restart hook
    ),
    child: child ?? const SizedBox.shrink(),
  ),
  home: const HomePage(),
)

The overlay checks on launch, on every resume, and on the timer; downloaded patches show a banner with Later / Restart now. Once dismissed it stays hidden until a different patch is staged. showDebugBar: true adds a live status strip ("CodePush: Downloading patch…") for dev builds, bannerBuilder replaces the banner entirely, and onUpdateReady fires once per staged patch for analytics. Reach it from anywhere via AirBuildCodePushOverlay.maybeOf(context) — exposes status (a ValueListenable<String>) and checkNow().

Opting Play Store installs out of patches

If you distribute the same binary through Google Play and AirBuild and want OTA patches on AirBuild installs only:

final codePush = AirBuildCodePush(disableOnPlayStoreInstalls: true);
// or: AirBuildCodePushConfig(disableOnPlayStoreInstalls: true) on the overlay

On devices where the installer is com.android.vending, checkForUpdate returns UpdateStatus.unavailable and update() is a no-op; sideloaded/ADB/direct-APK installs (unknown installer) are unaffected — the check fails open. This gates only Dart-driven checks: the auto_update boot thread still applies patches on Play installs, so pair the flag with auto_update: false for a real opt-out. installerPackageName()/isPlayStoreInstall() are exported if you want the raw value.

Reading patch state

final current = await codePush.currentPatch(); // Patch? — the patch booted now, null = base release
final next    = await codePush.nextPatch();    // Patch? — downloaded, waiting for restart

Useful for an "About" screen ("running patch #4") or deciding to show a restart prompt when current != next.

Restart prompt example

The patch never applies mid-session — it boots on the next app restart. showRestartBanner gives the user a one-tap restart hook:

final status = await codePush.checkForUpdate();
if (status == UpdateStatus.outdated) {
  await codePush.update();
  if (context.mounted) {
    showRestartBanner(context, onRestart: () {
      // The SDK can't restart your app for you — use whatever your app
      // already has, e.g. the `phoenix` package: Phoenix.rebirth(context);
    });
  }
}

UpdateStatus values

Status	Meaning
upToDate	No newer patch on the channel
outdated	A patch is available — call update() to download it
restartRequired	A downloaded patch is staged — it applies on next launch
unavailable	Updater not present (debug build, unsupported platform, plain flutter build) — also returned when disableOnPlayStoreInstalls gates a Play-installed device

Behavior notes

• isAvailable — false in debug builds, tests, and builds without the updater runtime. Every method degrades gracefully (checks return unavailable, patch reads return null) — safe to call unconditionally.
• Signing — patch signatures are verified on-device before installing (configured automatically by the AirBuild CLI).
• Rollback — if a patch is rolled back server-side, the updater reverts to the base release automatically.
• Bad patches — a patch that fails verification/install is remembered and skipped automatically.

Using both features together

void main() {
  AirBuild.configure(distributionKey: 'dk_xxx');   // binary-update check
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

// In a settings screen or on a timer:
Future<void> checkEverything() async {
  // 1) Is there a whole new build?
  final info = await AirBuild.checkForUpdates(currentVersion: '1.0.0');
  if (info.hasUpdate) { /* prompt to install the new build */ return; }

  // 2) Otherwise, is there a patch for this build?
  final cp = AirBuildCodePush();
  if (await cp.checkForUpdate() == UpdateStatus.outdated) {
    await cp.update();
  }
}

Check the build first: if a new binary exists, patch state is irrelevant — patches are tied to a specific release version and reset on install of a new build.

Libraries

airbuild

AirBuild Distribution SDK for Flutter.

airbuild_code_push

AirBuild CodePush for Flutter — a thin wrapper around Shorebird's shorebird_code_push package for apps distributed through an AirBuild-hosted (or self-hosted) control plane.